Natural Remedies For Astigmatism
There is no medicine or drug currently available to treat or cure astigmatism. However, there are diets and home remedies that can ease symptoms and slow the progress of this disease.
Exercise
Unbelievable as it may seem, it’s true. Exercises for the eyes are known to reduce the severity of astigmatism. As with all muscles in the human body, the muscles in our eyes work on a simple logic; you either use them or you lose them. You should therefore keep your eye muscles active all day long. By staring at a computer screen or at the road while driving, you do not fully exercise your muscles. You should perform additional eye exercises. Here are some benefits of eye exercises for astigmatism: (7)
- They reduce stress (eye strain)
- They relax the eye muscles and strengthen the eyes
- Vision can be improved over time or within 1 to 4 weeks.
- Astigmatism can be improved at home with these exercises
Exercise 1. Rectus muscle relaxation
As its name suggests, this exercise helps relax the rectus muscles of the eye. The Rectus group of muscles are one of the major muscles involved in movement and stabilization of the eye. Doing this exercise regularly is proven to strengthen the eye muscles and reduce stress on the cornea. People with astigmatism should do this exercise 2 to 4 times a day.
Follow these steps to do this exercise correctly
- At a 90 degree, place your thumb over the nose
- Make a swift movement to the 12 o’clock direction and keep this position for at least 3 to 5 seconds. Gradually move it back while making sure your eyes follow your thumb movement.
- Next step would be moving your thumb to 1 o’clock position – a slight deviation from the original position. Maintain this position for a few seconds and slowly bring your thumb back to 90 degree angle.
- Breath deeply during this exercise and keep on repeating these steps for all clock positions.
Exercise 2. Eye Massage
Massage is an important exercise to stimulate the blood flow to any part of the body. Studies and clinical trials have documented numerous health benefits for massage for the targeted body parts. Eye massage is also important as it helps restore the shape of the cornea, reduce eye strain, and strengthen the eye muscles.
Here’s how you can do eye massage;
- Close your eyes softly. Don’t close them too hard. Maintain a soft pressure on your closed eyelids by placing two fingers on your eyelids.
- From right to left and top to bottom, start moving your fingers – slowly and gently- in a circular motion to apply gentle pressure.
- You can also move your fingers in a clockwise and anticlockwise direction.
- Perform this exercise 3 times a day with 10-15 reps each time.
Exercise 3. Target reading
This is a modification of normal reading. You will require a book or your computer screen as a source of reading and an object to focus on.
This exercise is great for people with astigmatism as it helps to release the pressure on the cornea caused by astigmatism.
Follow these steps;
- Pull out a book or open a blog or a document on your computer screen
- Place an object with sharp edges next to it. Now read a paragraph from the source (paragraph should be short) and then focus on the object.
- Maintain your focus for half a minute. Then get back to your reading source and read a new paragraph.
- Continue performing this exercise until your eyes start to feel tired.
Exercise 4: Head Tilting
As a result of this exercise, the extraocular muscles are able to regulate the force and the direction of the gentle force they exert on the eyeball. This exercise – when done on a regular basis – can transform the shape of the cornea and may help improve astigmatism. The following steps should be followed:
- Take a look in the mirror in front of you to see if your head is tilted to one side. Spend time every day consciously tilting your head in the opposite direction.
- In this way, you are strengthening the extraocular muscles that will be beneficial for the corneal shape.
- Repeat this exercise 2-3 times a day.
Exercise 5. Vision Breaks
Eye strain and pressure are relieved by this exercise. It involves taking a break from what you are constantly doing for quite some time, for example reading. Follow these steps to complete the exercise:
- Place a small object with clear edges in front of you
- Take a break from staring at the mobile or computer screen to read this article, scrolling through social media, writing, or reading
- At least 20 seconds should be spent focusing on the object in the distance. This will help relieve stress and strain on your eyes.
- This exercise should be repeated several times in a day.
Exercise 6. Eye Yoga
As its name suggests, this exercise is yoga for the eyes. Eye muscles are strengthened, focus is sharpened, and vision is improved with this exercise. Follow these steps to complete the exercise:
- Maintain a straight posture. Stand or sit straight on the floor or in the chair
- Concentrate on your eyes while closing your eyes and start moving your eyes from side to side slowly.
- This will help relieve stress on the eye and strengthen the eyeball muscles.
- Exercise this way several times a day.
Exercise 7. Blinking
Keep your eyes moist by blinking, and you will be able to focus better. Blinking will also keep your eyes relaxed and refreshed. Follow these steps to complete the exercise:
- Set a timer for two minutes on your mobile.
- Blink every three to four seconds and then take a rest. Aim to repeat this several times during the set time.
- Perform this exercise at least four times per day.
Exercise 8. Figure 8
Figure 8 suggests there is something related to it. This exercise is performed in a figure 8 pattern. Your eye muscles become stronger and more flexible as a result of this exercise. Follow these steps to complete the exercise:
- Look at a wall that should have a distance of 10 feet from your eyes.
- Picture number 8 in your mind.
- Spend two minutes moving your eyes along the figure.
- For 2 minutes, do the same in reverse.
- You can also write figure eight on the wall or paste a sticker. This will help make this exercise easy to perform.
The exercises listed above are designed to reduce strain and pressure on the eye muscles plus strengthen your eye muscles. Astigmatism can be treated by performing these exercises daily. If you want to know if these exercises will work for you, consult your eye doctor