How can I improve my eye sight naturally? I'm only 18 years of age and
I'm very active in running and basketball, but I've notice that it is
more difficult to see things from a distance then it was before. I
don't wear glasses and I never intend to. I barely passed the 20/40
legal limit for driving my eye doctor said two years ago. So, how can
I improve my eye sight naturally? Is it possible?

If it helps, not only am I very active running and playing basketball
four times a week, however I like to run at night since that is my
only time I can. And I am also very active on the computer. Could
these be reasons why my eye sight is starting to go?

If you were to consume certain quantity of greens and carrots
everyday, either steamed or grilled; not fried. Making it a habbit
atleast for a year, you would see a bit of a difference in your sight.

What do you mean when steamed? Will carrots still help my eyes even if
I just ate them from the refrigator? And what types of food consists
of "greens"? Thanks

Uifz-ga,
I am also short-sighted (can't see distant things sharply).  I believe
you should see an optometrist and get glasses or contact lenses. 
There is a good reason for the eye-test for a driver's license. If you
just barely passed it, you are a risk to yourself and others in
traffic, especially in the dusk and at night.  And it may improve your
basketball shooting.

Lots of sportsman wear contact lenses.  600+ pro basketball players
all can't have 20/20 vision.

Don't wait a year feeding on carrots; it won't help much, and your
sight may be getting slowly worse  (NOT going blind!, just more
short-sighted).
And yes, computer work can be a strain on your eyes.  If you cannot
lean back and still read this, you are probably squinting and hunched
over your keyboard
(w/o glasses, I can just recognize that there are gray lines).

Also, if one eye is stronger than the other, your brain will favor
that image and may begin to ignore the one from the other eye, giving
up on using the msucles to focus.  Bad thing.
This is a free comment and not an "answer" to your question.
Good luck and take care,  Myoarin

Stand closer.

There are some natural methods to reduce eye-strain and strengthen eye
sight, these are very simple. The hard part is remembering to do them,
often.
Step 1: At least once every 45 minutes, look away from the computer.
        Look at something say, 20 feet away for about 10 seconds, focus on it.
        Then look at something say, 10 feet away for about 10 seconds, focus.
        Basic principle is to choose objects to focus on that are varied
        distances away, do this for about 1-3 minutes for every 45 mins on
        the computer, more often is not harmful.
        This helps reduce eye strain quite a bit.
Step 2: This is proven (in Japanese studies) to actually improve eyesight.
        However it must be done several times a day, every day.
        Basic concept: There is a simple drawing/picture on a piece of paper.
        The paper was placed on a type of old fashioned closeline and started 
        about 1 foot away from the person doing the excercise.
        The person focused on the picture as it was moved somewhat fast
        back and forth on the clothesline. Starting distance was about 1 foot
        from the subject, and maximum distance was about 10 feet away.
        Sessions lasted about 5 minutes. Vision tests given immediately after
        this procedure showed significant improvement.
        Doing this with a picture held in your hand doesnt give you enough range
        for it to truely be effective, so try rigging up something simple.
        I do this somewhat religiously, 1-4 times a day, and I do notice objects
        tend to come into focus faster than they used too. I have been doing
        this for about 3 weeks, and I still need my glasses, but hey, its
        simple, non surgical, and free. Give it a shot.

I have exactly the same problem, but I'm four years younger :D.

There are several methods, perhaps infinite :), that can be used to
correct this problem. In my research, here are some of the most useful
links I've found. Hopefully, they help...these are all off google.

http://www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/vision.htm
http://www.shme.com/kungfu/massage5.htm
http://www.ivillage.co.uk/health/ghealth/dental/articles/0,,181038_182664,00.html
http://www.alexandertechnique.com/articles/eyesight/
http://www.indoindians.com/health/eyesight.htm

No matter which exercises you choose, the most important thing is to
never give up. None of these exercises will work in a few days. Expect
at least a year maybe more before noticeable changes. This is the
reason the majority of the population has fallen victim to
glasses...'cause they are too lazy and do not persevere!

Another way to improve eyesight naturally is simply not to look at
things too near. IMHO this is the most practical way. For example,
keep reading and the computer further away. What I do, is each day I
move my computer slightly farther away by just a tad bit. I started
this about 6 months ago, and now I can see my PC from around 2.5 feet
away with little problems whereas back then I could barely see it from
1.5 feet. Large difference! Perseverance is a must!

If your eyes ever feel tired, then just stop reading or playing the PC
and take a break for a while. I completely agree with wildyeti's
advice.

You could also count leaves on trees. Begin by counting 50 leaves in
one day. Increase this number by 5 each day and soon you shall be able
to count hundreds of leaves!

The key is perseverance and taking it slowly. Don't expect sudden improvement...

~Peace~

Shengzhi Li

I personally think, if your eye sight is not normal, then do not run
away from wearing glasses or contacts, as in my experience it will
only make things worse.

Best things you can do is, eat proper food and proper workout. But it
is also very important to do various eye exercises as they can make
atleast help your eyes not get worse.

At your age I am not sure if LASIK would be possible, but that is
something you might want to keep in mind once you are over 21. But
still it does not hurt to visit near by TLC for suggestions, they are
always very helpful.

At the age of 26 my eye sight was -3.25 & -3.50. Within 24 hours of
LASIK my eye sight was 20/20 and after 8 months (I got LASIK done in
Dec 2004), right now my eye sight is 20/10 (which is much better than
normal). I don't think it is gonna get any more better, but hey with
20/10 there nothing else but happiness. :)

P.S.. if you plan to get LASIK done in future, please do not try to
think about saving money. Go to the best possible doctor. You owe it
to yourself atleast this much.

Hope this helps.

I don't know about physcially improving your eye sight but I do know
sitting at a computer doesn't just strain your eyes, it does it almost
permenantly.

I got new glasses in the summer (I needed new, more fashionable frames
[haven't had new ones in 4 years] and my lens were scratched up pretty
bad). Anyway, I got an anti-reflective coating on them and my
optomitrist said that it improved my vision from 20/20 to about 20/17
and I definetly did notice! Now, after 3 months of being in class at
College with a laptop in front of me for hours on end, I find it hard
to focus on distant objects. I used to be able to, in vivid detail,
see leaves moving on trees from about 75-100m away. Now I find it hard
to focus on objects about 15m away. I'm getting scared my eyes are
getting worse way to fast.

It can't be about vegtables or health (although it helps), because
I've reduced the amount of times I eat processed sugars to once a week
max. I've spent a lot of time in front of the computers since I was 12
and now I just turned 18 so I do have to think it has to do with
computers. I've played lots of sports in my time (basketball, soccer,
football, rugby, tennis, etc.) and I've always worn glasses. So I do
need my eyes to be good enough to focus fast enough such as a tennis
ball travelling at 100km/h but I'm worried my eyes are getting really
bad too fast.

I've talked to my optomitrist as well and they just basically give me
the brush off saying that I should focus away from the computer every
45 minutes but I do, at least every 20 minutes. That's not the problem
I think. It's the sheer amount of time I spend focusing on one spot. I
think something needs to be developed in this field. I know I'm not
the only one with this problem.

Yes, I believe you can improve your eyesight naturally, through eye
exercises and eye relaxation. My friend tried it and she said it
really improved her eyes! There are a lot of vision training programs
out there. Here are some URLs to them:

- http://www.rebuildyourvision.com/
- http://www.internatural-alternative-health.com/VENDORS/NATURALEYES_11205.cfm
- http://www.seeclearlymethod.com/

I've heard that prolonged near-point activities, such as reading and
computers, can worsen your distant vision. To prevent this, it's good
to look away every 10 minutes, on an object at least 10 feet away, for
10 seconds - anytime that you are doing close-up work, especially on
computers. It's called the 10-10-10 rule for that reason, and it works
for me to release the tension that build up in my eyes. I've also
heard that computers and television are a lot of stress on the eyes.

You can do a search on Google for "eye exercises", "vision training",
etc. and come up with many results.

Your vision is pretty good compared to me...I am VERY nearsighted! It
is not fun to not be able to see distant objects. Presently I am doing
the "Vision for Life" program but it has not been long enough to see
much improvement in my vision yet. "Palming" is a really good
relaxation exercise for the eyes, which you can find info. on the net
about, along with many others that you can find out for free. Just
remember that you have to stick with it, everyday, to see improvement.

Here is a good site with eye exercises:
http://www.folksonline.com/folks/hh/lm/lm.htm

Hope that helps,
Jason

BTW, I'm ALSO 4 years younger that you! :D

Jason

This page is absolutely godly: 

http://eye.taragana.com/

Give insights on everything from the traditional palming, sunning, etc
to pressure points to yoga and much, much more. Basically a free
complete book on eye care.

Be sure to check this out!

Avoid extensive use of sunglasses and drinking diet soft drinks with aspartame.
I am 48 and my eyesight has gone weaker just recently. hard to focus
close and reading on poor light is harder than before. I am planning
to get my eyesight back by improving my diet and doing eyesight
exercises. I am pretty sure I can do it.

Muscles need exercise and proper nutrition to function properly. Use it or lose it.