Symptoms: blurred vision, headaches, floaters, spots, redness and itching. Below are herbs and supplements aimed at helping blurred vision usually caused by common vision defects such as farsightedness, nearsightedness, or astigmatism. Disturbances of the fluid balance in the eye can also cause blurred vision. These disturbances may be limited to the eye itself, as in eyestrain and excessive tearing, or they may reflect disturbances in fluid balance throughout the body, as in diabetes, high blood pressure and PMS.
Top Superfoods and Supplements for the Eyes:
Black Currant: 200 mg daily.
Bilberry extract or concentrate: 50-300 mg daily.
Lutein: 15-30 mg daily.
Zeaxanthin: 5-10 mg daily.
Vitamin A: 5000-50000 IU daily.
Krill or Omega3 fish oil: 1000-9000mg daily
Herbs:
Eyebright Herb as tea, tincture, or capsules of herb extract + powdered herb. Eyebrights’ reputation for improving eyesight led to its name. It helps the eye and surrounding tissue. When treating styes, inflammation of the eyelids or other infections such as conjunctivitis, it is best to treat the problem both internally and externally. Internally the herbs should be anti-microbial, detoxifying and toning for the whole body, thereby strengthening it to the point where it can ‘throw off ‘ the infection itself. Here is an example of that sort of formula: Bayberry Bark, cayenne, red raspberry leaf, blue flag root, cleavers, echinacea,golden seal, yellow dock, eyebright and poke root. This can be taken three times a day either as a tea or tincture.
My favourite formula is Dr John Christophers eyewash. It is excellent for brightening and healing the eyes and has been known in some cases to remove cataracts and heavy film from the eyes. It is made from equal parts of bayberry bark, eyebright, golden seal root, red raspberry and an eighth part of cayenne pepper. Make this into tea,strain well and put into a glass eye cup. Tip the head back and bathe the eyes in the tea one at a time. There will be a slight burning sensation from the cayenne at first and if it cannot be tolerated, the amount of cayenne can be further reduced. Cayenne causes tearing and cleansing of the eyes. At first you may just be able to blink the eye a number of times and when accustomed to it keep the eye open and bath it for a few minutes. Exercise the eye while doing this as though you were swimming under water. Do this three to six times a day for an acute infection or once or twice a day if you aim to improve your eyesight. Also drink a half cup of this or the above infection formula morning and evenings.
Liver herbs like Dandelion Root and Milk Thistle may be needed for a liver flush. The condition of your liver affects your vision.
Improved eyesight: I have used this protocol on myself and many patients successfully over the years. 20 years ago I failed the routine drivers eye tests. This was also confirmed by an optometrist. I then started using the Dr Christopher eyewash formula three times a day+ drank a liter of carrot juice daily + took a bilberry formula and did Bates and Tibetan eye exercises daily. After 3 months I passed the eye examination. The same scenario has played four times now. Yes I could just get glasses, but with a little work, I can keep my eyesight perfect.Eye fitness is just like any other form of fitness. I have seen the same with patients of all ages. Also I make minimal use of sunglasses. You can keep your eyes in good condition and just need to invest a little time and energy in them. You are told that your eyesight will go downhill with aging and that there is little choice other than getting glasses that gradually allow your eyes to get weaker and weaker. That is a medical myth.
Nutrition for your Eyes:
Many cases of eye damage and vision loss are linked to underlying diseases of one kind or another. Diabetes often leads to hemorrhages in the retina and the vitreous humor, eventually producing blindness. Early cataracts also may be related to diabetes. High blood pressure produces a gradual thickening of the blood vessels inside the eyes that can result in visual impairment and even blindness. Other factors linked to declining eyesight include tobacco smoke ,environmental pollution, the use of alcohol, chemical personal care and household products.These all form toxins and free radicals in the body which require large amounts of nutrients to generate the antioxidants that get rid of them. On top of this people eat lots of foods that are full of chemical additives,colourants and preservatives. Most people live on a denatured nutrient deficient diet. A deficiency of vitamin A alone can lead to various eye problems. Supplementation with the correct vitamins ,amino acids, fats and minerals can help prevent or correct eye trouble. Certain supplements protect against the formation of free radicals, which can damage the eyes. Specific eye problems can be helped by supplementing the diet with nutrients that show up as deficient. I usually use hair analysis to work out what your body is in need of.
Vital Nutrients:
Taurine: 100-1000 mg daily. Taurine + zinc maintain eye function.It is present in the retina of the eye in high concentrations.
NAC, whey powder, milk thistle or oral glutathione or a drip form powerful antioxidants which protect the lens of the eye. Zinc, B6 and vitamin C are needed for these to be absorbed.
Vitamin A emulsion: vital for proper eye function.25,000IU daily.Less if you are pregnant. Protects the eye from free radicals.Easy to assimilate. Carotenoids are also vital to eye function. They are precursors of vitamin A.
Vitamin C+bioflavonoids: 1000-10000 mg daily. Acts as an antioxidant that reduces intraocular pressure.
Full spectrum Vitamin E
Ginkgo Biloba powder and or extract: 500-5000mg daily.
B Complex. It is needed for intracellular eye metabolism.
Zinc orotate :50-90 mgs daily.Deficiency has been linked to retinal detachment. Zinc is a factor in the metabolic functioning of several enzymes in the chorioretinal complex( the vascular coating of the eye).
Antioxidant Formula: A strong one may cover several of the nutrients mentioned so far.
.Put wet green tea bags over the eyes for blurred vision and inflammed eyes.
Dry Eyes: L-carnosine eye drops. 1-2 drops in each eye one to four times daily. Have your eyes checked for degenerative eye conditions.
Many of the above supplements can be very helpful.
Sugar has an immediate detrimental effect on the eyes. I once helped Dr Kaplan with tests to prove this. Eye tests were carried out on a wide range of people with and without eyesight problems. We then gave the participants cakes and other sources of sugar and re-did the eye tests. After the sugar intake, everyones vision had deteriorated substantially.
Prescription and or over the counter drugs can also cause eye problems. Drugs can damage the the optic nerve, retina or other vital parts of the eye. Everyday common drugs that can do this may be: anti gout medication, aspirin, corticosteriods, diabetic meds, diuretics, antihistamines, heart meds, arthritis meds, streptomycin, sulfa drugs or tetracycline.
The combination of nicotine, sugar and caffeine may temporarily affect vision.
Because the light absorbing retinal pigment is composed of vitamin A and protein, which are continually being used up as images are formed, adequate supplies of these nutrients are vital for proper eye function.
People who work at computers every day are at risk of eyestain headaches, blurred vision, dry or irritated eyes, sensitivity to light, double vision and after images.
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctiva of the eye-the membrane that lines the eyelid and wraps around to cover most of the white of the eye. The eyes may appear swollen and bloodshot. They are often itchy and irritated. The eyelids may stick together due to the generation of pus. This may be caused by bacterial or viral infection, injury to the eye, allergies, irritants like fumes, smoke, contact lens solutions, chlorine from swimming pools, make up or any other chemicals that end up in your eyes. It is usually caused by a viral or bacterial infection or an allergic reaction :
Colloidal Silver, Echinacea tincture, Golden Seal tincture or capsules.
Vitamin C in large doses. Protects from further inflammation.
Vitamin A oral and topical vitamin A. Also lutein and zeaxanthin.
B vitamins. B2 50mg three times daily. B3 50 mg three times daily.B6 50mg three times daily. An additional B complex would also be helpful.
Zinc. Enhances immune response.
Calendula, chamomile, fennel and eyebright can be made into hot compresses for the eyes to soothe inflammation and irritation. They can be made into an eye rinse using eye cups. Goldenseal can be added to control infection. Apply several hot compresses to the eyes daily. The Dr Christopher eye formula can also be used to rinse the eyes.
Also take anti infective herbs internally several times a day to fight the infection both internally and externally. Barberry, coptis or golden seal fight bacteria.
For swollen eyelids peel and grate a fresh potato, wrap it in gauze and place it over the eyes.
Quercetin, bioflavanoids, pycnogenol, grapeseed and bromelain can all combat infection and help heal the eyes.
If there is no relief in a couple of days, see your doctor.