This week my daughter came home from school on Thursday with vision screening results. I didn’t even know they were being tested but I was interested in the results all the same. The paper says she tested at 20/32 in each eye. Immediately I started to get antsy that this was bad news. Beyond the fact that I just want my baby to have the best vision with which to see this gorgeous world we live in… I was a child who wore glasses and I don’t want that for my kids.
I didn’t get teased or called “four eyes” or anything but wearing them was a pain in the butt! They got dirty, they got scratched, they got lost, and they gave me headaches. By the time I reached my teen years and got obsessed interested in boys I talked my mom into letting me switch to contacts. Glasses were so not sexy IMO. Well, I had a really active social life, and at 16 I graduated highschool and started college AND working full time. I didn’t sleep much and I wore my contacts all the time. After a couple years the whites of my eyes turned completely red with blood vessels that grew in there in a desperate attempt to reach oxygen that was being blocked by the contacts. My optometrist told me he could no longer prescribe contacts for me and that if I cared about my eyes I would never, ever wear any again.
I went back to glasses until I was 24ish if I recall correctly, and hated every minute of it. Then I got Lasik and it was the single best thing I ever spent money on. It has been amazing to live for the past 8 years with perfect vision. THAT is what I want for my kids but of course I would prefer they not have to go through a risky surgery to get it.
In doing a bit of research on what the vision scales mean, 20/32 is actually classified as near normal but to me it means there has likely been some vision deterioration and she, as well as my other kids, may need to adopt some serious “vision specific” healthy habits in order to contradict the bad vision genes they got from me.
The core of any natural vision improvement program would have to be a healthy, natural diet obviously. I have actually started writing out a core diet mission plan of sorts so we can be reminded of our goals.
Our core diet mission plan:
* A plant based diet… high raw
* Heavy on leafy greens like spinach, kale, collards and chard
* Fruit and especially “berries”… raspberries, cranberries, blackberries, blueberries, goji berries
* Nuts and Seeds
* Superfoods (goji berries, chlorella, chia seeds, maca)
* Herbs
Supplements Plan:
* Elderberry Syrup daily (homemade or Sambucol)
* Greens powders (like Amazing Grass)
* Algae
I think keeping a mission plan is good because as you learn and grow things change. 2 years ago my mission plan would have been something like “an omnivore’s diet, high on veggies, fruit, raw dairy, beans and legumes, whole grains, and fish (cooked and raw)”. There would have been no emphasis on leafy greens and there would have been a whole lot more animal products, grains, and pastas than there are now.
So… now that I have my core diet I see something important to vision that I need to add:
* Colored veggies with lots of phytonutrients like orange carrots, yellow squash, and red cabbage
So we need to more colored veggies, uncooked, in juices… to the mix. We do green smoothies but I think we need to start having a daily glass of carrot/apple juice from our juicer. We could juice beets and add them to smoothies.
We have also been forgetting the algae oils lately so I think we will start using chlorella tablets in conjunction. It’s green algae and it’s a superfood. They taste good and you just chew them like nuts. But the DHA in the oils is essential for healthy eyes so we need to be more vigilant about this.
We also need to concentrate on the “dark” berries… blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, etc. The bioflavonoids are good for your eyes.
So what do you think? What are your tips for improving or reversing eye vision issues?
Update: Stacy (below) linked to an awesome article that points out that SLS in shampoo might be large culprit in eye degeneration among modern kids. EXCELLENT point! We already avoid SLS but the reminder never hurts! Yet another reason I love shampoo bars instead of bottled shampoo.
I have not done the surgery nor have any desire to. Yet, I do wear glasses and am on the same mission to eliminate the glasses as well as maintain my youths vision at optimal levels and encourage a diet that strengthens their overall holistic well being.. Please check out this site for more information. Your above outline is fantastic!! Keep focused!!
Peace love and light
Stacey
http://www.dherbs.com/articles/eye-problems-173.html
I don’t know if you use animal products or not but as far as I know I can say that fish oil is the best. Not the tablets but the oil itself. And just one teaspoon a day works great. The Carlson’s fish oil with lemon flavor is very good. It has the great taste award. Besides omega3 fatty acids, fish oil has also DHA and EPA; which are good for brain and eye development as well as maintaining the health of heart and eye’s retina. Hope this is helpful and best wishes to you and your family.
There are exercises to help keep your eyes strong. Bring your finger as close to your nose as you can while keeping focus, focus on your finger and then focus at a point far away, repeat and slowly try to move your finger closer. Do this with both eyes and one eye at a time.
I’m far sighted, so no lasik for me.
Slightly off topic and at the risk of telling you something you already know, I’d like to point out that cruciferous vegetables (cabbage, broccoli and all related) should be lightly cooked or fermented before you eat them. They can cause goiter and really mess up your thyroid. The thyroid regulates metabolism, so really important. Sauerkraut is really awesome, and so easy to make!
Here’s a few tips to Google for getting rid of glasses:
-Bates method
-EFT & Carol Look: She has an eyesight program with 75% success rate
-Vision Defense from Waiora reversed my 84 year old friend’s vision enough that she could pass her driving exam–don’t worry–she’s a better driver than most people out there! You can find it on my website.
I wear glasses and don’t mind them at all. I tried contacts for a while but I kept getting stuff in my eyes. Glasses are a good protection and now that I’m not a kid anymore they really don’t get dirty like they used to. Plus they can hide bags under the eyes!
One of my friends had Lasik and they screwed up one of his eyes. Be sure to research the possible after-effects. It won’t work on everyone. Look for the best surgeon possible. I’m not risking that one.
Sunlight deficiency is also a common problem. My eyesight improved several times in the last few years. First when I detoxified heavy metals and secondly when I did a 10 day watermelon-only diet. Keeping the liver clean is crucial for eyesight. I don’t need my glasses for reading anymore, just distance.
The reason people become near-sighted (myopic) or far-sighted (hyperopic) is because the shape of the eye itself changes, which changes the optical properties – it’s like moving the lens on your camera out of alignment. The lasik surgery changes the shape of your cornea to correct the focus, just as contacts and glasses do.
Your statement “but to me it means there has likely been some vision deterioration” isn’t necessarily true. Your child’s retina is likely perfectly healthy, so you don’t need to worry about macular degeneration at this point (it’s not a common reason for glasses in children – but your doctor will tell you if he/she sees any actual deterioration). I think your diet is wonderful, but I am skeptical that it would help with myopia/hyperopia.
Somewhat off topic here but not… :)
What sort of juicer do you have? I’m in the market and looking at the Hurom {sp} – but I’m not sure.
Love that you are going high-raw. We are getting there as well… live-whole-food.blogspot.com
I’m giving away movie tickets over at mark-it-with-a-b.blogspot.com if you’d like to leave a comment. :)
Thanks for any recommendations!
Robin
My oldest doesn’t quite need glasses, but her vision isn’t 20/20 either. I’ll have to try throwing some more of the right foods in her diet.
I don’t need glasses so far, but my husband does and is so desperate to be able to afford the surgery.
Yvonne,
I am not hear to lie to people or mislead them. I NEVER write anything unless I know it to be a fact. I happen to know people personally who have benefited from the Bates program if that’s what you’re suggesting has been proven wrong and it won’t take too long to find random people on youtube or forums who have also had success with it. Like these from a Bates teacher:
http://www.clearvisionnaturally.com/successstories.html. Spend some time on Google and look for results from real people. Science means nothing if it doesn’t work on people.
Our body is capable of much more than the current way of thinking (if you can call it that) that modern medicine and science try to teach us.
If you are running in the circles of the medical world you will have to believe there is no hope but glasses. It’s a bit of a dilemma for the medical model that there are countless people that prove that them wrong.
EFT: 75% out of 120 people improved vision. Here’s the Press Release:http://www.emofree.com/press-releases/vision-acupressure.htm
I heard a biochemist speaking about how the liver affects cataracts. I also know people who have reversed cataracts. These are pretty common occurrences in my line of work which is detoxification and nutrition.
Always remember there is more than one way of dealing with health issues and bad eyesight is no different than any other. Our eyes are a reflection of what’s going on in our bodies. I suppose iridology is also laughed at in opthamology school. That certainly doesn’t mean it isn’t valid–unless you believe what you read on Quackwatch–the guy who calls himself a doctor and has lost every single court case he’s ever been involved with. Wikopedia is also a poor resource.
Countless people have reversed their vision with a raw food diet. Maybe not all will get rid of glasses but many will lessen their prescription. I realize it’s your job to fit people for glasses but please don’t tell people there’s no hope when there is. Here’s another site you may want to look at:
http://www.visionsofjoy.org/inthenews.htm
YESSSS!! I agree with you Sharon 100%. I am so very tired of the medical world continuously trying to usurp our individual power within to heal. I do not fault those individuals within the field of medicine all the way…it’s a 2way street…and it is sites like this one and dherbs.com and countless others that are here to empower the people. Thank you for taking the words out of my mouth and putting it so very eloquently!!! Sisters we mus heal ourselves so that we can heal the world. We are the original EARTHMAMAS and GODDESSES. The Creator provided us with all that we need within to heal and the knowledge and wisdom to assist our families, communities and nation!!
Peace and love to each of you
Hi there!
I’m a technician for a pediatric ophthalmologist and have been in ophthalmology for about 3 years. Most vision problems (myopia/hyperopia) are due to the shape of the eye. While eating lots of healthy veggies and greens are good for your overall ocular health (warding off such things as macular degeneration), its not gonna help much if her poor vision is due to a refractive error (she needs glasses – is myopic or hyperopic).
I looked into some of the ideas suggested above by Sharon, one is based on ideas since proven physiologically incorrect and the other two reminded me of the “see clearly” method that was proven false and the company was made to refund money by the FDA.
BTW, I’ve worn glasses or contacts since I was 4 and have been having my daughter’s vision regularly checked since she was old enough to read the chart, I’d HATE for her to have to go through what I’ve had to, luckily she’s good!
also 20/30 vision is good enough to drive without correction!
I’ve read that beta-carotene is assimilated properly when consumed with fat. So for example, perhaps you add a drizzle of coconut oil or olive oil to the carrot juice? Other than that, I love your plan. Keep up posted!!! :)
Cheers,
Kristen
PS I like what Sharon said about keeping the liver clean for good eyesight.
Thank you so much for giving us such kind of handy content which will be most useful to me as well…. I will follow your blog always. Thanks!!!
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