Getting rid of glasses and contact lenses with Lasik surgery sounds enticing, but subjecting your eyes to a laser might, understandably, make you squeamish. Another alternative, reports the Hudson Valley Chronogram, is natural vision care, a treatment plan that incorporates acupuncture, behavioral changes, and nutritional counseling into eye care.
The behavioral changes suggested by natural vision care can start simply: less monitor-gazing. “We do things like stare at a computer for six hours straight without looking up, and never blink,” says Nancy Neff, a natural vision educator who weaned herself from glasses. Wearing corrective lenses can also contribute to worsening vision, Neff suggests, since it lessens the work eye muscles do. “I run every day, and doing that without the glasses in the beginning was really challenging,” she says. “I used to say hello to the mailboxes! Slowly, you break that addiction, and go to weaker glasses for things that aren’t that challenging. Now, I do almost everything without my glasses.”
Natural vision care is more than just extreme jogging, of course. It’s a holistic health plan that includes changes in diet and habits. “Nothing replaces a nutritious diet overall,” Chronogram writes, “especially when it’s combined with a positive, healthy lifestyle that also includes regular exercise and daily relaxation such as meditation or a walk in nature.” (Glasses optional.)
