Many people wonder if it is possible to restore vision without surgery or correction with glasses? Let's answer: if there are serious changes in the structure of the eye, it is impossible. However, there are exercises that will help to reduce the load from the eyes, strengthen the eye muscles and reduce visual tension. They can be performed at home or in the office. They do not restore visual function, but they are very supportive of eye health.
Eye exercises
Exercise is a great way to help with eye fatigue. Exercises are easy to do, because they do not take a lot of time – it is enough to do gymnastics for 5 minutes, you do not need special training, you can perform them in any place that is convenient for you.
Gymnastics is useful for all ages. There are general complexes that will suit every person, and there are special, aimed at a specific visual impairment.
What are the benefits of eye exercises?
- They relieve tiredness;
- Trains and strengthens the eye muscles;
- Improve blood circulation in the eyes.
But we must remember that gymnastics will only cope with visual fatigue, it is not able to get rid of myopia or hyperopia. This is related to structural deviations from the norm, - for example, the eyeball is longer or shorter than it should be, – which exercises cannot influence.
You can choose your own exercises, but it is better to consult a specialist: he will prescribe a concrete complex for your eyesight peculiarities or for eye diseases:
Stereograms
Stereograms – 3D images with encrypted pictures – have been created for vision training. They help:
- Relieve eye fatigue;
- Train accommodation – the ability to see objects well at different distances;
- Maintain binocular vision (the joint work of both eyes).
Stereograms can be static and dynamic (moving). The latter are the most difficult, suitable for those who are already quite good at simple 3D pictures. If you are just starting to practice, start with static images.
How to properly view stereograms? What do you have to do to see the encoded picture? This article on stereograms details ways to see the hidden element in an image.
Stereogram vision training is recommended to be combined with eye exercises. If you feel discomfort during the exercise, it is quite natural, as the eye muscles have to get used to such a load. But if unpleasant sensations appear during each training, and you cannot decipher the picture, consult a specialist: it is necessary to check the binocular vision.
Nutrition for better eyesight
The condition of our eyes is influenced by lifestyle and nutrition. Vision can be impaired if the body lacks certain vitamins and minerals:
- A (retinol);
- B vitamins - B1, B2, and B12;
- C (ascorbic acid);
- E (tocopherol);
- Lutein;
- Beta-carotene.
As a rule, with a balanced diet, there are no problems with vitamin deficiencies. But if you eat a food poorly enriched with useful elements, consult your doctor. He will prescribe vitamin complexes for vision. Before this it will be necessary to pass tests to check the deficiency of specific micronutrients. If you take vitamins without prescription, complications such as hypo- or hypervitaminosis, as well as allergic reactions are possible.
Restoration of vision with glasses and contact lenses
Modern medicine offers different ways to restore good vision with the help of glasses and contact lenses. Even the most complicated problems can be corrected without surgery.
Correction with glasses
The most widespread vision changes – short-sightedness (myopia) and farsightedness (hyperopia) - can be corrected by glasses, even over 10 dptrips (dioptres). As well as all types of astigmatism – simple, compound and mixed up to 6 diopters.
In the past there were aesthetic problems for people with a high degree of disability – spectacle lenses were too thick and greatly distorted the eyes. They also blurred the image in the peripheral area (at the edge of the lens). Today, manufacturers offer different types of spectacle lenses to eliminate these shortcomings:
- Aspherical – gives less image distortion than regular lenses and looks neat in the frame;
- Customized – less distortion on the entire surface of the lens, maximum aesthetics.
Specialists in optics select eyeglass lenses for comfortable vision and take care of the aesthetics of future eyeglasses:
- Prismatic lenses are available to correct double vision, such as strabismus. They can be fitted into the frame or placed on top of other lenses in the eyeglasses.
- With anisometropia, when the refraction (optical power) in each eye is different, glasses with different diopters are needed. If there is a big difference the lenses may look unequal – one is larger than the other. If this is the case, modern opticians will adjust the thickness of the lenses for you.
If you have age-related farsightedness, you need glasses that have several optical zones:
- Bifocals – 2 zones with a sharp transition, for far and near vision;
- Office – 2 zones with a soft transition, for middle and near vision;
- Progressive – 3 zones with smooth transitions for all distances.
Bifocal glasses are considered outdated: they are not very comfortable to wear and are not suitable for computer work.
Progressive and office glasses are modern glasses that give comfortable vision with age-related farsightedness. Patients quickly adapt to them. With office glasses, you can work at the computer and read. They are the best alternative to bifocal glasses. And progressive lenses allow you to see well at three distances – far, near, and at middle distance. Selecting progressive and office glasses is very complicated, so it is worth entrusting it to professionals:
Special lenses that protect the eyes from external influences should be mentioned:
- Lenses with a protective coating against blue light;
- Photochromic lenses for comfort in the sun.
Lenses with blue light protection block the harmful radiation of digital screens of computers, gadgets and phones. This makes your eyes less tired and see clearer even after prolonged work.
Photochromic lenses will be a real salvation for people with vision problems: you will no longer have to carry two pairs of glasses – corrective and sunglasses. Photochromic lenses darken outdoors from the sun and become completely transparent indoors. There are models that darken behind the windshield of the car, which is suitable for drivers. Photochromic glasses can be made with or without dioptres.
Correction with contact lenses
Contact lenses come in two types – soft and hard.
Soft contact lenses are made of plastic materials. With their help it is possible to correct eyesight within a range of ±10 diopters. They solve problems of myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, anisometropia, and age-related hyperopia (presbyopia).
Soft contact lenses have many advantages:
- They give you an enlarged field of vision. Nothing obstructs your peripheral vision and you don't have to bend or twist your head to see something.
- Suitable for an active lifestyle – you can play all kinds of sports.
- More comfortable and optimal for anisometropia, especially with a large difference in refraction of the eyes.
- Aesthetically pleasing – no one will see you're wearing lenses, so they won't guess about your poor eyesight.
Contact lenses can be chosen with UV protection and light adaptation – reducing the effects of bright light on your eyes.
Many people are afraid to wear contact lenses – what if they interfere with their eyes? Or they won't be able to be put on and taken off? No need to worry – when choosing contact lenses specialist checks their fit on the cornea to ensure that they fit well. And a specialist will teach you how to take them on and off:
Rigid lenses are made of hard polymeric materials and come in two varieties:
- Orthokeratology;
- Scleral.
Orthokeratology lenses are prescribed for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. They are able to reshape the cornea, which restores visual acuity throughout the day. Orthokeratology lenses are worn at night, and while you sleep they give a new temporary shape to the cornea. That is why they are also called night lenses. You take them off in the morning and enjoy good vision throughout the day. By evening the cornea is curved again, and you wear OK lenses at night.
Scleral lenses are needed when soft lenses or orthokeratology lenses don't fit. This is usually the case with corneal injuries or diseases that disturb the curvature of the cornea. Scleral lenses are made in large sizes, so they rest on the sclera (the white covering of the eye). Therefore, they do not touch the cornea.
Restoration of vision using apparatus techniques
With some types of visual impairment, the doctor may prescribe courses on special simulators. Thanks to them occurs:
- The removal of eye fatigue;
- Strengthening of eye muscles;
- Improve blood circulation in the eye;
- Improvement of visual function with strabismus.
In case of small vision abnormalities associated with eye fatigue, full restoration of visual functions is possible. Apparatus treatment is available for adults and children. You can find out about the possibility of undergoing therapy on simulators at an appointment with a specialist.
Surgical restoration of vision
Sometimes it is no longer possible to restore vision without surgery. There are 2 main surgical methods:
- Laser correction;
- Intraocular lens implantation.
Laser vision correction
Modern methods of laser correction allow for quick and safe correction of vision with long-lasting results:
- Myopia up to –10 diopters;
- Farsightedness up to +6,0 diopters;
- Astigmatism up to ±6.0 diopters.
The most popular laser correction methods are Lasik and FemtoLasik.
Lasik is a classical safe technique. The surgeon carefully cuts the upper layer of the cornea with a microkeratome (blade), and then uses a laser to vaporize the middle layer to give it the right shape. After surgery, the patient recovers quickly and sees clearly the very next day.
FemtoLasik is the "gold standard" of laser vision correction. Surgeon performs corneal dissection using femtosecond laser, gently steaming out the middle layers of the cornea and giving it the right shape. After the surgery, the patient regains clear and contrasting vision. FemtoLasik is considered a safer correction, suitable even for thin corneas.
Rigid lenses are made of hard polymeric materials and come in two varieties:
- Orthokeratology;
- Scleral.
Orthokeratology lenses are prescribed for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. They are able to reshape the cornea, which restores visual acuity throughout the day.
Orthokeratology lenses are worn at night, and while you sleep they give a new temporary shape to the cornea. That is why they are also called night lenses. You take them off in the morning and enjoy good vision throughout the day. By evening the cornea is curved again, and you wear OK lenses at night.
Scleral lenses are needed when soft lenses or orthokeratology lenses don't fit. This is usually the case with corneal injuries or diseases that disturb the curvature of the cornea. Scleral lenses are made in large sizes, so they rest on the sclera (the white covering of the eye). Therefore, they do not touch the cornea.
Restoration of vision using apparatus techniques
With some types of visual impairment, the doctor may prescribe courses on special simulators. Thanks to them occurs:
- The removal of eye fatigue;
- Strengthening of eye muscles;
- Improve blood circulation in the eye;
- Improvement of visual function with strabismus.
In case of small vision abnormalities associated with eye fatigue, full restoration of visual functions is possible. Apparatus treatment is available for adults and children. You can find out about the possibility of undergoing therapy on simulators at an appointment with a specialist.
Surgical restoration of vision
Sometimes it is no longer possible to restore vision without surgery. There are 2 main surgical methods:
- Laser correction;
- Intraocular lens implantation.
Laser vision correction
Modern methods of laser correction allow for quick and safe correction of vision with long-lasting results:
- Myopia up to –10 diopters;
- Farsightedness up to +6,0 diopters;
- Astigmatism up to ±6.0 diopters.
The most popular laser correction methods are Lasik and FemtoLasik.
Lasik is a classical safe technique. The surgeon carefully cuts the upper layer of the cornea with a microkeratome (blade), and then uses a laser to vaporize the middle layer to give it the right shape. After surgery, the patient recovers quickly and sees clearly the very next day.
FemtoLasik is the "gold standard" of laser vision correction. Surgeon performs corneal dissection using femtosecond laser, gently steaming out the middle layers of the cornea and giving it the right shape. After the surgery, the patient regains clear and contrasting vision. FemtoLasik is considered a safer correction, suitable even for thin corneas.
Eye lens implantation
Sometimes vision cannot be improved conservatively due to complex changes in the structure of the eye:
- Blurred crystalline lens;
- High degrees of nearsightedness and farsightedness (above ±10 dptr);
- High degree astigmatism (above ±6dpts);
- Subluxation of the crystalline lens.
In these cases, the patient is offered an artificial intraocular lens implantation. Thanks to this surgery, the vision can be restored to 100%. A thorough examination is required before the surgery. Then the doctor selects an artificial lens:
- Monofocal to correct far or near vision;
- Multifocal – gives good vision at all distances.
Artificial lenses provide varying degrees of clarity to the images:
- Spherical – improve vision, but the refraction of light on such a lens is uneven, so there is distortion of the picture at the edges, there may be glare and halos;
- Aspherical – provides better vision with minimum distortion, since light refraction is uniform.
After the lens is chosen, the patient is scheduled for surgery. The procedure usually takes about 30 minutes under local anesthesia. Rehabilitation takes a few days.
Artificial lens implantation is usually indicated for older patients because of clouding of the crystalline lens (cataract). That is why doctors recommend that after 40 years of age you undergo eye examinations.
