Sharing some tips on how I’ve improved my eyesight over the past two years. This is just my personal experience and I’m not a doctor. Always check with you eye doctor before changing anything in your routine. Eyes are kind of important you don’t want to mess around, mm k?
Hi friends! I hope that you’re having a lovely morning and thank you for all of your excitement about Healing Code. I have so many strategy calls booked and can’t wait to connect with all of you. You can check out the details and book your free strategy call here.
Today’s post is a popular reader’s request, and one I’ve been thinking about doing for about a year, but was on the fence. I hesitate because I’m not a doctor, definitely not an eye doctor, but I’ve been forced to learn a LOT about eyes over the past two years who no one could really help me with my eye issues. I finally found an incredible dry eye specialist but also had to take matters into my own hands. Other doctors were completely stumped, and wanted me to depend on steriod drops that were raising my eye pressure. I learned a lot and love to share everything I’ve learned with you, but please do not accept this as medical advice of any kind. Always always reach out to your doctor before changing anything in your routine.
Ok, so my eye story. A couple of years ago, I changed a lot with my eye routine and eye care. (I’ll share some of these things below.) Over the past year, I also noticed that my glasses felt too strong for me. They started to bother me, and felt like magnifying glasses, especially while I was driving. I was due for my annual eye doctor appointment, and went to a new office because the last Rx appointment was a disaster (she gave me contacts and I ended up being allergic to the contacts or solution, and when I went back to the office she acted like it was my fault that my eyes were completely swollen.) Ok, so new place, and I decided I wasn’t going to tell him my glasses felt too strong just in case it was a fluke.
He did my eye exam and told me that for the first time in my life, my prescription had decreased. I had been a -5.25 since 6th grade, and now my Rx was down to -5.0. This was a huge win, and I was pumped about it!!
I’ve carried on, and recently decided to order a pair of prescription Vivarays after doing a ton of research on blue light blocking glasses. I wanted to find a company that did it RIGHT, and Vivarays is that company. (They kindly created a discount code, FITNESSISTA, and I’ll definitely post a full review!) My glasses had started to have that magnifying glass feeling again, so I went for a prescription re-check because I didn’t want to order new glasses if it had changed.
I told the eye doctor (the same guy – he’s excellent) that my glasses felt too strong while I was reading. I started to take my glasses off to read, and they also bothered me when I was on my computer for too long. He checked my reading vision, holding a pamphlet about 2 ft in front of me, and my reading prescription was -2.50 – half of my current prescription!! He wrote me a new prescription that I can use while I’m just doing things around the house, reading, and working on the computer.
I shared the good news on Instagram and was flooded with requests to write this post. The reality is that I’ve done a lot of things, and feel like it’s a mix of ALL of these strategies; not just one.
How I naturally improved my eyesight
But, here are the things I think have helped the most:
– Eye cleansing and hygeine. This is gross but leading up to the eye saga, I never really cleaned my eyelids. I used some face wash on them and made sure the makeup was mostly off, but that was it. Now, my eyelids are SQUEAKY CLEAN each night and in the morning when I wake up.
My current routine:
AM: Wake up and use a Cornea Care eye mask for 15-20 minutes while I lie in bed.
Two drops of Refresh Mega preservative-free (I hate the ingredients and the single-use plastic, but it works the best. I can’t wait for Eyeganics’ new drop to come out)
Clean eyelids with Cliradex wipe (I use 1/4 wipe each morning)
PM: Clean face with Fresh cleanser and do the rest of my skincare routine
Clean eyelids with Oasis Lid and Lash (I use half a wipe each night)
One drop of Refresh Mega preservative-free
– Parasite cleansing. At the beginning of my great eye flare, I had horrible blepharitis, which is an overgrowth of demodex mites in the eyelids, lashes, and lid margins. They live in and create biofilm – they are bacteria machines!! – and parasite cleansing put the nail in the coffin for them.
My eyes aren’t crusty, red, or goopy at all anymore – at one point, they were red, gross, and inflamed for about 10 weeks. This is when my vision was at its absolute worst, and I really think that parasite cleansing in addition to eyelid hygeine made a huge difference. I have a freebie all about parasite cleansing here.
– Getting my dry eyes under control. My eyes rarely bother me any more because I use the warm compress in the morning, drops twice a day, my eyelids are clean, and I hydrate with electrolytes throughout the day. Dry eyes can absolutely make vision worse.
– Nervous system regulation. Stress is inflammatory and impacts all of the major processes in our bodies. I’ve been working on cortisol patterns and nervous regulation for years now, but am finally at the place where I feel more calm and balanced, even in total chaos (for the most part). I treat sleep like it’s my job, meditate on my PEMF mat, journal, enjoy hobbies when when I can, time with friends/family, nature, etc.
– This book. This was recommended by Roudy (who founded Vivarays) at the Reimagining Health Summit, and I downloaded it instantly. It’s packed with helpful strategies and tips, but the biggest takeaway is that the less you depend on your glasses, the less you need them over time.
I realized that I had accientally started doing this when I couldn’t wear my contacts for many weeks. I didn’t like wearing my glasses for workouts, so I skipped them. In hot yoga, everyone around me was a giant blur. Eventually they became fuzzy humans, and then I could eventually see details, like patterns or logos on their clothing.
While you can’t ditch your glasses for driving, you can absolutely ditch them for other things without compromising safety, even if you just start with meditation. He also talks about the trauma and personal experiences behind the need for glasses, relaxing your body enough to enable it to fully see, and includes exercises and practices. You also need to truly believe that you can improve your vision.
He says that we would never accept the fact that any other part of our body is destined to deterioriate over time. Why are eyes different? Eyes have the ability to heal and improve, too.
While I take workout classes or am at home and don’t feel like I need my glasses, I ditch them. At first it was extremely uncomfortable, but over time, my vision has gotten much better.
– Eliminating toxicities and restoring deficiencies. My supplement and nutrition habits have changed, and I think it’s made a huge difference with my eyes. Some of my go-to eye supplements are Vitamin C, a solid multivitamin, and Omega 3s. I also eat sardines a couple of times each week, and salmon at least once a week, in addition to lots of veggies, healthy fats, leafy greens, and fresh fruit.
I think those are the biggest ones! If you have any questions, I’d be happy to answer in the comments.
Has anyone else succesfully improved their vision??? Please share your story in the comments!
xoxo
Gina
More:
Tips for wearing makeup if you have blepharitis
The best products for MGD and blepharitis
