How to Improve Eyesight in a Screen-Filled World

Recent research from the Department of Optometry at Hadassah College in Jerusalem, together with the U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation, has discovered that nearsightedness may result from limited exposure to daylight. The study focused on students from religious, national-religious, and secular schools. Their findings suggested that long hours of study and avoidance of sunlight during the day could lead to nearsightedness necessitating glasses in childhood and potentially cause issues like glaucoma, cataracts, and retinal detachment later in life. The conclusion from the study is to allow children more frequent outdoor breaks during school to help protect their vision (may the merit of studying Torah safeguard the eyes of learners!).

That's one study, and surely there are other reasons for various eye issues. For instance, the "Bates Method," discovered by Dr. Bates, an ophthalmologist in the United States at the beginning of the last century, explains that vision is a dynamic process that frequently changes. Emotional stress and psychological problems can deteriorate vision, while balanced living maintains it. The problem worsens as we stray further from natural living. In an age where culture and technology have developed, more and more people, particularly children, spend hours on end in incorrect postures in front of paperwork, books, and various screens, all contributing to declining eyesight. It is known that some individuals who relocated from cities crowded with buildings obscuring the view to rural areas, where they could gaze into the distant horizon, reported that their vision improved.

Glasses that are permanently worn on the eyes cause a paralysis of their natural movements. Instead of moving freely, with a wide field of vision and flexible adaptability, the eyes are stuck behind the lenses. As people age, their vision functions begin to deteriorate, and many require surgical intervention to save their eyesight. Dependence on glasses perpetuates these flaws.

Through observations conducted by Dr. Bates on children, he concluded that it is possible to improve visual impairments through proper exercise of all visual functions, and even reduce eyeglass prescriptions. Improvement is noticeable after just a few weeks of daily activity. This is also achieved with natural light exposure to the eyes in the early morning hours, an hour after sunrise, conducted in a controlled manner with closed eyes. This method is popular worldwide, including in Israel. Motivation and persistence greatly aid in this process. May you all see only good things!

To book a home workshop with naturopath Ruth Liat Peltz (free of charge), call 073-2221290