Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, affects a variety of people around the globe. In simple terms, myopia describes when a person fails to see things that are  distant from them. This is because the parallel lights from objects that are at a distance do not reach the retina and the person can only see things near them.

Objects close to them are virtually clear whilst concentration on anything that is a far away is very poor. Myopia cases range from mild to severe. In mild conditions, no treatment is necessary but in some severe cases, treatment is necessary because the person’s quality of life will decrease dramatically.

In a majority of myopia cases, the condition starts during the puberty stages. With time, as the eyes grow, the condition gets worse. It also affects children much younger than teenagers. The signs that a child has myopia often go unnoticed until it is too late, but it is possible to catch the signs early.

this image is a fairly accurate depiction of nearsightedness. (flickr)

Some of the signs that your child may have myopia or developing it are:

1. The need to sit at the front of the class because he or she cannot focus on the board from behind.
2. Watching the TV from a very close distance.
3. Frequent complaints of tired eyes and headaches.
4. Regular rubbing of their eyes

What causes myopia?

It is not very clear what causes myopia but the most probable explanation is that it is a genetic problem. If you have a family member with the same problem, most likely one other person may get the problem. Another cause of myopia is the frequent focusing on objects that are nearby when you were a child; these could be books, computers, TV, etc..

this image is wonderful to get a better understanding of myopia (flickr)

Are there treatments for myopia?

There are several ways to correct myopia. The most common are:

• Wearing corrective lenses
  
• Having laser surgery to correct the retina and the whole eye shape.
  
• Wearing artificial implants of lenses.
  
• Eye exercises for myopia

Eye Exercises for Myopia

Regular eye exercise is great for nearsightedness. Your eyes have muscles and need regular exercise to keep up with daily strains and to stay in good condition. The great thing about eye exercises is that you do not need to see a physician or anyone to help you with them. You can do the exercises from the comfort of your home and restore your eyesight naturally. The exercises are also easy to do and require minimal guidelines.

Some of the benefits of regular eye exercise include:

• Helps with better focus by increasing the eye function while simultaneously limiting eye strain.
• Sensitivity to light decreases. Helps to make the eyes strong. Other vision aspects like coordination, peripheral vision and depth perception get better.

Carry out eye exercises on a daily basis to reveal fast and effective results. It is of the utmost importance to do one exercise at a time before moving on to the next one. Also, when you are carrying out the exercises, be sure there are no interruptions that will prevent you from completing them.

Below are some of the most common exercises that can help to eradicate the effects of myopia.  

Regular blinking

One of the best ways to relax the eye is by blinking. Blinking helps to clean and grease your eyes and give them a short break from too much light.

Eye-finger exercises

Eye-finger exercise can help you to focus on things that are a distant from you For this exercise, you will need a still object on the wall to focus on. Stand in front of the object, which could be a picture or something else. Hold a pencil up as you face the object on the wall. The pencil should be a few inches from your nose.

Concentrate on the tip of your index finger and slowly look at the picture on the wall. When you begin, the picture on the wall may appear distorted but as you continue with the exercise, the distance between you and the image gets better. Repeat this exercise for a few other minutes and on a daily basis.

Focus eye exercise

Another eye exercise using a pencil that can help you to correct the effects of myopia involves you in a sitting position. You will still need a pencil and a still object in a different part of the room for this exercise. Hold the pencil about six inches from the nose and give it a quick glance. Then, switch your vision to the other object. Stare at the object for a few seconds before glancing at the pencil again. Carry out this exercise every day, repeating the process 10 times daily for better results. This exercise will train your brain to get better at focusing on distant objects. Moreover, people have had great success with the focus eye exercise for getting rid of eye floaters as well.

Looking left and right

This is a 30-60 second exercise that you can do from anywhere as long as you are comfortable. Inhale and look to your right. Then as you exhale, move your gaze to the left. When you are done, close your eyes for a few seconds and relax. Stay in this position for about 30 seconds before beginning the exercise again.

Moving your gaze to all directions

This exercise requires you to sit comfortably somewhere and concentrate on your eye movements. For this exercise, you will move your eyes in all directions. Move them right, then left for a few seconds, and then change the gaze from up to down for another few seconds.

Swinging object technique

You can also use the swinging object technique to help increase the focus of your eyes. For this exercise, you will need a hanging object that swings from left to right. Follow the movement of the object for a few seconds without looking at anything else. This helps you to strengthen your eye muscles and focus better.

One eye closed exercise

With one eye closed, place your index finger in front of the open eye and follow it from left to right. After a few seconds, close the other eye and follow the movement of your finger with the now open eye. Repeat this for a few seconds every day

Conclusion

Eye exercises are among the cheapest methods to correct your nearsightedness. If carried out consistently, they improve and strengthen the eye muscles, which in turn will help with focusing. Regardless of whether or not your myopia is hereditary, these eye exercises are certainly worth a try. Furthermore, you might not even have myopia, but that is perfectly acceptable because these exercises are beneficial for anyone looking to keep their eyes healthy for as long as possible.