Dr. Grossman's Complete Tips
on Improving Myopia Naturally

Myopia is defined as nearsightedness. This means you can focus better on near objects such as when reading than on distant objects. The conventional treatment is to prescribe glasses that tend to become stronger every one to two years. The following are some home exercises designed to help reduce the progression of myopia.

WARMUP

• BREATHE: as in yoga the importance of good breathing is essential to getting the most out of your exercises. As you look around your world become aware of when you are holding your breath. Breathing regularly will bring more oxygen to your eyes and reduce stress on your vision.
• BLINK: remembering to blink will help you from staring and working too hard as you do your exercises. It will also soothe, and moisturize the eyes.
• PALMING: This exercise is done without any glasses or contact lenses. Palming is done to reduce stress around the eyes, by placing your palms around your eyes you are stimulating very powerful acupuncture points which help to calm the mind, relax the muscles around the eyes and bring healing energy to the eyes (through increased circulation).
• Remember to breathe. Take two deep breaths.
• Find a flat table to sit at, lean forward, place your elbows on the table, and close your eyes gently.
• Now, place the palm of your left hand over your left eye, your fingers on your forehead, and the hollow of your palm directly over the eye, but not touching it. There is still room to blink. The heel of your hand rests on the cheekbones.
• Then place the other hand over the other eye with the fingers crossing over the fingers from the other hand. The palm should be over the eye and the heel of the hand resting on the cheekbones.
• Make sure your elbows are low enough so that your face and the weight of your head is resting in your palms so that there is no stress on the neck.
• Palming gives you the opportunity not to try to see, but to just focus on relaxing your mind and eyes simultaneously. Even though we recommend that you do this for only three minutes, palming can be done for as little or as much as you like throughout the day as a way to relax your eyes and calm down from the tensions of daily life.

1. FIGURE EIGHTS

This exercise increases the flexibility of your eye muscles in a relaxed way.

• Remember to breathe. Take two deep breaths.
• Either stand or sit with your feet shoulder width apart with your hands at your sides. Do not cross your hands. Let your knees bend slightly.
• Imagine a figure eight approximately ten feet from you lying horizontally (lying in the shape of an infinity sign)
• Let your eyes trace along the figure eight without moving your head. First trace in one direction, then in the opposite direction. Always remember to continue to breathe and blink as your eyes move effortlessly along the figure eight. Check for tension in the jaw and let it release.

2. THE HOT DOG

This exercise is done to improve the flexibility of the inside muscles of your eyes (called the ciliary muscles). It is important to keep those muscles flexible.

• Remember to breathe. Take two deep breaths.
• Either stand or sit with your feet, shoulder width apart. If you are standing make sure your knees are slightly bent.
• Aim your eyes on any target in the distance.
• While looking at your distant target bring your index fingers, tips touching about eight inches in front of your eyes and into your line of sight.
• Still aiming your eyes at the distant target calmly notice a mini hot dog has appeared between the tips of your fingers. Remember to continue to breathe easily and deeply. Do not let the awesome beauty of the mini hot dog to distract you and to cause you to aim your eyes directly at it. Continue to aim your eyes towards the distant target.
• Pull the tips of your fingers apart slightly and observe the hot dog floating in the air.
• Now keep the hot dog for two breaths, then look directly at your fingers and the hot dog will disappear. Do not retrieve the hot dog for two breaths; then look again in the distance and find it once again. Switch back and forth for two minutes.

3. SCANNING

Staring is bad for your eyes because it freezes the energy and muscles, restricting the blood flow. Having your eyes scan is the opposite of staring. Scanning objects in your environment keeps your alive and energetic.

• Remember to breathe. Take two deep breaths.
• You can stand, sit or move around your environment
• As you look at objects, let your eyes glide over them as if you were painting them with your eyes. continue to breathe deeply and easily.

As your eyes shift from object to object allow them to move easily without staring and continue to breathing and blinking. They should move in a relaxed manner without any tension. Make sure to release any release any tension in the moth or the jaw.

4. NEAR AND FAR FOCUS

This exercise is done to improve the flexibility of the eyes as they change from distance viewing to near visual focus.

• Remember to breathe. Take two deep breaths.
• Either sit or stand with feet shoulder width apart. If you are standing bend your knees slightly.
• Hold your thumb six inches away from your eyes directly in front of your nose.

Gaze easily a the thumb and take a deep breath. Then focus on a distant object at least ten feet away and take a deep breath. Change this focus every breath. Feel the muscles in your eyes change as you shift your focus.

5. EYE MASSAGE

Throughout China eye exercises are done in schools, offices and factories. By taking regular breaks for eye exercises many people are able to prevent the need for glasses. These massage exercises are primarily concerned with relaxing the eye muscles. You will be using finger massage to stimulate what are known as "acupressure points".

• Remember to breathe. Take two deep breaths.
• Sit quietly and relax, feet shoulder width apart knees slightly bent. .
• Close the eyes gently.
• When you press each point be gentle. Don't use too much force and avoid putting pressure on the eyeballs. .
• Put your thumbs below your eyebrows and above the inside corners of your eyes and place the other four fingers of each hand on your forehead. Press your thumbs into the point for four breaths. .
• Use the thumb and index finger of either hand to massage the bridge of your nose. Press the point and then squeeze with an upward motion. Press and squeeze four times for four breaths. .
• Place your middle fingers on your cheek bones, directly below the center of each eye. Massage the center part of your cheek for four breaths. .
• Massage a point starting at your temples right below the eyebrows and level with the outside end of your eyes. then place your thumbs on the inside end of the eyebrows and massage. Move to the middle of the eyebrow and massage. Then massage the end of the eyebrow. Lastly massage right below the middle of your eye. .

All these exercises can either be done at a separate time in the order given or incorporated into your daily life activities.

6. ZOOMING

This exercise is designed to improve the flexibility of your eye muscles.

• Remember to breathe. Take two deep breaths. .
• Place your thumb out at arm's distance from you on your midline.
• As you breathe in move your thumb slowly towards you as you focus your eyes on it.
• When you get three inches from your face move your arm away and begin again.

7. EFFORTLESS FOCUS

This exercise is done to increase your awareness of the object you are focusing on and what surrounds it.

• Remember to breathe. Take two deep breaths.
• Choose a point to focus your attention with great effort towards the point. Then relax your focus and look at it effortlessly. Be aware of the difference in how you look with effort and without effort. Notice how your peripheral vision expands when you look with ease.

This way of seeing should permeate your everyday seeing and allow your vision to expand rather than become more narrow.

DIET

From a dietary perspective, the eyes need a great deal of the nutrients we take into our body to remain healthy. Many eye diseases are the result of poor nutrition to the eyes.

Therefore a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, limited in refined carbohydrates and void of hydrogenated oils goes in a long way in supporting a healthy body and strong vision. Specific eye nutrients good to supplement with include bilberry, lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids. Other nutrients become very important based on the type of eye condition was has. For more information on nutrients and eye conditions, go to www.naturaleyecare.com