You can improve your eyesight in a matter of weeks, following a few simple steps:

Want To Improve Your Eyesight?  #1: Never Wear Your Distance Glasses While Reading

Your distance glasses are meant to let you see clearly far away.  When you use it up-close, you create a lot of eye strain.  Since you have gotten your eyes used to this through years and years of increasing prescriptions, you don’t even notice.  But this habit is the #1 cause of progressive myopia.

how to improve eyesight

How to do deal with close-up focus:

If you can see your screen or book without any glasses, then always take them off.  This usually works for lens diopter strengths of -2 diopters and lower.

If you can’t see your screen without glasses, see if you have any of your previous glasses still.  Try them on, can you see your screen clearly?  See how much farther you can see beyond your screen.  Ideally you want the prescription to let you see just as far as you need, but no further.

Another option is to buy reading glasses of about +1 to +1.50 and put them over your full distance contact lenses.  Does that limit your distance to just the screen?  If so, great!  Be sure to buy decent quality lenses (you can tell if they are no good if you get fatigue / headaches from using them).

#2: Close-Up Caused Your Myopia:  Improve Eyesight By Taking Breaks

Many resources tell you this, and they are right.  But they are often not right about how much of a break you need, and how to use it.

First, work no longer than 2-3 hours before taking a break.  Set yourself a timer on your smartphone, if need be.  3 hours should really be the limit!

how to improve eyesight

After 3 hours at most, get the longest break you can.  An hour would be ideal, though at least 30 minutes will do.  During that time you want to look at distant objects.  Reading street signs, car license plates, anything that’s at least a few meters away is best.  If you have glasses that give you a bit of challenge, all the better!  If you wear contact lenses, a very slight higher reading glass correction  (+0.50) can do the trick and help you how to improve eyesight. 

#3: Good Eyesight Needs Good Light: Always, Always Have Good, Natural Ambient Lighting

The quality of the light matters to your eyes, like the quality of air matters to your lungs, and the quality of food to your body.  Junk light = poor eyesight!

natural-light-good-vision

If you can be sitting next to a window while working, that would be ideal.  Not an option?  In that case consider buying a natural light emulating bulb for your desk lamp.  Usually referred to as “full spectrum UV bulbs” you can buy these online as well as some local stores.  You will notice a difference when you have quality light consistently!

#4 The Real Eyesight Improvement Stimulus: Outdoor Time

Your eyes first started to get blurry at a distance from too much close-up (called pseudo myopia, you can learn more about that here).  Things got worse from there from wearing your first pair of glasses while reading, and spending way too much time indoors in front of a screen (or book).

take-a-walk-happy-vision

If you want better eyesight, you need to do the opposite of what caused the problem.  Less time in front of screens, and not wearing the biggest possible prescription all the time is key to your success.

#5: Measure Your Distance Vision To Improve Your Eyesight

You don’t need an optometrist to measure your eyesight.  All you need is a measuring tape (or just a printer and this file).  You can also print an eye chart and test your current prescription.

eyechart-check-eyesight

Using our measurement resources and keeping a log of results will start showing you how much your eyesight changes.  How you slept the night before, stress, diet, lighting, it all affects how far you can see clearly.  Start measuring your eyes, keep track of the results, and begin to understand strain as well as the impact of better habits.

And here’s a video overview of the basic steps to improve your eyesight, with some additional key details.

Want to know more?  Here are some resources to get you going:

Cheers!

-Jake