The Sun Is Important For Our Eye Health

The human body was designed to absorb UV light for very good reasons; otherwise we would have been born with a natural absolute sunscreen for UV light on our skin and in our eyes. One of the most important reasons is that UV radiation is necessary for normal cell division. A lack of UV light disturbs normal cell growth, which can lead to cancer.

The use of sunglasses, including regular UV reflecting spectacles and contact lenses are co-responsible for certain degenerative eye diseases, such as macular degeneration. Most people who use sunglasses report continuously weakening eyesight. The solution is to this problem is simple: stop wearing them or begin to phase out your sunglasses. You will soon discover that your eyes are gradually getting used to sunlight again.

There are other ways to improve eyesight and reduce sensitivity to sunlight. These primarily include eye-exercises, good nutrition (consisting of mostly alkaline-forming foods), avoiding eyestrain and watching too many hours of television.

Our typical indoor lifestyle, coupled with excessive over-stimulation through highly acid-forming foods and beverages, the cholesterol-increasing and dehydrating effects of television, and various other stress factors are sufficient cause for damage to body cells, including those that make up the eyes.

The sun is important for our eye-health. Sunshine enables us to manufacture the Vitamin D that we need. Eyes that have been deprived of sunshine are pale and lifeless. Extreme sensitivity to sunshine is called photophobia. People who are sensitive to light and glare usually solve their problem by wearing sunglasses. But is that a solution or a stop-gap measure? Sunglasses prevent our eyes from getting adequate sunlight and causes even greater light sensitivity. The more we wear them, the more we are sensitive to light. Hence a vicious cycle develops!

By sunning our eyes, we can reduce our sensitivity to light and sharpen our eyesight. Many people have reported that their vision improved after sunning – a simple eye exercise. Sunning must be ideally done in the morning or evening and never during the hot afternoon sun. Do a moderate amount for each session. There is no need to sun your eyes until you are sun burnt. The procedure is simple. Close your eyes and face the sun directly. Slowly move your head to the left and then to the right to let the sunshine reach every part of your retina.

By regularly shutting out much-needed UV light (even children and some pets are given sunglasses to wear nowadays), the eyes are unable to properly repair themselves and replace worn out eye cells.

The increased incidence of blindness and eye diseases in the industrialized world may result, to a large extent, from the misinformation that the sun is dangerous. Please be aware that in sunny parts of the world, almost everyone wears sunglasses nowadays. This may very well account for the increase of cataracts in these places. There may also be other factors involved, such as malnutrition (diarrhea can lead to severe demineralization), smoking, pollution, and poor diet. It is known that disease is not caused by a single reason alone. It is the cumulative effect of morbid environmental agents and also our habits and practices – dietary, behavioral, etc. To keep your eyes healthy, be sure to allow enough direct or indirect sunlight to enter your eyes, ideally no less than one hour every day.

If you wear sunglasses, expose your eyes to natural light for as long as it is comfortable. Try to restrict your use to only when the glare is reflected off snow or the road. Gradually you will wean yourself from sunglasses and will no longer require them. To avoid dehydration of the skin, drink fresh water before and after exposure to the sun.

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This is an excerpt from my book HEAL YOURSELF WITH SUNLIGHT