Blurry vision can happen to anyone. Fortunately, in most cases, this is caused by temporary reasons. That said, in some scenarios, it can point to a serious underlying problem warranting professional attention.

For mild cases of blurry vision, consider trying out some simple and natural hacks at first. This will help you see if you can manage the situation at home. But should symptoms persist, always make it a priority to have a doctor check you and provide you with the best way forward.

What Is Blurry Vision?

Blurry vision can be described as a loss of sharpness and focus. It can be experienced in one or both eyes. What’s more, the blurriness can be for faraway objects or those that are close-up.

Usually, blurry vision is mild and temporary but sometimes it signals serious health issues. Normally, problems with any of the key components of the eye can cause one’s vision to blur i.e., optic nerve, retina, or cornea.

Blurred vision vector

What are the Symptoms?

With blurry vision, you may experience several symptoms including:

*Floating spots

*Fuzzy edges

*Unclear vision

*Lack of focus

 *Squinting

It is important to note that these signs and symptoms may appear gradually or suddenly and they may also come and go.  

What are the Causes?

Blurred vision can be caused by anything from serious health issues to mild eyesight imperfections. However, some of the most common causes include:

Presbyopia, hyperopia, and myopia – Otherwise referred to as difficulty reading things up close, farsightedness, and nearsightedness these conditions occur when one or both eyes fail to focus. This can then lead to headaches or eye strain (1).

Astigmatism — this refers to a cornea that is irregularly shaped and causes things at a distance to appear distorted. This happens when the light entering your eyes fail to come to a single focus on your retina (2).

Dry eyes — This is a condition whereby your eyes fail to produce enough tears thus causing changing or blurry vision (3).

Fatigue – This can be caused by prolonged eye strain or exposure to the sun. The good thing is that it can be remedied simply by resting.

Pregnancy — During pregnancy, the hormones can change the shape of your eyes which can then lead to vision changes including blurriness (4)

Migraines — These are intense headaches that can cause blurred vision (5).

How can you “Cure” Blurry Vision Naturally?

First off is a disclaimer that this site does not provide any information meant to diagnose or cure blurry vision. For that, you need to consult a licensed doctor near you.

But if all you’re looking for are simple hacks to try at home to see if the symptoms subside, these are the main pointers to keep in mind.

Safeguard your Eyes

Blurred vision is sometimes caused by environmental factors including exposure to the sun, infections, and trauma. You can use natural and practical ways to reduce the chances of experiencing blurry vision. Those ways include:

Get your eyes checked regularly

By visiting your eye doctor often, you are likely to catch any possible issues with your eyes hence avoiding serious situations down the line.

Clean your eyewear

Whether you wear contact lenses or eyeglasses, it is important to keep them clean. Sometimes, smudges and buildup in your eyewear can make things appear blurry.

Use eye protection

When handling home improvement projects, swimming, or basking in the sun, you want to protect your eyes from potential damage that such scenarios present. You get to protect your eyes from irritants, UV light, and trauma.

Rest your eyes

Modern lifestyles have more people sitting in front of computers, TV, and smartphone screens. The blue light from such devices is harmful to your eyes so what you want to do then is look up from your screen every 20 minutes or so and focus on something that is a distance away from your eyes.

This along with blinking often will help moisten your eyes and reduce eyestrain.

Use proper lighting

Fatigue, eye strain, and blurry vision can be caused by unfavorable lighting conditions. They can be too dim or too bright – as long as you are straining to see, that is not an ideal lighting condition.

To avoid experiencing blurred vision, try to keep your brightness at a level that allows you to see comfortably without watering or squinting.

Avoid Smoking

Smokers are more susceptible to eye issues that can cause vision loss and blurry vision (6). To counter that, you need to tone down on smoking or quit it altogether.

Avoid triggers

Man with irritated eyes

If your blurred vision is caused by specific situations or is temporary, chances are that you will get to identify what causes it so that you can avoid triggering it. Some of the most common triggers include anxiety, stress, and migraines.

Here are some of the things you can do to counter the same.

Keep track of your headaches

If you suffer from regular headaches, you want to keep a journal about them as it will help you identify triggers. In the journal, you should record how many hours you sleep, what you eat, and whatever else happened before the headaches.

This will help you see the pattern and correctly identify what could be triggering your headaches. It could be anything including stress, fatigue, caffeine, or alcohol. Once you know what triggers your headaches, you will be better placed to avoid or minimize them.

Avoid anxiety

Your vision can get blurry when you are anxious and if that is the case, you want to use some easy practices that are thought to diminish anxiety. These include:

*Seeing a professional about your anxiety

*Meditation

*Exercise

*Aromatherapy

*Socializing

Manage your stress levels

Just like anxiety, high-stress levels can cause eye issues like temporary changes in vision including fuzzy vision. The same can also be caused by physical fatigue when you do not get enough sleep or are fatigued.

You can try prayer, acupuncture, and yoga among other things as ways of reducing stress.

Get adequate rest

Physical and mental fatigue, as well as sleep deprivation, are directly linked to headaches, anxiety, stress, and blurry vision. As such, you want to ensure that you get enough rest and sleep every day.

Perform eye exercises

Your sight is likely to deteriorate as you age. Therefore, if your blurry vision is caused by farsightedness, nearsightedness, or not being able to see things up-close. If you are suffering because of any of the conditions here, you may need to do some vision exercises that are supposed to maintain and improve your vision.

Also Read

A Guide On The Best Eye Supplements For Blurry Vision

PreserVision vs Ocuvite – How Do They Compare

Does Quitting Sugar Improve Eyesight? Here Are the Facts

Manage underlying health conditions

Blurry vision and other eye issues may be caused by underlying health issues including diabetes, heart disease, sinus infections, or glaucoma. Of course, you would have to treat such conditions to get better eyesight.

In that regard, you would want to work with your physician and ophthalmologist to come up with a plan for your underlying issue as well as your vision. You would be surprised to see your blurry vision disappear after treating underlying issues.

Here are some measures you can put in place to minimize vision issues caused by health problems.

Reduce sinus infections

Watery, dry, and itchy eyes from sinus infections can cause blurry vision. Some seasonal allergies and medications for sinus infections can also cause blurriness in the eyes. You can make the most out of natural remedies for sinus infections.

Clean Up your Diet

Some of the health conditions like heart disease and diabetes that can affect your eyes negatively can be improved with a clean diet. Granted, dietary needs tend to change based on different health concerns, but that shouldn’t stop you from eating healthy.

Avoid junk foods and unhealthy fats like coconut and palm oil. Instead, incorporate wholesome and organic foods including vegetables and fruits. You may also want to consider staying away from simple carbohydrates, fatty meats, added sugar, and foods that have empty ingredients.

Load up on omega-3 fatty acids

Studies reveal that omega-3 fatty acids were beneficial to individuals suffering from dry eye symptoms (7). Nevertheless, these studies are not conclusive yet.

Now, Omega-3 fatty acids can be sourced from supplements but they can also be derived from foods like walnuts, flaxseed, algae, and fatty fish.

You want to consult your physician before using omega-3 supplements because they can sometimes increase the risk of bleeding.

Take vitamin A

A vitamin A deficiency can cause dry eye and other eye issues including blurry vision. The vitamin is available in two forms. On is retinyl esters and retinol which are derived from animal products like fish, liver, and dairy, and carotenoids that can be sourced from plants such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach.

Studies reveal that the risk of AMD can be reduced through carotenoid intake (8). You want to keep in mind that the maximum daily dose for vitamin A is 900 mcg for men and 700 mcg for women. Although vitamin A supplements can reduce the risk of developing macular degeneration and blurry vision, they should be taken with caution.

This is because the vitamin is fat-soluble meaning that it is stored in the body and can build up to dangerous levels over time and cause serious side effects and toxicity.

Final Thoughts

Sure, there are some effective natural methods that you can use to improve and even prevent blurry vision without having to seek medical treatment or use eyewear. However, this will largely depend on what is causing your blurred vision.

The condition can be caused by underlying medical issues or a refractive error. If allergies, dry eyes, or eyestrain are the culprit for your blurry vision, lifestyle changes and natural remedies can be of help. However, if you have other medical issues or if symptoms persist even after using natural remedies, it would be better to see a doctor.

References

  1. https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/refractive-errors
  2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17177660/
  3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3660735/
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6127369/
  5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25230799/
  6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21524603/
  7. https://journals.lww.com/corneajrnl/Abstract/2019/05000/Efficacy_of_Omega_3_Fatty_Acid_Supplementation_for.7.aspx
  8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5119484/

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