I cherish my eyesight. I’ve had friends who have lost theirs, plus I was told in my 20s that I may lose mine (didn’t happen, take that doctor’s predictions that don’t come true). That makes me even more aware of being protective of my vision. And even more dedicated to natural ways because that has been what has carried me through.

In my 20s, I was diagnosed with keratoconus and told the outcome was ever worsening vision … all the way to blindness. That was a gut clench for a long while. And yet, today, my vision does not worsen and has actually improved, thanks to two wellness building blocks: mindset and natural remedies.

I’ve written plenty of times about how mindset impacts wellness. (Use the search function or click on the mindset category if you want to read more.) You reap what you think, in short. Focus on the good more than the bad. One of the times I shocked my optometrist with my improved vision was after I had spent the previous year telling myself how well I could see vs. worrying about what might not be the top-of-the-line vision.

The natural remedy: For years I have combined boiled filtered water with sea salt to make a saline solution, then added part of a goldenseal tea bag. Steep, strain, use. (If you want the specifics, feel free to ask.)

My natural eye drops have healed things I couldn’t even have dreamed they would help. Since I first started my natural concoctions to help my foster pets, those are some of my success stories. A kitten who had so badly scratched his cornea that the vet thought the best that could happen was that he kept his eye. For him to see normally again? Nope, never was going to happen. What did I have to lose? I tried the eye drops. His cornea completely healed. Normal sight, normal look to his eye (it looked horrible before), happy kitty, happy me, happy new adopters. A whole bunch of wins in a row! Infections in kitty eyes. Healed. Even an abscess on a kitty neck … healed.

So I moved on to humans who were willing and curious. Scratched cornea — healed in record time. My own eyes — vision improving, when it never had in the previous three decades. A sliced off part of a finger — healed perfectly in no time. Lots of relief from all sorts of minor things.

Of course, this is something you have to decide on your own to try … or not. I am not a doctor, and I don’t even play one on TV. I share, and I know you’re wise enough to decide what to do with it. Or check with your doctor to see what he/she thinks.

Besides those naturally created eye drops, there are other natural ways to help your eyes do what you want them to do:

• I learned this one in yoga. It feels so good. Rub your palms together briskly until you feel the heat. Close your eyes, cup your warm palms over them for a bit. Repeat a couple more times.
• With your eyes open, roll your eyes clockwise, trying to move them in a circle as slowly and widely as you can. Do this three times, then do it in the other direction. We (hopefully) exercise other parts of our bodies; we need to remember our eyes could use some movement, too.
• Take a break if you use a computer for hours. Focus your eyes on different items at different distances. Then close them for even just a minute and relax.
• Use your thumbs to massage your eyebrows, then switch to your index fingers to continue around the sides and under your eyes. We store so much tension there.
• Just like the rest of your body, your eyes need water. If you want your eyes well lubricated, you need to help them out. Drink lots of water and also consider getting omega 3 fatty acids such as flaxseed or fish oil. Walnuts also provide omega 3s.
• Bilberry is a potent antioxidant for eye health and may improve your night vision.
• Like you’ve been told, carrots are good for your eyes because of the vitamin A. Taking this as a supplement can be dangerous if you get too much; eating carrots is not. Spinach and other leafy greens also are good for the health of your eyes.

As always, here’s my guidance: Don’t overwhelm yourself. What I do is help point you toward the right path and encourage you to make changes or add new ideas, one small step at a time. When you do, these things become a normal part of living a healthy life you can easily maintain.