Bad vision habits are a major factor in the poor eyesight of the more than 150 million Americans who currently wear glasses or contacts. Most of these Americans go through the entire day doing things that are detrimental to their vision, such as reading magazines and books, watching tv for long periods, avoiding sunlight, and the major culprit of staring at a computer screen for hours at a time. And to make matters worse they usually do nothing when it comes to improving their vision or even maintaining their current eyesight. Instead they usually resort to glasses and contacts which actually weaken your eyes since you're not using them and exercising them. The result is declining vision and the need for a stronger prescription and thicker lenses year after year. Fortunately there are ways you can incorporate vision improvement into your daily life. Here's a few that you can probably start doing right now:

1. When reading books, newspapers, or magazines, try to hold it at a distance and find a length where you can read the letters but you really have to focus. Doing this for a long time may give you a headache so I only recommend doing it for a few minutes anytime you are reading. If done on a regular basis you will start to notice that you will be able to hold it at a further distance and still read the words. Keep holding it at a further length to continue to improve your vision.

2. In the morning, splash warm water then cold water 20 times each over your closed eyes. In the evening before going to bed, splash your eyes 20 times with cold water then warm water. This relaxes the eyes and improves circulation. I notice that my vision is usually a little clearer immediately after doing this. Another method is to take two containers, fill one with warm water, the other with cold water. Place a cloth in each one and let them soak. Tilt your head back or lay down and place the wet cloth over your closed eyes. Alternate between the warm and cold cloths.

3. If you take a bus or train route or are a passenger in a car use this opportunity to look out the window and focus on objects in the distance. This is especially good since the objects are moving and changing quickly. While focusing on an object, try to really focus on the details. For example if you're looking at a tree, try to really focus on the individual leaves. You can practice near/far focusing by focusing on an object in the distance such as a house and then quickly looking at something in front of you such as a scratch on the window. If you are driving, try using the few seconds stopped at a red light to focus on something in the far distance.

4. If you're like an increasing number of Americans, myself included, you spend a significant amount of time every day sitting behind the computer. This can be extremely detrimental to your vision since you're staring at something inches away from your face for hours at a time, and also causes eyestrain. However it doesn't have to be. When sitting on the computer simply take a few seconds every 10 minutes or so to take your eyes off the monitor and stare at an object in the distance. This can reduce eyestrain and fatigue. I would also suggest taking a few minutes to have a palming and eye rotation session every half hour or so.

5. Another major culprit of declining vision is wearing sunglasses. Although this may sound ironic since many people wear sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun the truth is that proper amounts of sunlight are a necessity for healthy vision. Many Americans go through the entire day without exposing their eyes to the circulation and nutrients that sunlight provides by staying inside all day at work, at home behind the tv or the computer, and wearing sunglasses to shield their eyes when even they do go outside.

You shouldn't expect to get 20/20 vision solely from doing these exercises, especially if your eyesight is currently very poor. However, they certainly do help, and at the very least will help maintain your current level of vision. If you're really serious about freeing yourself from glasses, then you also need to know the exercises and techniques that will successfully improve your vision. You also need to be aware of proper nutrition and diet, which is also an important part in maintaining good eyesight.