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Paul McCartney says eye yoga has preserved his vision. Does it work?

The singer shared his eye yoga techniques with his fans.
Paul McCartney Performs At The O2 Arena
Paul McCartney says he does eye yoga to keep his vision sharp.Samir Hussein / WireImage
/ Source: TODAY

Paul McCartney might be 78 years old, but the singer looks and feels a lot younger, and he just shared a unique health tip that has us eager to say "namaste."

During an episode of the podcast Table Manners, the former Beatles singer revealed that his eye sight is still totally sharp and said he regularly practices eye yoga to help keep his vision intact.

While chatting with his daughter Mary McCartney, the 78-year-old recalled how he first learned about the eye exercises from a yogi during a trip to India in the late 2000s.

“[The yogi] explained that your eyes are muscles whereas your ears aren’t, so you can’t exercise your ears. But your eyes, you can,” he said.

So, how does eye yoga work? The singer was also happy to elaborate and share some of his techniques.

“So, head still, and then you look up as far as you can, one, two, three, go back to the middle, then down, one, two, three, then back to the middle," he said. "You do three lots of that, then go to the left and the right. Now you’ve got a cross, up and down, and sideways, now you do the diagonals.”

At 78 years old, McCartney still doesn't need glasses, and that's enough to inspire him to keep up the exercises. Of course, he's also realistic and knows he can't be sure if eye yoga is really the reason his vision is so great.

“I don’t know if it means that’s why I don’t need glasses when I’m reading a newspaper,” he said. “It makes sense, you know? It’s a good idea.”

Does eye yoga really impact your vision?

McCartney claims that eye yoga has worked for him, but does it really have a positive impact on your vision? TODAY Health consulted John Hovanesian, MD, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, to find out.

"We all age differently and what works for one of us might not work as well for others. With eye yoga, the idea is to try to make the eye do things that are a little bit outside of the range of activities they normally do like with normal yoga," he said. "It certainly does not harm the eyes and it probably has some benefits, but it's hard to study."

As we age, many of us need to wear reading glasses as our vision changes, but Hovanesian did acknowledge that doing eye exercises of any sort can possibly help delay the need for glasses. But it's not an exact science.

"It's hard to tell whether it's the exercise or just good luck that's given Paul good vision without glasses," he said.

What is certain is that many of us suffer from eye strain regularly since we're all on so many screens all day long. And any sort of eye exercise can help relieve that.

"Take regular breaks. Take a few minutes off every 30 minutes," Hovanesian said.

The doctor also said it's important to get your eyes examined by a professional as you age and said by the age of 40 or 50, you should be getting regular check-ups to detect any issues like glaucoma or cataracts.

"I don't think there's any problem with eye yoga; it's just not a substitute for proper eye care," he said. "Just don't feel like you're harming yourself by not doing it."

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