Eyes:The clear focus

Eye Care is a serious concern that is often neglected by people who lack health insurance.

Our vision is one of those wonderful gifts most of us take for granted. The only time we even have cause to think about our vision as such is when we think about a blind person who has no vision at all, or our own vision begins to fail us. Being aware of the importance of protecting your vision can help you to avoid problems with it in the future. Your eyes care a part of the body like the skin that you can do things to slow the aging process of using certain precautions that take little time to implement and can make a world of difference later in life.

Eye Care is an important factor in all of our lives. We sometimes take sight for granted but can you imagine not being able to see everyday things normally. Imagine not being able to see your kids, too watch TV, too take a walk and see all of nature is beauties. People with certain eye diseases are not able to enjoy these experiences to their full extent and sometimes not at all. There are several reasons for people to start learning more about eye health and how to protect our sight. There are not only personal reasons but financial reasons as well because the cost of eye care affects everyone. As the Baby Boomer generation ages and faces more eye problems, the need for eye care will be much greater.

Personal Reasons of Eye Care

Eye care is essential to maintaining the health of our eyes. People with eye diseases that greatly affect their vision face many problems. They are physically hampered by impaired vision. They are not able to perform daily activities like driving or working. Some are barely able to see or have lost their vision entirely. They are also faced with emotional stress. People with dramatic eye problems face many issues that can lead to solitude and depression. This strain also affects friends and families.

They are not able to enjoy everyday moments or special events. Eye problems can also be very costly to individuals. The need for eye wear, eye surgeries, and other needs can greatly affect a person or a family is income. Some people are not even able to work because of their eye problems. There are several steps everyone can take to help prevent eye diseases and the problems related to them. It starts with knowledge of keeping the eye healthy and following good guidelines for maintaining good eye health.

There are many eye diseases that can be prevented or whose progression can be slowed down with proper precautions and healthy eating. Eating a lot of Vitamins A, E, C, and some Zinc and Selenium can help prevent many diseases including those that affect the eyes. Visit the nutrition page on what foods contain these vitamins and minerals. Certain diseases might be causes by other factors such as obesity, diabetics, exposure to ultraviolet light, smoking, certain medications such as steroids, and many other factors. It is a good idea to ask your eye care doctor for specific steps you can take. People with obesity or who are diabetic should have more routine checkups since they are more likely to develop certain eye diseases.

Those who are outside most of the day should use protective sunglasses or eyeglasses to prevent heavy exposure to ultraviolet light. People who smoke or take certain medications should ask their doctor if they are more likely to have eye diseases because of family background. These little measures can help your eyes healthy and keep all the emotional, physical, and financial problems that come with eye problems away.

Care of Eyes

If you were asked, "Do you take care of your eyes once a week or at least once a month?", the most common reply would probably be in the negative. The eyes are considered to tbe the most important organ in ourt body and yet, people neglect to care for them.

Although we use our eyes everyday, we rarely pay attention until there is some serious problem. Ayurveda advises to take care of health while in a healthy state. You can maintain perfect eyesight for most part of your life by following some simple remedies.

Every morning after waking up, fill your mouth with water, close the eyes and sprinkle water on them about 10-15 times. Be sure, as Ayurveda advises, to wake up before sunrise. Do not use hot water to wash the eyes.
Do not wash the eyes or face when the body is sweating, especially after hard physical or after being exposed to heat and sun.
Do not stare continuously, specially while looking at long distance objects. Blinking or giving rest to the eyes is good. Do not look at the objects in bright sunlight for a long time. Avoid reading, writing or working with eyes in improper light, or when the light is not sufficient. Take a break and give rest to the eyes if you feel heaviness in the eyes.
Staying up late in the night and sleeping after sunrise is harmful for the eyes. In case of staying up late, drink a cup of water after each hour or half hour.
Protect your eyes from dust, smoke, strong sunlight and strong wind. Avoid staying long in such conditions. In case you have to stay, blink often and massage the closed eyes gently with your palms.
Try to maintain regular and clean bowel movements. Constipation weakens the eyesight. In addition; too much anxiety, grief, anger and worry are harmful for the eyes.
Regular eye exercise maintains perfect eyesight. One simple method of exercise is moving the eyeball - right and left; upwards and downwards and rotating it in the clockwise and anti-clockwise directions.
Another simple way of protecting of eyes is through 'palming'. Rub the palms of both hands for about 30 seconds, close the eyes and gently place the warm palms over the eyes.
Eating cabbage and carrots is very beneficial for the eyes. These should be eaten raw. It is all right to drink cabbage and carrot juice mixed together or separately.
If Triphala is available, you can wash the eyes with 'Triphala water'. Put a teaspoonful of Triphala powder in a glass of water, and let it stay overnight. Strain the water and wash the eyes with it.
Putting one drop of honey in each eye once a week is also beneficial to the eyes. It causes a bit of irritation, but cleans the eyes.

Try these remedies and keep your eyes healthy and beautiful. These remedies can be used by everyone, including those having weak eyesight. Through these methods, one can even improve one's weak eyesight and maybe even give up the use of spectacles forever.

he importance of the eyes to the human beings need not be emphasized.

Eyes provide us sight, without which life would lose most of its meaning. But at the same time, eyes are constantly exposed to the external environment.

Almost everyone in the world overworks their eyes, due to which several eye problems occur. The list of problems that occur with the eyes is almost endless. But even then, are we taking adequate care of our eyes? This article provides some valuable tips on care of the eyes.

Some common eye problems are:- Cataract Conjunctivitis Glaucoma Myopia.

Let us see how Ayurveda helps in the prevention and treatment of these eye problems.

Useful Herbs for Eye Care

Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) Aniseed is especially beneficial in the treatment of cataract. The powder of its seeds is taken in a tablespoon quantity every morning and evening.

Babul (Acacia arabica) Babul can treat conjunctivitis. A paste of the babul leaves must be applied on the eyes before going to sleep at night. It will lessen the itchiness, wateriness and the redness of the sore eyes.

Carrot (Daucus carota) Carrot is so beneficial in eye care that its virtues are taught to school students also. Carrots contain beta-carotene, which is the precursor of vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is responsible for strengthening the eyes and protecting them from night blindness.

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) A decoction prepared from coriander can be used as an eyewash for people with conjunctivitis. There will be immediate reduction in the burning, redness and swelling of the eyes.

Indian Gooseberry (Emblica officinalis) The Indian gooseberry, known as amalaki, is exceptional in treating ocular problems. It can bring relief in both conjunctivitis and glaucoma. Its juice is taken with honey for better effects.

Indian Sorrel (Oxalis corniculata) The Indian Sorrel has exceptional properties in the treatment of several eye problems. A few drops of the juice of its leaves must be put in the eyes everyday to keep them free from strain. They can also be a good prevention for cataract.

Marigold (Calendula officinalis) Marigold is taken as a cold infusion for washing eyes that are stressed. This brings a cooling effect to the eyes. It is also effective in cases of conjunctivitis.

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) The raw juice of parsley is effective for eye care. It can relieve the eyes of problems such as corneal ulcers, cataracts, weak eyes, conjunctivitis, opthalmia and sluggishness of the pupils.

Dietary Tips for Eye Care

Vitamin A is directly responsible for the strength and power of the eyes. Hence, foods that are rich in vitamin A must be taken. Vitamin A is contained in all orange and yellow colored vegetables such as carrots, oranges and pumpkins and in fruits like mangoes, papayas and oranges.

spinach, coriander and colocasia also contain vitamin A. Among non-vegetarian foods, fish, liver and eggs contain vitamin A. Dairy products also have a fair amount of vitamin A in them.

The risk of cataracts is reduced by Ascorbic acid rich diets (Vitamin C )Foods containing vitamin C such as Indian gooseberry, guava, orange, lemon and tomato, capsicum, cabbage, etc. must be included in the diet.

Ayurvedic Treatments for Eye Problems

The triphala lotion is generally prescribed in case of eye problems. Triphala is a mixture of the two myroblans - belleric and chebula - and the Indian gooseberry. The choorna is soaked in water for half an hour to get the lotion. This lotion is used as an eye-wash three or four times in a day. Triphala lotion has potency to treat eye problems such as cataract and conjunctivitis. Washing the eyes regularly with triphala also keeps them moist and healthy.

Chandrodaya vati is another important Ayurvedic preparation used in eye care. It is made into a paste in water and then applied externally over the eyes. Chandrodaya vati is beneficial in the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis and cataract.

Remedies for common eye problems

Prepare a mixture of equal proportions of aniseed powder and coriander seed powder. Mix it with an equal weight of unrefined sugar. Take it in doses of 12 grams every morning and evening. It is beneficial for people with cataract.

For people with weak eyesight, taking a mixture of the juices of raw parsley and carrots in a glassful amount everyday will provide great benefits.

Mix one part of sugar with three parts of coriander. Grind them into a fine powder and put this mixture in boiling water. Keep it covered for one hour. Then filter it with a clean cloth. Use the filtrate as eye drops. This is an effective treatment for conjunctivitis.

Immerse almonds in milk and keep them overnight. In the morning, mix this milk with sandalwood. Apply this on the eyelids. This reduces redness of the eyes due to exertion.

Inhaling the odors of sesame mixed in honey reduces the excessive wateriness of the eyes.

Take two small pieces of cardamom. Grind them and dissolve the powder in milk. Boil the milk and drink it at night. This makes the eyes healthier.

A New Look At Eye Care

Ayurvedic Solutions for Dry, Tired Eyes:

If you were to ask your friends how many times a week they did something to improve the health of their eyes, they'd probably say "none. Most people only pay attention to their eyes if they have a problem. Yet the hours spent watching TV and working on computers take their toll on eye health.

According to Maharishi Ayurveda, the eyes are one of the most important organs in the body. All five elements play a role in maintaining eye health. Earth (prithivi) governs the muscular part of the eye, fire (tejas) rules the blood vessels, air (vayu) governs the color, water (apu) dominates the white area, and space (akasha) controls the tear ducts and channels.

The eye is also governed by Alochaka Pitta, a subdosha of Pitta which becomes less balanced as we age. That's why it's important to care for your eyes throughout life.

Healthy Eye Habits

In general, you don't want to stare continuously at fixed objects in the distance. Blink periodically and look away at short intervals to keep from straining the eyes. At the same time, staring at the TV close up is one of the main causes of myopia (near-sightedness), so watch TV from at least ten feet away--not too near and not too far.

Proper light is another factor in eye health, just like your mother told you. Avoid reading or working in either dim light or in bright sunlight. Staring fixedly in the distance or close-up is especially harmful in bright sunlight, especially if you're around water or reflecting objects. Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes in bright sunlight, but not to drive or read with, as this will cause strain.

One of the biggest enemies of the eyes is lack of sleep. If you have a tendency to stay up too late, try going to bed just fifteen minutes earlier. Gradually bring your bedtime into alignment with the ayurvedic routine--before 10:00. If you wake up in the night and can't fall back asleep,take deep rest.

Morning Eye Routine

Each morning upon waking (either before or after using the toilet), fill your mouth with water and hold for a few seconds with your eyes closed. Spit it out and repeat 2-3 times.
Splash your eyes and face with cool or slightly warm water 10-15 times. Repeat again in the evening when you return from work or school.

Caution: Never use hot or icy water on the eyes. Also avoid abrupt temperature changes. For instance, if you're hot and sweaty, wait 10-15 minutes until your body adjusts before splashing cool water on your face and eyes.

Yoga for Your Eyes

Yogic eye exercises, if done daily, are a gentle and effective way to prevent vision problems for developing. They are especially recommended for children, but adults can help prevent far-sightedness from developing in middle age, and even people who wear glasses can prevent their vision from getting worse.

If you already do yoga regularly, continue with your normal routine because most yogic exerises have a good effect on the eyes.

Yogic Eye Exercises (for strengthening eye muscles and releasing stress)

Sit in the Sukhasana (easy pose) with your legs comfortably crossed and your spine, neck and head in a straight line. Look directly to the front at eye-level and breathe normally. This is the position of readiness.
Move your eyes upward to the ceiling and stay for two seconds. Look downwards and stay for two seconds. Close your eyes for two seconds.
Look toward the right side, as far as your eye will see, for two seconds. Look to the left side for two seconds. Look to the front again.
Close your eyes for 6-8 seconds.
This completes one round. Start with 2-3 rounds and increase up to four rounds.

Palming (for releasing stress from the eyes)

Rub both palms together quickly for 8-10 seconds. This friction creates a mild heat.
Close the eyes and gently place the left palm over the left eye and the right palm over the right eye for one minute. Do not press the eyeballs with the palms, just let them gently rest there. Breathe in and out slowly to release stress.
Repeat 2-3 times.
Other poses that strengthen the eyes include the Bhujangasana (snake pose), Surya Namaskara (sun salutes), and Shavasana (rest pose).

In the next session,We discuss on another aspects of Eye care and vision related lectures in indian ayurveda and yogic systems.......... till then,Good bye friends........Have you all a very healthy & happy lives !