Enhancing Eye Health with Ayurvedic Remedies and Care | Ayurveda For Eye Care - Importance of Eye Care in Ayurveda
From the saying, “Sarvendriyaanam Nayanam Pradhanam", we can understand the importance of eye health and eye care. It's the most vital organ of the human body and plays a very crucial role in our social and intellectual development. Almost 90 / of our knowledge is through our eye perception only so it not only imparts knowledge but also keeps our brain healthy. So when our vision is intact, our learning and comprehension abilities are well projected.
Hence, it's very important to take care of your eye health. Considering that, we need to know the root causes of eye disorders, signs and symptoms and remedies which will help us to be more cautious.
Causes of Poor Eyesight
Prolonged Screen Exposure
To much exposure to blue screens plays a crucial role in affecting our eye sight.Wear protective eyeglasses while viewing screens
2. Lack of Nutrition
Good eye health requires balanced nutrition, comprising vitamins A, E, C, B, and proteins. Load your eatable rich in the above supplements and avoid anything that can hamper your digestion.
3. Degeneration due to age
Due to old age, our eyes lose the ability to view things. Keep the eye concerns at a bay in old age by following a healthy nutritious diet
With aging, one may even have to face the
Presbyopia, Glaucoma,Dry eyes, macular degeneration, and Cataracts
4. Recurrent Infections
Exposure to dust, smoke and polluted atmosphere may be highly injurious to the eyes. Protect your eyes against them
Signs and symptoms of eye disorders
· Red /irritant/dry eyes
· Headache
· Night blindness
· Photosensitivity
· Floaters
· Excessive lacrymation
· Blurred vision
· Swelling
Understanding eye health
In this modern era, people work for long hours in front of computer from which the over use of lighting has increased .Post work also they relax sitting infront of these gadjets which can again cause strain to the eyes .Added to that high pollution , exposure to unnatural lights emmited from gadjets ,poor sleep pattern ,unfollowing a healthy routine ,poor care of eyes ,erratic food regime can really cause high damage to our eyes .It not only affect our eyes but also our nervous system
As we all know ,ayurveda being ancient system of medicine gets ennumber of ways to protect the eyes The importance of sensory organs is exclusively explained under shalakya tantra in ayurveda.
Doshas involved in vision
Doshas ,the vital forces controls all psychological and physiological functions of the body .The physiology of eyes and vision is based on pittha and kapha doshas.
Tarpaka kapha – a sub dosha of kapha lubricates the nerves and brain including the sensory organs
Alochaka pitta –a a subdivision of pittha enables us to perceive vision and analyse things
Understanding the root cause of eye disorders
Ancient system of medicine ,Ayurveda empasises the importance of five sense organs i.e. eye, ear, nose, tongue and skin. Among these sense organs, Ayurveda gives prime importance to the eye. It says “Sarvendriyaanam Nayanam Pradhanam”. Eyes allow to understand and navigate the world around you.
So to take care of eyes is the prime thing throughout the journey of holistic health. life .Ensure their care through the ayurvedic routine discussed below and simple home remedies along with few ayurvedic therapies to prevent the eye related disorders
Eye health depends on the balance of tridoshas ,saptha dhatus and also jataragni which is directly proportional to healthy life style ,proper sleep and following a healthy routine .
Jataragni being the main element to manage our digestion and absorption of nutrient element from what we eat.So our health depends on how well our jataragni is .
Pittha located in our gut ,when secreted more can hinder our digestion process and especially pachaka pittha in our gut governs the enzymes for digestion .As a result of disturbed pachaka pittha ,even our dhatu agni gets affected thus causing imbalance and disability to build healthy and quality tissues .
So in simple terms ,vitiated doshas are the causative factors of diseases but the effet is seen in dhatus which becomes the seat for diseases .
In Ayurveda, there are 76 different types of eye disease. Ten are due to vata disorder, ten are due to pitta disorder, and thirteen are due to kapha disorders. Sixteen are due to rakta dhatu disorders, twenty-five are due to disturbances in all three doshas with the remaining two down to external causes
Here are few simple ways which can be practiced as a daily routine , including life style changes and simple home remedies as per ayurveda to protect your eye sight
Asatmendriyartha samyoga refers to improper contact of senses with their objects and results in over stimulation or deficiency of sensory activity .
Ayurveda strongly believes that the above is one of the major reason for the disturbance of vision.For instance ,when you are exposed to computer for long hours ,it strains your eyes as a long run and affects your vision gradually .So lessening of screen timings is advised .
Frequent washing of eyes with cold water is advised .
Using protective glasses on exposure to screens is advised
Panchakarma for eyes
Purificatory therapies like virechana lowers down the excess pittha and ensures good eye health
Panchakarma procedures like Snehana, Swedana, and Vasti can eliminate accumulated toxins from the blood and help reduce excess pressure in the eyes.
Siroabhyangam
Application of oil to head and scalp impacts the vision widely .It can improve the circulation to the eyes and renders good eye sight.
Kriyakalpa is refered to a whole set of Ayurvedic eye treatments using medicated ghee and powdered formulations. Tarpana, Putapaka, Seka, Anjana, Aschyotana, Pindi, and Bidalaka are different types of Kriyakalpa treatments which can improve eye health and treat various eye conditions.
Nasya – Using medicated oil drops in nostrils can help to promote eye sight
Shirodhara: This holistic Ayurvedic treatment, often recommended for its beneficial effects on eye issues, involves pouring oil on the forehead to calm the mind and improve eye health.
Rakthamoksha - Bloodletting is a special technique in Ayurveda which can reduce the pressure around the eyes, making it beneficial in managing Glaucoma.
Eye exercises
· To strengthen the ciliary muscles and to maintain the flexibility of eye lens few eye exercises are significant. Once daily, rotate your eyeballs up, down, sideways and in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions to relieve stress from the eyes. Focusing exercises in which the focus is shifted back and forth between objects kept at various distances are also advised for strengthening muscles around eyes, strengthening eye muscles and reducing eye strain.
· Using few drops of castor oil daily helps to lubricate the eyes and prevent infections
· Using rosewater dipped cotton pads and cucumber slices relaxes and soothens the eyes
· Start your day with eye wash using cold water while holding water in your mouth
· Regular Practice of Trataka
Trataka is an Ayurvedic eye health method in which we stare at a burning ghee lamp.
Light up a ghee lamp with a cotton wick .Shut all the lights inside your room, sit on the floor, fold your legs, place the ghee lamp on the floor and gaze at it. Place the lamp at a viewing angle of 30 degrees.
Practising this for ten minutes each day can help improve eye strength and lustre.
· Practice palming techniques –it can really relieve brow and eye tensions
Some other healthy habits and Ayurveda for eye care which can improve your vision
· Sound sleep
· Avoid stress
· Have adequate lights while on reading
· Always protect your eyes against glazing sunlight ,wind and pollution by wearing sun glasses
· Practise Yogic routine
Asanas like surya namaskar,sirasasana,chakrasana and halasana helps in boosting up the circulation in blood capillaries
· Practice regular eye breaks
Give regular break every half an hour if you are too much exposing your eyes to gadgets.
· Use blue light screen protection and glasses
· Dim household lights in the evening or use candles to help relax the eyes.
· Using Elaneer Kuzhampu as an eye drop once a week, helps clean the eyes and prevent eye diseases.
Some of the foods which you can add in daily routine for eye health
· Amla
Amla ,known as a wonder herb having ennumber of health benefits is loaded with high levels of vitamin C and plays a significant role in eye care by promoting retinal cells in a healthy way
Carrots
Loaded with rich beta carotene and vitamin A,it ensures enough nutrient to restore eye vision
· Fennel
Packed with rich antioxibants and essential nutrients ,it slows down the progression of cataracts
Spinach
Rich in vitamin A and beta carotene along with high quantities of lutein and zeaxanthin,its beneficial for healthier eye sight
· Almonds
Being a remarkable source of vitamin E and antioxidants ,almonds can ensure healthy eyesight
· Blueberries
Rich in vitamin C and A along with antioxidants, it helps to improve eyesight and is considered one of the best Ayurvedic methods to prevent eye issues and can reduce high risk of development of glaucoma ,cataract and inflammation .They also contains zinc that is effective against macular degeneration and night blindness.
· Ghee
A super food , packed with rich nutrients which provides effects against eye inflammation, a common eye issue addressed by Ayurveda for eye care.
· Usage of Triphala choornam both internally and externally acts as a rasayana for the yes
· You can use raw aloe vera gel or cucumber slices on your eyelids to treat dry eyes and its symptoms. This also acts as anti-aging and antibacterial
Some of the ayurvedic herbs which help in improving eye health
· Triphala
Being a very common medicine in ayurveda ,it helps to enhance alochaka pittha .The wonder fruits hareetaki,amlaki and vibeethaki balances tridoshas and thus it can prevent eye damage caused by free radicals and oxidative stress, a key factor in the development of many eye problems.
· Rose/sathapatri
It relieves excess pittha and aama from raktha dhatu and hence used as eye wash or applied over eyes using cotton for relaxation or cooling effect
· Bhringaraj (Eclipta Alba)
A herb loaded with rich antioxidants and marvelous eye benefits. It acts as pitta vata samana and clears away excess pitta, showcasing the holistic approach of Ayurveda for eye care. from raktha and pacifies liver toxins
· Neem
A effective detoxifying herb which balances pachaka pittha and clears excess ama from rasa nad raktha dhatus
It is highly nutritive and rejuvenative for the eyes
· Licorice/yasti
It helps as rasayana .rejuvenatory agent along with ghee thus reducing the pachaka pittha and benefits ranjaka pittha and detoxifies the liver ,supporting the eye health .Its widely used in eye degenerative conditions along with ghee