Care for Glittering pair
- By:Dr.Savitha Suri
Once while browsing through the internet, I came across a short and sweet poem, written by an unknown author, describing the beauty of eyes and expressions hidden in them. The poem was so beautiful that I just made a note of it. Here is the poem.
In Your Eyes
In your eyes I see a thousand setting suns,
Glorious and mighty, more days are done.
In your eyes I see the beauty in a simple flower,
the majesty...the sweetness...the power.
In your eyes I see what could be,
faithfully, lovingly, you and me.
In your eyes my world spins round
your voice...passion the sound.
Mostly in your eyes I see love.
Saying that eyes are the most effective and expressive tools of communication would indeed be no understatement. They mirror a person’s myriad moods and emotions. Eyes have fascinated poets since time immemorial.
We humans are blessed with a highly developed brain which decodes the stimuli from five sense organs and draws an inference about the object beheld. God has blessed us with eyes to enjoy the beauty and variety offered by the world he has created around us. Hence our eyes deserve some amount of special care .
According to the ayurveda many factors affect the function of eyes, reducing their efficiency and causing discomfort. According to ayurveda the diseases of eyes are caused by the vitiation of tridoshas . Tridoshas ( vatha, pitta and kapha) function normally in their respective channels and places, when they are in balanced condition. The main factors, which vitiate these doshas in eyes, are-
• Taking cold bath after a brisk exercise or after roaming in hot climate.
• Straining the eyes for very long hours.
• Keeping awake for very long time, sleeping in afternoon.
• Moving in dust, polluted environment and in smoke.
• Controlling natural urges,
• Head injuries,
• Using the microscope continuously,
• Alcoholism.
All these factors vitiate the doshas of eyes and cause numerous diseases of eye.
Tired eyes
Tired eyes are mostly caused by allergies, fatigue, over strain of eyes, infection and inadequate supply of oxygen to tissues of eyes. The main symptoms of tired eyes are dryness and irritation
Self care for tired eyes:
• Give rest to your eyes by closing them for a minute’s interval in between work hours.
• Have a good night’s sleep for 6- 7 hrs.
• Place fresh slice of cucumber on eyes for few minutes. This revitalizes eyes.
• Wash your eyes with cold water several times in a day.
• Mix few drops of rose water in a cup of water. Dip two cotton gauzes in it and place them on your eyes for few minutes.
Consult an ophthalmologist if itching, redness or discomfort persists.
Dry eyes
Tears flow down our eyes when we are sad or too happy. But our eyes are always protected by a thin film of tear. This film represents aap dhatu or jaladhatu (water element) according to ayurveda.or jala .The tear film keeps our vision clear and protects our eyes from irritations. Reduction in production of tears causes variation in tear film and dries it. This condition is called as dry eyes.
The causes For Dry eyes
1. Age:- As we get old the tear production reduces causing dry eyes. This is more prevalent in women than men.
2. Systemic diseases: Medical Conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma etc.
3. Few medications: Few medications like diuretics , antihistamines, decongestants, sleeping pills, few antidepressants, acne medications and opiate preparations, allergic reaction to eye ointments and eye drops
4. Diseases of eyes: Blepheritis (inflammation of edges of eyelids), Entropion (inward bending of eyelid), Ectropion (outward bending of eyelid).
5. Irritants present in environment: smoke, dust, wind, sun, dry climate.
6. Life styles: Working in front of computer for longer hours, reading for long hours, driving.
7. Varied Composition of tears: Tears are a mixture of water, fatty oils, proteins, electrolytes, etc.
8. According to ayurveda principles the vitiated vayu causes this condition
Signs and symptoms of dry eyes:
Usually both eyes get affected in this condition. Itching, burning or stinging sensation in eyes as if a foreign substance is inside. You feel it very difficult to wear contact lenses. Eyes get tired easily. Secretion of mucus in the form of threads, around eyes. Eyes get very quickly irritated when exposed to smoke or wind.
If the above mentioned symptoms persist for a prolonged period please consult an ophthalmologist..