There are few things in this life that are as precious as good health. Which is why you need to make every possible effort to live well. Whether this is through a conscious diet, consistent exercise, or feeding your mind with positive energy, or a combination of everything, it doesn’t matter. It’s quite easy to be swept up in the bad habits of the world and forget about what’s good for us. Sadly, something we’ve noticed with regards to eye health as of late.
Ayurveda explains that Pitta dosha controls our eyes. This dosha absorbs images and colors, allowing us to see. When it is in balance, our eyes are healthy, radiant, and see clearly. However, if it gets worse, the vision might get blurred, eyes will feel irritated and there might be difficulty viewing bright objects. The best cure is to keep the dosha calm with proper food and daily meditation.
Eye an Indication of Health
Anyone who has looked into the glassy eyes of a feverish child or the bright eyes of a happy person knows that the eyes can tell us a lot about a person and their well-being. In conventional medicine, too, looking in the eyes is used to gather information about illnesses, even those that go far beyond the eyes. Examination of eyes can study the persons by their,
- Growth and Development
- Hormonal Pathway
- Neurological Pathway
- Vascular Pathway
These are a few examples of an association between eye conditions and other problems in any part of your body. Some of these classical associations are diabetes and hypertension. The eye doctor can tell how good or bad your sugar or blood pressure control has been, just by looking inside the eye, through that little window called the pupil. Indeed every diabetic person should have regular eye examinations, with dilation of the pupil, to assess the retina’s health.
Examples of common associations:
- If you suffer a sudden drop in your vision and you are diagnosed with vascular occlusion in your retina, you could be found to have high cholesterol and other cardiovascular conditions. So a prompt correction of your cholesterol levels can save you from future threats such as a heart attack and brain stroke.
- Not being able to see a certain part of your visual field could mean a tumor might be compressing certain structures in your brain.
- If the whites of your eyes get yellow, you could have liver problems.
- If your eyes are red, painful and your vision is impaired and you are diagnosed with a condition called uveitis, you could also be found to have rheumatic diseases.
Eye an Indication of Diseases
- Nutrition Deficiency: Dry, irritated eyes and blurry vision are indications of poor nutrition.
- Allergies: Red, itchy, watery eyes indicate that one is suffering from allergies.
- Color vision changes: Do colors look faded? Changes in your color vision may be a sign of early cataracts or other eye health problems.
- Liver Problems: Yellow eyes could be a sign of liver problems.
- Autoimmune Disease: Autoimmune disease is when your body’s defense mechanism against disease-causing microbes starts attacking normal, healthy cells. Dry eyes and dry mouth can be the warning signs of an autoimmune disease called Sjogren’s syndrome, which damages glands that produce tears and saliva.
- Dementia: An amyloid protein that builds up in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease may appear in the retina as an early marker of the condition.
- Diabetes: Both type 1 and 2 diabetes can cause serious vision problems and blindness.
- High Blood Pressure: Early signs of damage from high blood pressure can be detected in a routine eye exam so potentially life-saving treatment can be initiated and adjusted as needed.
- Stroke: During a dilated eye exam, your eye doctor can examine the health of blood vessels in the retina and detect signs of increased risks of carotid artery disease and stroke.
Natural eye care tips
Do’s
- Eye exercises can help alleviate pressure on the eyes. Sunning, palming, eyewash, candlelight reading, ball exercises, steaming, and application of cold packs can help improve your vision and health of your eyes.
- Observe the reading and viewing habits of school-going children. They may not be able to communicate their inability to see clearly.
- Wash your eyes with cold water regularly.
- Get your eyes tested at least once a year.
- Drink plenty of water. Water can help prevent dry eyes.
- Do consume
- Milk: A good source of riboflavin that is known to cut the risk of developing cataracts; also contains vitamin A, one of the best nutrients for maintaining eye health.
- Carrots: Come packed with beta-carotene that gets converted into vitamin A.
- Citrus fruits: Fruits like Oranges or lemon are rich in vitamin B-12 and beta-carotene.
- Amla: It has one of the most important antioxidants called vitamin C. It not only helps boost immunity but also strengthens your eyesight.
Don’ts
- Don’t skip meals or keep irregular hours. Eat a healthy and balanced diet and get sound sleep. It is, immensely, effective in resting your tired eyes.
- Don’t expose yourself to too much bright light – sunlight or electronic devices. Take a break from the laptop or television every 20 minutes; look away and blink several times. Wear UV-protective sun shades to protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. It can save you from cataracts.
- Avoid reading tiny fonts. Reading larger fonts prevents the straining of your eyes.
Conclusion:
Your eyes help you perceive the world present around you with great clarity and accuracy, allowing for beautiful images to be captured and stored in mind. You can stay more vigilant of your surroundings through your eyes that allow for essential information to be absorbed with every blink. These sensitive organs need to be well protected to allow for these functions to run smoothly for many more years to come.
Watch our webinar on “Eye – The window to health”. Click here!