"The eye is the jewel of the body."Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)American naturalist, poet and philosopher.
We need to ensure that we protect this jewel for the at least as long as one's life time, and ideally for eternity if you have pledged to donate your eyes.
We should understand the importance of having regular eye check-up from a specialist and should never overlook this need because most of the more common and serious eye problems are those where no obvious symptoms appear till late and the patient remains oblivious of the problem for a long time. In fact, considering that children are at the most risk -- due to long hours in front of computer, TV and game consoles -- we should proactively and regularly get their vision screened at different stages of their age.
Some of the common eye diseases and disorders are:
Refractive Errors: Myopia, Hyperopia
Amblyopia (Lazy Eye) caused by Strabismus (Squint) -- it is important to get infants screened for squint because the symptoms (usually subtle) tend to appear at an early age and it helps to get corrective aid as early as possible.
Age-related: Macular Degeneration, Cataract, Glaucoma, Diabetic Retinopathy etc.
Genetic disorder: Retinitis Pigmentosa etc.
While is definitely helpful to get the vision checked regularly and take curative measures as prescribed by the doctor, it is better and certainly more prudent to under take preventive steps to ensure "all is well" with the eyes. And fortunately, most of the more powerful preventive and remedial measures are easily doable in our daily lives.
Eye Problem Solutions:
Yoga for Eyes:
Preferably done early morning or at sun set with empty stomach on a yoga mat, following Yoga Pranayams have very healthy effects on the eyes. Eye Yoga helps to maintain or improve eye vision and its better coordination with the brain. Eye yoga tones up and reduce tension of the eye muscles. Eye Yoga improves oxygen supply and blood circulation in the eyes. Relaxing poses of Yoga gives the necessary relaxation to the eyes. Following Yogaasana have very healthy effects on the eyes:Anulom-Vilom Pranayam: Sit down in any comfortable pose keeping the back straight preferably in Padmasana (Place the toe of the left leg on the right thigh and heel on the groin of the left leg. Place the toe of the right leg on the right thigh and heel on the groin of the right leg. Keep the wrist of both the hands on the respective knees) or Sukhasana (Place the heel of the left leg on the perineum. Place the heel of the right leg over the left leg heel and place hands on respective knees as in Padmasana). Close the eyes. Now close the right nostril with right thumb and inhale deeply through the left nostrils. Hold the air in the lungs for sometime. Close the left nostril with the ring and middle fingers of the right hand and slowly exhale through the right nostril. Hold for some time and then inhale deeply through the right nostril, hold the air for sometime. Close the right nostril with right thumb and slowly exhale through the left nostril. Now reverse the process. Do it for about 15 minutes and may take a minute’s rest after every five minutes. It relieves the stress of the eyes.
Bhramari Pranayam: Should be performed after Anulom- Vilom. Sit comfortably keeping the back straight preferably in Padmasana or Sukhasana. Close ears with thumb, index finger on forehead and other three on the base of nose softly touching the eyes. Inhale deeply, hold for sometime and then exhale forcibly through nostrils with a humming/buzzing sound like a bee. This inhalation/exhalation should be from lungs with minimal abdominal movements. Start slowly then accelerate. Start by doing it 10-12 times and gradually increase to 25-30 times. It helps to keep the eyes healthy.
Palming: Sit comfortably keeping the back straight preferably in Padmasana or Sukhasana. Rub the hands to make them warm. Keep the eyes closed and cover them lightly with your cupped palms. Don’t apply any pressure on your eyeballs. Make sure that there are no gaps between the fingers so that no light enters the eye and any light you might see comes only from retina. Do deep breathing slowly for 3-5 minutes. Repeat it for 3-5 times. It gives a deep relaxation to the eyes.
Other exercises for Eyes:
Convergence exercise: Hold a pencil in front of you at an arm’s length. Move your arms slowly to your nose and follow the pencil with your eyes until you cannot keep it in focus. It improves vision.
Change of Focus: Focus on a distant object for a few seconds and slowly refocus on a nearby object at an arm’s length. Then again focus on distant object and repeat.
Blink frequently by closing your eyes. It strengthens the eye muscles. It relaxes the eyes.
Take frequent breaks and follow 20-20-20 rule i.e. take 20 second break, look 20 feet away after every 20 minutes.
Walking barefoot on clean green grass or sand in the morning/evening.
Massaging the foot soles: especially, the ball of the foot on the pad just at the base of the 2nd and 3rd toes (considering foot thumb as the 1st toe). It rejuvenates the eye nerves.
Wear sunglasses/goggles in the bright sun to protect the eyes from the damages of ultra-violet rays and blue light.
Foods good for eyes:
(L to R: Fruit & Vegetables, Bilberry, Green Tea & Saffron)
Brightly coloured fruits and vegetables: Carrot, Spinach, Bell Peppers (Shimla Mirch), Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Kale, Brussels Sprouts, Papaya, Water melon, Mango, Grapes, Orange, Apricot, Peas, Tomato, Peach etc.
Flaxseeds: Which are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids are known to protect the eyes from diseases and improve the vision.
Bilberry herb: Improves blood circulation of the eyes.
Green Tea: Scientists have now confirmed that Green tea (‘catchins’) have a number of antioxidants those include vitamin C, vitamin E, Lutein and Zeaxanthin which are very beneficial for the eye. Its effects in reducing harmful oxidative stress in the eye last for up to 20 hours.
Triphala: Powder of equal quantities of 3 herbs - “Hard”(Myrobalan fruit - Terminalia chebula), “Behara” (Belaric Myrobalan – Terminalia bellarica) and “Amla” ( Gooseberry – Emblica officinalis). Triphala has rejuvenating effects on the eyes.
Saffron: Taking saffron stamens in warm water in the morning. Research by Professor Silvia Bisti of the ARC Centre of Excellence in Vision Science (The Vision Centre) and University of L’Aquila, Italy, has established that saffron has remarkable effects on the genes which regulate the performance of the eye’s key vision cells. Her research has shown that the high priced golden culinary herb made from crocus flowers not only protects the vision cells (photoreceptors) from damage, it may also acts to slow and possibly even reverse the course of blinding diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa. "Saffron is not simply an antioxidant. It seems to possess a number of other properties which are protective to vision.
Vitamins & Minerals Supplements for Eyes:
The common eye vitamins used all over the world are vitamin A, E, C, and B2 along with Zinc, Selenium and Lutien. The Lutien is also found in the retina, lens and in the macula part of the eyes and hence known to be very effective vitamin for healthy eye.
References:
http://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/basic_information/eye_disorders.htm
http://www.blogger.com/goog_2108766844http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/5522063/Saffron-can-protect-against-eyesight-loss.html
http://www.allaboutvision.com/nutrition/supplements.htm