During one of my recent cleaning sprees, I came across a very old picture of all us cousins. I was trying to explain who’s who to my daughter when she innocently asked, “Why are all of you wearing glasses? Did you all watch too much TV when you were small?”
Bad eyesight is in my genes coming from Mom as well as Dad’s side. I got spectacles at an early age and most doctors we consulted said that being hereditary there are chances of leading to a very high power which could increase exponentially.
Particularly because of this, we were even more careful with our eyes. Diet as well as eye exercises made sure that our number was in control and did not increase as predicted.
I shall share with you these tips and exercises that have helped us tremendously.
EYE BATH
An eye bath is one of the most effective techniques of hydrotherapy to keep your eyes healthy. It helps in keeping your eye number in check for those not having perfect six by six vision. It also protects the eyes against infections that come from wearing contact lenses or too much exposure to dust and dirt.
Procedure: There are 2 ways in which an eyewash can be performed
1. Using an eye glass (in picture alongside) – An eyeglass is available easily in any medical store. Fill the eyeglass till the indicated line. Keep the eyeglass straight and bend your neck so that the eye reaches the eyeglass. Now blink your eyes for about 1 minute. Lift your head and again repeat the process minimum 3 times. This stirs up deposits in tissues and provides opportunity for inflow of pure blood.
2. Splashing water directly – Fill your mouth completely with water. Splash water directly into the eyes while the mouth is full and eyes wide-open.
This has a physiological effect on circulation of blood, lymph nodes and nerve centres,
Needless to say, water that you use should be clean and at room temperature.
DIET
Similar to our heart eyes too are benefited immensely by following a diet which is low in trans fat and saturated fat. This helps to keep the blood vessels of our heart healthy.
Nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, along with vitamins C and E will help ward off age-related vision problems such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Foods like almonds, wheat germ, hazelnuts and sunflower seeds are a rich source of Vit E. Salmon, tuna and other oily fish are good sources of omega-3. Green leafy vegetables like spinach, citrus fruits like oranges and eggs too are good for the eyes.
Beta-carotene, a precursor of vitamin A helps promote healthy vision. It also helps the eyes to adjust to low levels of light at night. Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, yams andapricot are some of the sources.
EYE EXERCISE
Palming is one of the simplest and most effective eye exercises and can be done anywhere. It relaxes the eyes as well as helps you to calm down and reduce stress.
- Sit quietly with eyes closed and take some deep breaths to relax yourself.
- Rub the palms of your hands vigorously, until they become warm and place the palms gently over your eyelids.
- Feel the warmth of the palms being transferred onto the eyes and the eye muscles relaxing.
- Stay in this position until the heat from the hands has been completely absorbed by the eyes.
- Keeping the eyes closed, lower the hands.
- Once again, rub the palms and repeat the process at least three times.
A combination of eye bath, a diet including the food good for your eyes as well as palming is something which is easy to follow on a regular basis. This is essential for people like me who are not blessed with great eye sight as well as for those who are constantly working in front of a screen.
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