Eyes are the most important of all the sense organs of the body. This is the most beautiful gift to mankind through which we can see and feel this beautiful world. The risk of eye diseases has increased because of the excess use of electronic gadgets, erratic food habits, and wrong sleep patterns.
Dry Eye is a common eye problem nowadays in which the eye lubrication is reduced either because of fewer tears or because of poor quality tears. This can lead to eye irritation, redness, and pain in the eyes. Apart from the proper ayurvedic treatment, there are certain Indian home remedies for dry eyes that can reduce the symptoms significantly.
Home remedies for Dry Eyes
- Hydration – Make sure that you are properly hydrating the body by appropriate water and fluid intake. In between 1-3 litre fluid is required in a day as per the Ayurvedic body constitution. Vata and Pitta type require more fluids and Kapha type requires less.
- Food & Diet – A healthy, timely, warm, fresh, and natural food containing all seasonal vegetables and fruits are to be included in the daily diet. Apart from this, a good intake of nuts like almonds, and raisins will also suffice the daily requirement of minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids. Encourage the use of clarified butter if not suffering from any metabolic disease like diabetes, hypertension, or any heart disease. Fast food, spicy food, staple food, aerated cold drinks, refrigerated, and processed foodstuffs have to be avoided as they are harmful foods for dry eyes.
- Sleep – 6-8 hours of timely sleep is necessary to give rest to the eyes else the chances and symptoms of dry eyes will increase.
- Warm Compress – Warm compress over the closed eyes will help to reduce the levels of pain, irritation, and foreign body sensation of the eyes. This can also act as a preventive measure if one has high screen usage and till now there are no symptoms of dry eyes.
- Chandan (Sandalwood paste) – If one has more symptoms of heat in the eyes, then a thick paste of white sandalwood over the closed eyes for about 30 minutes will give a cooling effect, and redness & burning will subside.
- Nasal Oil – Putting 3-4 drops of sesame oil in both the nostrils daily morning will certainly help to remove the micro blockages of all the channels above the neck area. This is certainly a very powerful method of Ayurveda to heal dry eyes naturally. In Ayurveda, this is called Nasya.
- Digestion – A good digestion will keep all the essential biological reactions tuned up. Make sure that you do not develop constipation, hyperacidity, belching, or bloating. 1 tsp Triphala powder can be taken at night with a suitable adjuvant like cow ghee, warm water, or honey.
- Eye Massage – Massaging the eyelids with slightly warm water, warm oil, or warm clarified butter will help to increase the qualitative tear production. Eye massage helps to clear the obstruction of meibomian glands.
- Ghee Eye Drop – 2 drops of filtered cow ghee in the eyes at bedtime helps in the healing process of dry eyes.
- Frequent Blinking – Eyes need to be blinked frequently if you have long hours of working on a computer or mobile screen. Try to give a break of 5 minutes every half an hour so that the eye muscles are not tired.
- Yoga – Yoga is a very excellent tool to promote physical health. One must practice yoga postures and pranayama. It helps in improving blood circulation and maintaining muscle tone.
- Using the Dark Glasses – One must use protective glasses while working in a windy climate or in bright sunlight or while driving a two-wheeler.
- Avoid Smoking & Alcohol – Use of tobacco and alcohol will certainly increase the dryness in the whole body. Dryness in the eyes increases certainly with the use of tobacco and alcohol.
- Avoid Mental Stress – A negative thought process, undesired negative emotions can lead to a lot of disturbances in the physical body. A person with high mental stress tends to suffer from dry eyes as compared to a happy person.
- Screen Time – Unnecessary using the mobile phone or computer screen can harm the tear glands and hence the screen use has to be minimized to avoid the impact of dry eyes.
- Metabolic Disease – An uncontrolled metabolic disease can increase dryness in the eyes. Diabetes, hypertension, thyroid functions, and lipid levels are to be well maintained.
You can have an online video consultation with an Ayurvedic eye specialist to know the exact cause and permanent treatment of dry eyes.
