The precious gift of sight, which brings light and color into our lives, is worth all the attention we can focus toward achieving and maintaining healthy vision. Our eyes are long-range preceptors. All organs give the purest part of their energy to the eyes, helping to create their alertness and brightness. Our eyes are much like a camera. The lenses at the front of the eye collect and focus light rays. The colored iris works as an aperture. The retina is compared to film, which captures the image. Tears are fluids that help to wash the lens with lysozyme, a powerful germ killer. Crying can actually be a therapeutic way to clean and heal the eyes! Keep in mind that eye problems are usually a long time in the making and consistency is needed to allow natural remedies to demonstrate their full benefits. Let’s get started!
HERBS FOR SHARPENED EYE SIGHT
During World War II, Air Force pilots were given bilberry jelly, which is actually a type of blueberry, to improve their night vision. Bilberry extract is even available in capsule form these days. Take as directed on the bottle daily.
Also helpful are goji berries. These sweet, reddish dried berries are considered helpful for blurred and poor vision. I like to use goji berries like raisins, mixed into cereal or added to trail mix. Consume 1/8 cup (15 g) daily.
The herb eyebright has a long history of use in treating eye disorders. The French often refer to this herb as “casses lunettes,” which means “break your glasses.” Ancient peoples found this herb slightly resembles an eye and used it for poor sight. Eyebright has a cool, acrid, slightly bitter taste that stimulates liver function, thus improving blood supply to the eye. Eyebright can be taken internally in tea, capsule, or extract form using a dose of either 2 to 3 times daily. Many have also found that using the strained tea as an eyewash helps to reduce eye inflammation.
Cures from Grandma’s Kitchen
Herbal eyewashes have long been used to strengthen the eyes and improve vision. To make an herbal eyewash, pour 1 cup (235 ml) of boiling water over 1 heaping teaspoon (5 g) of herb such as cornflower, eyebright, and or fennel seed. Allow to steep for 15 minutes. Strain well (through a clean coffee filter) and wait until the tea is lukewarm to use. Make fresh each day to avoid introducing any bacteria into the eyes. Herbs that can be used as eyewashes include chamomile, cornflower, eyebright, fennel seed, and violet leaves.
Other herbs that benefit the eyes when included in teas and tinctures (one dose taken three times daily) include the following:
• Barberry root, which contains the alkaloid berberine, long used for eye infections and redness.
• Calendula flowers, which can be used in a compress or as drops and are anti-inflammatory and a circulatory stimulant.
• Ginkgo, which improves circulation to the retina, tones capillaries, and increases visual acuity.
• Nettle and schizandra berries, which improve vision.
• Parsley leaf, which is great for eyestrain.
• Antiseptic and nutritive violet leaves, which can be used as a compress or in an eyewash for sore eyes.
VITAMINS FOR HEALTHY EYES
Vitamin A is often referred to as “the eye vitamin” because it helps to strengthen the mucus membranes of the eyes. It is manufactured in the liver from carotene. The rod cells in our eyes contain a substance known as visual purple or rhodopsin. If the body is deficient in vitamin A, the cells’ ability to make visual purple is impaired, and night blindness, dry eyes, and loss of color vision may result. People who work in bright lights, sunlight, or snow, who face car headlights, or who have to see in the dark may benefit from this nutrient.
Beta-carotene is present in orange-colored foods, which gets converted into vitamin A in the body. Beta-carotene can also help prevent dry eyes and reduce the risk of macular degeneration. 10,000 IU daily of either can be used.
Vitamin B1 deficiency may lead to dimness of sight. Riboflavin, also known as Vitamin B2, is also essential. It is thought that light enters the eyes through a screen of riboflavin before reaching the visual purple. A deficiency in riboflavin can manifest in extreme light sensitivity (photophobia) or in bloodshot eyes that burn, itch, and water frequently. People deficient in B2 may rub their eyes a lot.
The lenses of our eyes contain more vitamin C than any other body part, except some endocrine glands. Vitamins C and E may both help prevent cataract formation by preventing oxidative damage. In cases of cataracts, vitamin C is usually deficient.
The omega 3 fatty acids can be used for dry eyes, macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. The omega 6s are anti-inflammatory and enhance lubrication of the eyes. Pycnogenol (100 to 200 mg daily) which is found in pine bark and grape seeds, elevates, elevates glutathione levels and can benefit cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration. DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) nourishes the eyes and brain to delay bone degenerative rod loss in the eyes (350 IU 2 times daily).
BEST FOODS FOR THE EYES
Besides eating a wholesome diet, foods that are known to be particularly beneficial to the eyes include colorful antioxidant-rich blueberries, raspberries, raw sunflower seeds, black beans, black sesame seeds, beets, carrots, celery, green leafy vegetables (especially kale, dandelion greens, spinach, and watercress), leeks, sweet potatoes, barley, dates, mulberries, goji berries, and raisins.
According to research in the Journal of Nutrition, the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin found in dark green leafy veggies like kale, spinach, collard and turnip greens, and broccoli all help protect your eyes from UV light, which can cause cataracts. Aim for nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day for optimal ocular health.
Spirulina is also beneficial as it is rich in beta-carotene and can be added to smoothies. Use chervil, cilantro, paprika, and parsley frequently as they improve blood flow to the eyes. Garnish your meals with fresh dandelion, calendula, or marigold petals which are rich in lutein.
You can also make a tasty beverage in your blender that is rich in many nutrients for visual health. Good juices to mix are cholorophyll- and beta-carotene-rich beet, carrot, celery, endive, parsley, and spinach. Drinking several cups of barley water daily moistens the liver, which governs the eyes and moistens them.
BEST EXERCISES FOR THE EYES
Eyes should get exercise just like any other part of the body. Attached to our eyeballs are six little muscles that can be tonified. Eye exercises can also increase circulation to the eye area.
When reading or focusing for long periods, squeeze your eyes shut for a few seconds to increase blood flow to the area. If you spend your days looking at close objects, every half hour, take a break and gaze off into the distance. It truly is worth the time to improve circulation and strengthen the muscles attached to the eyes to keep them in working order.
You can also use the following exercise to improve your vision:
1. Keeping your head still, look up and down 7 times. Close your eyes and rest 10 seconds.
2. Look from one side to the other 7 times. Close and rest 10 seconds.
3. Look diagonally from one direction to the other 7 times. Close and rest 10 seconds.
4. Look diagonally from the opposite direction to the other 7 times. Close and rest for 10 seconds.
5. Roll your eyes in an upper half circle and back 7 times. Close and rest for 10 seconds.
6. Roll your eyes in a lower half circle and back 7 times. Close and rest 10 seconds.
7. Place the backs of both hands over closed eyes and rest for a full minute.
Another simple way to exercise your eyes is to hold a finger or pen 10 or 12 inches (25.4 or 30.5) away from your face, focus on the tip, and then look off into the distance. Turn your head from side to side as if saying no emphatically. Repeat several times.
ACUPRESSURE FOR EYE HEALTH
Acupressure on the feet can benefit the eyes, especially if you pay special attention to the bottom of the second and third toes. If your eyes need some extra help, you may want to massage the correlating reflex points at the base of the bottoms of the second and third toes in a firm circular motion. Deep massage at the base of the neck may help to relieve tension that impairs vision.
KEEP IN MIND
If you spend your days in front of computers, keep the lighting in the room low with screen brightness three to four times that of the room. Consider using full-spectrum lighting in the home and workplace. Natural light improves visual acuity and helps prevent eyestrain.
Minimize glare by keeping monitors away from light sources such as windows. Consider using an antiglare screen. Make sure characters on the screen stand out sharply. Have the screen positioned 14 to 20 inches (35.6 to 50.8 cm) away from eyes just below eye level. The colors of display characters on a computer that are easiest on the eyes are amber and green. Fifteen minutes out of every hour, try to do some non-computer sort of work.
When it is safe and can be done without strain, try to spend a few minutes each day without anything covering your eyes (glasses, sunglasses, or contact lenses). Close your eyes and allow the sunlight to rest upon your closed eyelids for 3 to 5 minutes. Another beneficial eye strengthening technique is called “sunning.” It is done by standing or sitting with closed eyes (though no glasses or contacts). Then move your head slowly from the left to the right, allowing the sun’s rays to gently cross over closed eyes. This is best done outside, preferably when surrounded by the calm, cooling, healing green colors of nature. An ancient folk remedy to benefit the eyes is to gaze at the cooling rays of the moon!
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR PUFFY EYES
Your eyes can get puffy from crying, but puffiness can also be a sign of a food allergy, sinus problems, weak kidneys, sulfites in wine, alcohol consumption, excess sugar or fat consumption, and exhaustion. If your eyes are red, itchy, burning, and begging for attention, give them some genuine nurturing rather than using synthetic eye drops, which provide only temporary relief and can lead to more irritation later.
Apply cooling and anti-inflammatory slices of raw peeled potato (red ones are best, according to traditional folklore), apple, cucumber, melon, or tofu over each eye.
To make an eyewash for puffy eyes, bring 1 cup (235 ml) of distilled water to a boil and remove from heat. Add 1 heaping teaspoon (5 g) of herb such as cornflower, eyebright, and or fennel seed and allow to steep while covered for 15 minutes. Strain through a coffee filter. When the tea is cool, place into a clean eyecup and gently apply and bathe the eyes several times daily. Make fresh daily and refrigerate any unused portion to avoid introducing any bacteria into the eye. If you do use an eyewash or eyedrops, close your eyes for a couple of minutes to retain the benefits of the remedy.
EXERCISES FOR PUFFY EYES
An exercise for puffy eyes is to squeeze both eyes shut tight. Looking inwards, draw the lids inward toward the nose without using your hands, just the muscles in the corners of the eyes. Keep the eyes relaxed and then move the eyelids outward. Hold for three seconds. Repeat seven times. This exercise works quickly. Start by doing it every night for ten nights and then reduce the frequency to three times a week.
KEEP IN MIND
Sleep on your back, as sleeping on your side causes creases in your face, leading to permanent lines. Using two pillows to elevate your head keeps fluids from pooling around the eyes. Puffy eyes could also be related to allergies to the bedding, such as a down pillow or comforter.
Beware of heavily chlorinated pools or swimming in unclean water, which can cause eye infections or irritations. Wear watertight goggles if necessary.
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR CATARACTS
Cataracts are a degenerative condition that result in visual cloudiness or opacity in the lenses of the eyes. Cataracts develop from the slow deterioration of the lens’s protein, often caused by oxidation, and can cause gradual vision loss. (Follow the guidelines given on page 97 for eye foods, exercises, and herbs.)
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR CONJUNCTIVITIS
The conjunctiva is a thin protective tissue over the sclera (white) of the eye. When it is inflamed, it is commonly known as pinkeye. Causes can include allergies, overexposure to the elements, viewing overly bright objects (such as electric welding) with the naked eye, bacteria, virus, “burn out” (adrenal exhaustion), as well as foreign objects such as dust and pollution. Conjunctivitis is highly contagious and can be spread through washcloths, towels, and fingers, so keep them clean and separate from others. Here’s what else can help.
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Cheap sunglasses filter only some rays and may allow harmful rays to penetrate. The best sunglasses are gray, green, then brown in that order.
Eating cooling cucumbers and mung beans is also helpful if you have conjunctivitis. Take cooling anti-inflammatory herbs, such as burdock, chickweed, Echinacea, and red clover blossom, in tea, tincture, or capsule form three times daily. A probiotic supplement taken three times daily between meals helps inhibit unfriendly microorganisms that may be contributing factors in the infection.
Thrifty Cures!
Splash cold water over your eyes several times a day to improve circulation. Ahhh!
Cures from Grandma’s Kitchen
To make a compress to reduce puffiness in the under-eye area, make a tea of chamomile, cornflower, elderflower, eyebright, marshmallow root, peppermint, and/or black tea, strain, and chill. Soak a small clean cloth in the chilled brew and lie down and relax with the compress over your eyes. Black tea bags, which have been used to make tea, can be set aside to cool and applied later. Also helpful for sore eyes is to soak cotton balls in cool milk and apply over closed eyes.
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR FOREIGN OBJECTS IN THE EYES
Got something in your eye? The first step is to blink frequently to induce the eyes to tear and wash the object out. If that doesn’t work, try these tips.
You can flush the foreign body out with 2 drops Saint John’s Wort tincture in 8 ounces (235 ml) plain water or simply 2 drops of warm olive oil directly to wash out the particle. One drop of fresh lemon juice in 1 ounce (28 ml) of warm water used to rinse the eye is soothing and helps remove the particle.
You can also blow your nose vigorously while closing the nostril on the opposite of the affected eye to dislodge the foreign object. If this is unsuccessful, gently flood the eye with water using a gentle spray kitchen sink nozzle or fill a clean sink with water, place your face in it, and while holding your eye open, move your head from side to side while the water flows over the eye.
GOOD TO KNOW!
Be sure you aren’t using an eye cream you are allergic to. Eye creams are designed to be richer and thicker than other moisturizers as the area around the eyes lacks oil glands. If the puffiness disappears as the day wears on, fluid retention may be the cause, which is ultimately a kidney concern.
Try pulling the upper eyelid out and down over the lower lid, which can help dislodge pesky particles. If you are helping someone else dislodge a particle from their eye, have them look up and down and left and right as you examine their eye. If the particle is visible, use a clean handkerchief to remove it. Do not use cotton or tissue as they have fibers that can come loose in the eye.
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR GLAUCOMA
Glaucoma is a degenerative disease in which the pressure inside the eye is too high (referred to as intraocular pressure). Glaucoma results from an imbalance between the production and outflow of the aqueous humor. Symptoms of glaucoma include morning eye pain, blurry vision, halos around light, peripheral vision loss, and inability to adjust to a dark room. There are usually no symptoms until damage has been done to the eyes.
A folk remedy for both cataracts and glaucoma is to make a juice out of the aboveground portion (including the flower) of greater celandine. Apply the juice to the outer eyelids daily. Do not apply directly to the eye. Refrigerate any unused portion, which will keep fresh for up to six days. You can also follow the tips for cataracts.
WHEN TO SEE YOUR M.D.
Consult with a competent, preferably holistic-oriented optometrist or ophthalmologist for problems such as seeing colored rings around lights, blurred or double vision, seeing imaginary spots, lines, or flashes of light, and burning, watery, or itchy eyes for a proper diagnosis.
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR MACULAR DEGENERATION
Macular degeneration is a retinal disorder that can block central vision and is one of the leading causes of blindness in the elderly. There is a dry form of the disease, which can cause blurry vision, and a wet form caused by abnormal blood vessel growth behind the retina, causing the retina to separate from the eye. The dry form of macular degeneration can develop into the wet form. Smokers, postmenopausal women, and those with light-colored eyes seem to be at highest risk. Overuse of aspirin can be a causative factor in macular degeneration, as can excessive sun exposure. Follow the same guidelines regarding food, herbs, and supplements for vision health and cataracts.
GOOD TO KNOW!
Safety glasses can help prevent eye accidents. Look for glasses with shatterproof lenses and use them for hazardous carpentry, art projects, sports, and cleaning.
NATURAL REMEDIES FOR STYES
A stye is an infection of the eyelid oil gland or hair follicle, sometimes caused by Staphylococcus. The eyelid lining may have a pimple and can become red, sensitive to light, burn, sting, and produce discharge. Styes can occur when a person’s eyes are tired and they have been rubbing their eyes excessively.
To promote drainage, apply a hot compress using antiseptic herbs such as barberry, calendula, elderflower, eyebright, goldenseal, parsley leaf, and raspberry leaf for 15 minutes up to four times daily using a fresh clean washcloth each time. You can also apply aloe vera juice to the outside of the closed eye several times daily for its soothing antimicrobial effect. Black tea bags can be used as a compress as they contain antibacterial and astringent agents. Alternatively, you can use a charcoal poultice over the closed eye to help draw out the infection. Drinking alterative (blood purifying) teas like burdock, echinacea, and red clover three times a day will also help prevent and treat styes.
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If you have a stye, avoid dairy food and foods that contain gluten as they are likely to cause excess phlegm.
Cures from Grandma’s Kitchen
To help with cataracts, make an eyewash from chamomile, eyebright, and fennel and apply 3 drops with an eye dropper 3 times daily. You can also put one drop of pure honey or two drops of castor oil in the eyes nightly before bed. You can also put 1 drop of pure coconut juice into the eyes daily. (See page 20 for directions on making an eyewash.)
WHEN TO SEE YOUR M.D.
If the eye has been penetrated, get emergency care immediately. Cover the eye loosely and get someone to take you to an urgent care facility. Also seek medical attention in the following situations:
• You are unable to remove the object.
• The object is made of glass or metal.
• The person will not stay still for the eye to be examined.
• The object can’t be located.
• The object appears to be embedded.
• The object is on the pupil or iris.
After the object has been removed, seek medical attention if there is swelling in the eye or sharp or even mild pain 24 hours later. Also seek medical attention if there is light sensitivity, visual disturbances, the eye is unable to stay open, or it still feels as if something is in the eye.
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Avoid rubbing the eyes or using any instrument to remove a foreign object.
This Treating Eye Ailments article is taken from :
The Country Almanac of Home Remedies - Brigitte Mars
