Prevention of Dry Eyes

Dry Eyes is a major health issue of the eyes nowadays. The number of people suffering from this problem is increasing day by day. Various types of electronic devices we are handling widely has a mjor role in the development of dry eyes.

In almost all aspects of our life, such as information, communication, transportation, medical, education etc etc, we are depending on these devices in one way or other. The technology behind these devices is making use of the functional capacity of our visual organ – the eye.

Now, about more than 90% of the knowledge we gain is through our eyes. Can you imagine a time without mobile phone, laptop, television etc ? No, we cant. That means the workload to our eyes is increasing drastically. And, it is inevitable. So, naturally, this workload will bring out its impact on our eyes. Dry Eye is one of them.

Anyway, we have to overcome this problem. That means we have to make our eyes more healthy and strong enough to shoulder this burden.

How is it possible?

Before coming to a solution, let us understand what actually is dry eye

It is a condition of deficiency in the lubricating system of the eye. The free movement of the eyeball is performed by this lubrication. It is maintained by a tear film over the eye ball. this tear film is made up of three layers. The first outermost layer is an oily layer or lipid layer. This is not the component of tear fluid. It is secreted by specialized cells of the eyelid margin. The second middle layer is the actual tear fluid layer. It mainly contains water and minerals. It is secreted from the tear glands. The third innermost layer is a mucous layer. It is the protective layer of cornea. It is secreted by the mebomian glands of the eyelid.

The symptom of dry eye varies according to the affected layer or the affected structure. Accordingly, the preventive measures, treatment procedures and medicines also will vary.

If the first layer is affected, and deficient in nature, the patient feels dryness. There will be a streching like feeling in the eye. Stringy like discharge and sand like hard deposits will be seen in the eyes especially in the morning when you wake up from bed. Here, vata is the predominant vitiating factor. The properties of vata such as rooksha, laghu, Khara, etc are increased. So vata samana treatment giving importance to snigdha guna is to be adopted. Here, the lubricating oil layer is deficinet. So, evaporation of the tear fluid takes place easily. A head massage with medicated oil, before bath is a protective measure. Ksheerabala tailam, Jeevaneeya tailam, Balaswagandhadi tailam etc can be considered. A cup of hot milk, drinking at bedtime is found beneficial. If the condition becomes serious, systematic treatment such as nasyam, sirodhara, sirovasthi etc can be done as per the direction of an expert. Medicines for these procedures also should be selected wisely.

If the second layer of tear fluid is deficient, patient feels dryness in the eyes. There will be also hot feeling or burning sensation in the eyes. Difficulty to face light source, hypersensitivity towards bright light, etc are other symptoms. In severe cases, there will be difficulty while exposing to sunlight. Here, pitta is the predominant vitiating factor. So, pittasamana procedures are to be adopted as a precautionary step. Washing the eye with cold water freequently gives temporary relief. Water medicated with pittasamana drug such as amla, draksha, chandana, useera, etc are good for eyewash. Drink adequate quantity of water. Add fleshy, water fruits or fruit juices in the daily menu. Headwash with cold water is absolutely necessary. Twice a day is recommended. Morning and afternoon. In severe conditions, systematic treatments will be necessary. Here, sirolepanam, thalam, sirodhara, mukhalepam, netrasekam, aschotanam, vitalakam etc can be done as per the direction of an expert.

If the third layer is deficient, the patient will feel dryness. There will be associated symptoms such as pain, redness, and also inflammatory changes. There are chances of corneal infection. Here, Kapha and pitta are equally vitiated. So, Kapha Pitta samana treatment procedures are necessary. Here, extreme care is needed to handle the case. Eye drops having anti inflammatory properties is recommended. Lodhrum, Triphala, yashti, darvi, etc are drugs having anti inflammatory property and good for the eyes. These can be used to medicate the water for eye wash. Once kapha is getting subsided, only pittasamana treatments can be followed. Systematic treatments such as nasyam, thakradhara, anjanam, etc can be done according to the clinical stage under the guidance of an expert.

To conclude, I want to stress the point – same eye drop for all dry eyes will not solve the problem, Differential diagnosis is absolutely necessary. Take preventive measures to avoid the development. If already developed, go for an expert opinion and treatment because eyes are preceious and vision is the gift of God. Keep it and protect it.

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