Dry eyes can occur in any climate to anyone, but it seems more prevalent in our dry, windy, high altitude state.  And more jobs and education demand the use of computers…and then there are phones and televisions.  Almost everyone is looking at screens for hours every day.  I’m looking at one now.

 

Over twenty years ago while in graduate school one of the teachers told us to close our eyes as much as possible because all of the studying and reading could contribute to yin deficiency, aka the drying up of fluids.  I’ve always remembered that comment, but quite honestly, never took it seriously because I was a younger person at the time.  Silly youngster.  Now in year 21 of practice, I’ve noticed the prevalence of dry eyes.  I found that Chinese herbal formulas help the most.  Sometimes the moistening process must be done on the inside, not just the outside.  The difference with herbs is that they are chosen specifically for a person.  For example, five people can present with the same concerns but the formulas may be completely or slightly different depending upon their constitution.  Additional considerations are varying conditions of eye strain due to life and work experiences – sustained, intense looking  tends to irritate the eyes.  For example, dentists and hygienists who frequently use magnifying glasses may experience more eye strain than someone who works in a kitchen preparing food who is looking at various distances.  However, there are a few simple ideas for everyone to help keep eyes happy …

 

Help keep eyes less strained and more moist on a daily basis :

• When possible, wear sunglasses – glasses help keep some moisture in the eyes just like anything with a lid on it will stay more moist.
• Close eyes
• Look away from screens from time to time and close eyes
• Eye drops can provide temporary relief
• Apply a very thin layer of castor oil to the eyelid before bed
• Dryness can cause pain and vision changes – see an eye specialist

 

Some people develop a condition called blepharitis, which causes a flaky-scabby area following the eyelash line (easy to search for more information).  It is difficult to get rid of, but I have found that systemically nourishing fluids using herbal formulas combined with the above mentioned daily practices help resolve blepharitis.  Especially helpful is using castor oil along the eyelash line before bed.  I hope this information is helpful, and as always, please feel free to call or write with any questions.

 

The following is taken from a written interview with optometrist and eye health coach Taylor DeGroot:

• Dry eyes — Nano fulvic acid eyedrops and castor oil packs over the eyes. Most dry eye patients also have vagus nerve dysregulation. Once their nervous system is regulated, the dryness will often disappear. Another common factor is Lasik surgery, as it affects how your eyes detox.

“The eyes are pattern addicts. The eyes like to just stick to what they’ve been doing. Looking near-to-far is actually one of the ways to quickly regulate the nervous system. It stimulates the vagus nerve.

 

It’s actually a good trick if you’re stressed or if you’re caught in fight or flight. Take two fingers or two pencils, hold one in front of your nose and one at arm’s length. If you look from your near finger to your far finger consecutively, that’s actually a way to simulate the vagus nerve and calm the body down. I recommend that to people.

 

Looking far away is another way to relax the nervous system, opening up your peripheral vision. When people are caught in fight or flight, they tend to only focus on the central vision and they forget about the periphery. One of the ways that you can stimulate your peripheral vision is by walking around and looking far away.

 

You can also practice a technique I like called open focus, where you’re looking at the world more softly, and instead of focusing solely on your central vision, you’re inviting the periphery. You’re just letting your eyes wander, letting your eyes notice what’s around them.

 

Healthy eyes like to move a lot and they don’t like to just stay in one place and stare. That’s another bad habit people have. They stare and keep their eyes in one place. That’s also what glasses train the eyes to do. Glasses have an optical center, so there’s one part in the glasses where you see most clearly. Glasses in a way are kind of visual confinement because they lock your eyes into one place.

 

So, if you’re working on a computer, every 20 minutes or so, get up, walk around, look far away. I would say every 20 minutes is probably the cutoff. I would say don’t sit down and stare at your computer for longer than 20 minutes.

 

And then certain eye exercises, I definitely think there are benefits to that. Your eye movements actually correlate with something called the oculocardiac reflex. Moving the eyes laterally can help calm the nervous system down. You can close your eyes and picture a coin and then trace the outsides of the coin with your eyes. Just get the eyes moving again. Get them looking far away.

 

Read the full written interview here : http://daisylear.com/interview-with-optometrist-and-eye-health-coach-taylor-degroot/