MYOPIA - SHORTSIGHTEDNESS

MYOPIA - SHORTSIGHTEDNESS

Myopia or shortsightedness refers to the inability to see or hazy or blurred vision on seeing things that are at a distance; e.g. the blackboard at school, the screen in a cinema hall or the TV screen may start looking blurred and the eyes of the sufferer may start watering due to the strain on the eyes. There may be itching and heaviness in the eyes and the patient may complain of a mild headache due to the eyestrain. Myopia may result especially in cases where the child or the person is reading in dim light, reading in moving vehicles or from watching too much of television. The other causes of myopia are mental strain, wrong food habits and improper blood and nerve supply. Mental strain correspondingly puts physical strain on the eyes, their muscles and nerves. 

EYE MUSCLE  EXERCISES

A. All eye muscle exercises should be performed while being seated comfortably and in a relaxed atmosphere.

B. Move the eyes up gently and slowly in a circle, then move them down in the reverse direction. Do this four times and then rest for a second or two and repeat the movement two to three times, using minimum effort. Do this a few times daily.

C. Rotate the neck in circles and semi-circles. Move the shoulder clockwise and anti-clockwise briskly, drawing them up as far as possible several times. Bend the head forwards and backwards as far as possible several times. Turn the head to the right and to the left as far as possible several times. These exercises help to loosen up and relax the contracted neck muscles that may restrict blood supply to the head.

D. Keep the head still and relaxed and gently move the eyes up and down six times. Repeat the same movement 2-3 times at two-second intervals. The eyes should move slowly and regularly as far down as possible and then as far up as possible.

E. Move the eyes from side to side as far as possible, without any force or jerky movements six times. Repeat this two to three times daily.

F. Sit on a bench facing the sun with your eyes closed and gently turn the head from side to side several times for about ten minutes. Then open the eyes and blink about ten times at the sun and then look at some greenery. This helps to relieve shortsightedness.

G. Hold the index finger of the right hand about eight inches in front of the eyes, then look from the finger to any other large object ten or more feet away (e.g. the door or  the window). Look from one to the other ten times. Do this exercise frequently throughout the day.

H. Splash plain, cold water several times on the eyes when closed. This helps to cool the eyes and boosts its blood supply.

HOME REMEDIES

1. Natural, uncooked foods especially fresh fruits (like oranges, apples, grapes, peaches, plums, cherries) and fresh green vegetables (like lettuce, cabbage, spinach and turnip tops), root vegetables (like potatoes, turnips, carrots, onions and beetroots), nuts, dry fruits and dairy products should be taken liberally. Jams, pastries, refined and processed products, white bread, tea, coffee, meat, fish and eggs are better to be avoided. Genuine wholemeal bread is useful.

2. Having  a diet rich in vitamin A is of utmost importance. The rich sources of this vitamin are raw spinach (palak), lettuce, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, turnip tops, green peas, soya beans, cod liver oil, fresh milk and its cream, cheese, butter, egg yolk, liver, wheat germ, oranges and dates. If the person wants to just take a supplement, 25,000 IU of Vitamin A is recommended.

3. Two glasses of carrot juice should be taken daily for a few months.

4. Instill two drops of black holy basil (tulsi) juice into the eyes daily at bedtime.

5. Bilberry is a well-known herb for poor vision. It can be taken in the capsule form -one capsule thrice daily or 15-40 drops of the extract of the herb is taken in water or juice thrice daily.

6. Putting a few drops of castor oil (arandi) into  each eye and rubbing some on the top of the scalp before bath helps.