Visual challenges are so common they are hardly considered abnormal. Whether we are discussing life-long challenges or the need for reading glasses after the age of 45, few people escape this life without a need for visual support. Ayurveda for clear vision–the sadhana or regular routines to support eyesight–offers powerful practices.
Normal healthy vision is considered to be 20/20. This means that at twenty feet away from an object, you see it as well as most people should when they are twenty feet from the same object. Compare this to 20/40. This means that at twenty feet, you see the object the same way as someone else would when they are forty feet away. The second number rises as your vision becomes less acute. If your vision reaches 20/200, you are considered legally blind. You can still see, but an object must come practically right up to your face before it becomes clear.
Some people have vision that is better than the so-called normal. As I was growing up, my own vision was 20/10 meaning that at twenty feet, I would see what others could only see at ten feet. Still, this is nothing compared to a hawk who flies through the air in search of prey. A hawk’s vision is closer to 20/2!
If a person is farsighted, that person can easily see what is off in the distance but has difficultly focusing on objects that are up close. If a person is nearsighted, that person can clearly see objects up close but everything far away is blurry. These refractive disorders are typicaly due either to defects in the shape of the eyeball or the cornea. Corrective lenses are used to compensate and restore normal vision.
Another common visual impairment is presbyopia. This is the common experience that can occur as people age when the ability to see objects clearly at close range is diminished. It is a type of farsightedness but appears to occur due either to a loss of elasticity of eye lense or a weakeness in the muscles that change the shape of the lens to accommodate near vision.
The last major refractive impairment is astigmatism when there are irregularities in the shape of the cornea causing a loss of the ability to see fine details either up close or far away.
Other non-refractive visual disorders that are fairly common include glaucoma, cataracts and macular degeneration. Glaucoma is a condition of is optic nerve damage (the nerve that carries visual signals to the brain). Most often this is associated with an increase in pressure inside the eye; the cause of the increased pressure is unknown. A cataract is a lens in the eye that has become cloudy obscuring vision. Age-related macular degeneration is the last of the common visual disorders where there is a loss of central vision. The object a person is looking at is blurry while the surroundings are clear. This condition often progresses with age (typically above age forty) and the macula either thins with age or is damaged by an increased proliferation of blood vessels growing behind it.
One of the most common eye disorders does not alter vision. This is conjunctivitis. Due to irritants, allergens or infections, the thin covering of the eye, called the conjunctiva, becomes red and inflamed.
While the cause of conjunctivitis can often be identified (such as an infectious agent), the causative factors of the other visual disorders are not clear. Yet there appear to be a combination of factors at play both genetic and environmental. Environmental influences may include nutrition and dietary factors, environmental toxins and considerations related to eye strain such as reading habits, including reading in low light conditions.
The Eye from an Ayurvedic and Yogic Perspective
The eye is a receptive organ that takes in impressions from the environment. This is a function of vata dosha. The specific subdosha is called prana vayu. It is responsable for drawing your attention to what you are looking it at and bringing the image to your eye. Once it arrives, the image must be digested into information the brain can understand. This digestion is function of pitta dosha. The specific subdosha of pitta responsible for this is alochaka pitta; it resides with in the retina where the light that shines through the pupil is directed. Once digested, that information is passed along the optic nerve under the direction of samana vayu to the occipital region of the brain.
While the nervous system is processing data, the manas (mind) is the vehicle through which the information is witnessed and understood. It is the role of the buddhi (intellect) to make sense of the visual impression. All of this takes place with the sukma sharira or subtle body.
The eyes are also the orifice of the ajna chakra. This close relationhip between the physical and astral eye reveals the connection of the mind and body. An important function of ajna chakra is self-perception. As a result of the mind-body connection, one cause of distorted vision is distorted self-perception. However, this is not the only cause. Visual distortion can be related to imbalances in any of the three doshas. As the imbalanced dosha settles in the tissues of the eye, pathology can develop.
An imbalance of vata is the cause of most refractive errors regardless of whether near or far-sightedness or astigmatism. Age-related macular degeneration is a complication of long-standing vata imbalance. Factors that cause eye tension also disturb the vata dosha and eye strain itself a contributing factor to many eye conditions. Vitation of the pitta dosha can result in inflammation in the tissues of the eye including conjunctivities, scleritis and other red and irritated conditions. An imbalance of the kapha dosha can increase obstruction to the flow of visual images and is responsible for glaucoma and cataracts.
The Sadhana of Clear Vision
The sadhana of clear vision describes the practices that keep your eyes healthy and your vision clear. These practices relax, nourish and cleanse your eyes. If your eyes are already out of balance, these practices give your body the best chance of restoring clarity naturally. To be most effective, these practices should become a part of your general routine.
Eye Washes
Eye washes are simple to perform. An eye cup can be purchased at most drug stores and at the offices of your local ayurvedic practitioner. The cup should be filled with a dilute herbal solution that is well-strained after preparation so as not to have any herbal powder or particles in the liquid. The most common solutions are prepared from triphala, chrysanthemum or rose. All three of these reduce inflammation and infections in the eye and regulate alochaka pitta. By regulating alochaka pitta, information is properly digested and can then be accurately transmitted via the optic nerve to the brain creating a clearer image. All three herbal preparations also reduce kapha dosha supporting the prevention and treatment of cataracts and glaucoma.
Ghee Eye Bath
Ayurvedic practitioners often place ghee in the eye to reduce vata dosha. Ghee soothes a dry, irritated eye and nourishes all of its tissues. Herbs can be prepared in the ghee to enhance its benefits and this type of medicated ghee can be obtained from a Ayurvedic herbalist. A tiny amount can be placed on the finger and then applied to the lower lid of the eye. You should then blink four to five times and lay down. Your vision maybe blurry for some time after the application so it is best to do an application of ghee before bed or when you have some time to allow the vision to return to normal. Many practitioners perform a more dramatic applicaton of ghee to the eye in a process called netra basti. Ghee applied inside the eyes brings nourishment and softness to the structures within the eye preventing disorders of a vata nature and may even help prevent presbyopia. While the Ayurvedic texts mention ghee, for people who are vegan, any cool nourishing oil such as coconut should be satisfactory.
Eye Exercises
The muscles of the eye are responsible for shaping the lens and also dilating and contracting the pupil allowing differing amount of light into the eye through a process known as accomodation. Eye exercises tone these muscles preventing the weaknesses and muscular imbalances that can result in refractive errors. Eye exercises are easy to do and should be practiced daily. Simply sit with your eyes open and keep your head straight. Now move the eye ball to the right and then to the left. Move it up and then move it down. Move up and to the right and then down and to the left. Then move it up and to the left and then down and to the right. Finally, move it circles rotating right and then left. Each of these movements should occur very slowly and should be repeated 10 times before progressing on to the next motion. In order to exercise the muscles of accommodation, look at a fixed object far away and then a point about one to two feet in front of your face. Allow your vision to adjust until each object is as clear as it can be. Exercise each eye individually as you cover the opposite eye. This too should be repeated at least 10 times. You can build up the number of repetitions as you practice.
Palming
Palming is a technique of deeply relaxing the eyes using the heat that builds up in your hands as you rub them vigorously together. Once the hands are nice and warm, place your cupped palms over the eyes without applying any pressure to the eye ball. Rest and relax for 30 seconds and then repeat. Palming can be done anytime to relax the eye but is especially useful at the end of your eye exercise routine. Palming helps relax the muscles that shape your lens, improves circulation to the tissues of your eye and may help improve all refractive disorders if practiced regularly.
Blinking
When the muscles of the eye are tense due to straining to see or due to mental tension, a person’s vision is likely to become impaired. Most of the practices noted above help to keep the structures of the eye relaxed. A simple practice to relax the eye is to blink more often, especially when reading, working on the computer, or watching TV. Staring at a book or screen dries the eyes and causes eye strain. Blinking relaxes the eyes and helps to keep them moist reducing the strain on the internal eye muscles. The Ayurvedic sadhana of clear vision is more than taking care of the eye. The eye is one part of a greater whole. The health of the eyes is dependent on a proper diet and healthy digestion as well as a calm, clear and relaxed mind.
Marc Halpern is the founder and director of the California College of Ayurveda and co-founder of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He is also a yogi in the lineage of Swami Sivananda and the author of the book Healing Your Life, published by Lotus Press.