Are you wearing glasses because you have reduced vision from astigmatism? You are not alone! Refractive error (myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism) is the commonest cause of reversible vision loss worldwide.
The conventional treatment is of course glasses and contact lenses. More and more people are also opting for laser refractive surgery.
But do you really have to wear glasses or contact lenses or undergo surgery?
You might have heard stories of how some people have successfully ‘cured’ their astigmatism and no longer need to wear spectacles. Now I cannot say for sure if this truly occurred or not because I have not been able to examine these people before and after their miracle ‘cure’.
Nevertheless, a lot of my patients do ask me if there are there any natural therapies to alleviate eye strain and other symptoms of astigmatism?
Not everyone can tolerate wearing spectacles or contact lenses. There may be a variety of reasons for this, including eczema around the face and allergy to contact lens solutions.
Nevertheless, a lot of my patients do ask me if there are there any natural therapies to alleviate eye strain and other symptoms of astigmatism?
Of course there are!
You’ve come to the right place if you want to to find out more.
1. Healthy, well-balanced diet with plenty of antioxidants
This sounds very obvious, but has to be reinforced at the risk of sounding repetitive.
A healthy diet and lifestyle ensures a healthy body, which in turn is vital in maintaining your vision and eye health.
Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, especially those rich with antioxidants.
Fruits with high antioxidant content include Acai berries, chinese wolfberries (goji berries), bilberries, red grapes, plums, cherries, melons and citrus fruits.Vegetables with high antioxidant content include dark leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, collard), tomatoes, orange peppers, carrots and celery.
Make sure you achieve your daily recommended vitamin and mineral intake.
Drink plenty of water, filtered or purified if possible.
Avoid cigarette smoke and fumes.
The healthier your general health, the better your eyes will be able to function and cope with any visual problems from the astigmatism and refractive error.
2. Make sure you have enough rest and relaxation
It is amazing how many will ignore your eyes when they tell you that they are tired and fatigued.
When your eyes are tired, they can feel more dry and irritable. In addition, you may also experience frontal headaches. Your concentration falls and you become less effective and efficient at what you do.
Resting and relaxing the eye muscles will help to relieve the stress and strain in your eyes.
Eye relaxation techniques include blinking, palming, compress and massage.
3. Eye exercises
Eye exercises may help to relax the muscles around the eye and reduce eye strain. It is likely that imbalances in the tension of eye muscles pulling on the eyeball and in focusing light cause tiredness and strain in the eyes.
Exercises may help to correct this imbalance, particularly by relaxing the eye muscles that have become tense.
Relaxation of these tense and overworked muscles can help to relieve the symptoms of eye fatigue from uncorrected astigmatism.
Eye exercise techniques include the eye focusing exercise, swinging exercise and eye rolling exercise.
4. Eye acupressure
Eye acupressure involves massaging the major acupressure points that are beneficial to the eye. This is believed to correct any deficiencies in the nourishment of the eye. This also relaxes the eye and facial muscles, and relieves any eye strain and blurring of the vision from fatigue.
In children, stress and anxiety may aggravate and worsen symptoms of uncorrected refractive error. Acupressure can reduce the severity of the ailment by promoting relaxation and relieving anxiety.
Acupressure for the eye is designed to relieve or unblock any disruptions to chi flow to the eye. By correcting these deficiencies, it is hoped that balance within the eye environment will be restored.
The number and frequency of treatments required will depend on the severity of imbalance of the meridia related to the eye.
5. Herbal remedies for the eye
Herbal remedies and concoctions may be able to help by improving the overall general health, with a corresponding improvement in eye health.
The therapeutic effect comes from natural biochemicals, including antioxidants, contained within the herbs themselves.
Beneficial herbs and extracts include bilberry, curcumin, gentian root, grapeseed extract, ginkgo biloba, and pine bark extract (pycnogenol). For the best results and outcomes from the mixing and preparations of these herbs, it is best to visit a qualified herbalist for a consultation.
Rose water has also been touted by some complementary therapists as having a positive effect on relieving symptoms of refractive error in tired eyes. It may provide a lubricating and soothing effect to the eye, although no clinical evidence has been found to suggest that rose water is better compared to the more conventional lubricating eye drops.
As with anything to do with the eyes, please take the necessary precautions (handwashing and storage in clean conditions) to prevent infection.
6. Homeopathic remedies
Some homeopathic remedies may be able to alleviate the symptoms of refractive error and astigmatism. These include:
Lilium tigrinum: Useful in astigmatism. A person needing lilium tigrinum often experiences pain extending to the back of the head and blurry vision. It may help to restore power to the weak ciliary muscle.
Physostigma: This is beneficial for those who are experiencing face and eye spasms, and pain over the eye sockets especially when lifting the eyelids. A person requiring physostigma may feel spinal irritation and generalized muscle tension.
Ruta graveolens: Beneficial for those in whom the vision feels dimmed. A person requiring ruta graveolens often feels weak and tired, and has eyes that burn and feel hot.
Apis mellifica: Helpful for those with incorrectly aligned eyes or stiffness. A person requiring apis mellifica often experiences a heavy sensation at the back of the head and vertigo when sneezing.
7. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for the eye
In TCM, most eye diseases are due to deficiencies in the liver, spleen, and stomach meridia.
Traditional herbal remedies are combined with acupuncture to address these imbalances. The formulations of herbs and chi correction points depend upon the cause of the imbalance.
It is important to consult a certified TCM practitioner before embarking on a course of TCM treatments.
Acupuncture points for the eye include: Bladder 1, Bladder 2, Gallbladder 1, Gall Bladder 37, Stomach 1, Stomach 36, Liver 4, Kidney 3, Spleen 6, Triple Warmer 6 and Conception Vessel 4.
