Summary:
Spectacles are temporary crutches that do not address basic health issues of the muscles in the eyes, by which we focus on distant as well as close objects. Yoga can be your invaluable bulwark against prescriptions for thicker and more complex lenses after each annual eye check-up.

Details or Sample:
It is commonly believed that children of parents who use spectacles are likely to have weak eyesight also. The truth is that the musculature inside the eyes is structured to allow unaided focus at lengths ranging from a few inches to infinity, for decades at least. The enumeration of the human genome may reveal one or more genes which make some of us vulnerable to declining eyesight quite early in life, but it is certain that poor lighting and habits such as reading in awkward postures also contribute to our having to take fresh prescriptions for new spectacles each year, of even sooner.

Eyesight may be affected by undetected or poorly managed hypertension or diabetes, and Yoga has no comprehensive remedies for these conditions and their effects. The eyes are naturally prone to conjunctivitis, which is also something for which Yoga is helpless. Glaucoma, cataract, and detached retina, are other common and serious medical disorders of the eye, which prohibit Yoga postures for the eyes. However, anyone who is less than a year away from a last ophthalmic examination, and whose eyes are not affected by any infection, can practice Yoga to stall and even reduce dependence on spectacles.

Yoga for the eyes can be disappointing because it can take months for a person to notice a difference. The exercises take around 25 minutes, and must be repeated twice a day. That could be asking too much, but anyone who persists with the routines is likely to spring surprises at the next visit to the optometrist-unpleasant for anyone keen to sell a new pair of spectacles, but great fun for those of us who would rather spend the money on other things!

Yoga for the eyes starts with palming, which the skeptical may say is more common sense than some ancient and secret ritual. The pay-off is that it works whether you credit Yoga for the idea, or have thought of it on your own. Palming requires that you sit- preferably facing the rising and the setting sun-and close your eyes, breathing normally. Now rub your palms briskly together until the friction generates some heat. Now place the warm palms on the closed eyes until the heat has passed away. Try to consciously relax the eye muscles. Repeat this 3 times, and then open the eyes. Be careful not to gaze directly at the sun. Traditionalists believe that it is best to do this exercise in between barefoot walks on fresh grass, but it is in order to compromise if you are an urban victim of the modern world of glass, bricks, steel, and concrete!

The next posture is to indulge in rapid blinking. Shut and open the eyelids rapidly 10 times, and then rest for a few moments with the eyes closed. Repeat such sets of rapid blinking 3 times. This exercise tones the eye muscles and facilitates natural blinking, which is integral to preserving normal eyesight.

The third set of exercises involves peripheral vision. Sit upright and stretch both arms outwards and sideways in straight lines. Close the fists and keep both thumbs pointing upwards. Adjust both arms so that the thumbs are barely visible at the corners of your range of vision. Now breathe in and stare at a fixed point in front of you. Now breathe out and shift your gaze to the left thumb, without moving your head. Breathe in again and shift your gaze to a point in between your eyebrows. Breathe out and fix your gaze on the right thumb, before breathing in again and you return your gaze to the point between your eyebrows. Repeat this cycle 10 times. It is important that the shifting gaze is executed by moving the eyes alone. The exercise will not work if the head moves at all. This exercise is strenuous and will require a few moments of palming afterwards to rest the eyes.

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Written by: Dr S Banerji
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Words: 1375