any advice for injured eyes

[SolarMother]

I have injured my eyes, or call it severe eye strain from reading so much online...especially on the forum.
I am going to have to really cut down on online reading. This is the second time this has occurred, so this time around it is far worse. the first time i did not let myself read anything (even printed matter) for a week. this time i waited a week, and i can tell my eyes are not healed...so i will check for any replies, but that is about all i can do for now. bummer

 

[Buddy]

Hi SolarMother.

More Information on Eye Strain
Simple Solutions to Relieve Eye Strain

* Close your eyes for a few minutes to ease the strain, this is a commonly overlooked home remedy for eye strain.
* Practice eye exercises such as blinking or rolling your eyes - blinking moistens the eyes and relieves tight eye muscles
* Take regular breaks to relax eye muscle - occasionally look away from the monitor and focus on a distant object for a few seconds to give your eyes a rest.
* Turn up the contrast on your computer screen to minimize eye strain
* Another home remedy for eye strain is to position your computer screen out of the direct glare of the sunlight and use a glare filter on the screen
* Computer monitors and television screens should be positioned at eye level so that you can look down towards it
* When reading, hold your book at least 30 to 40 cm away from your eyes
* Wear sunglasses when driving or outdoors because the ultraviolet rays of the sun can cause you to squint
* Wear a sunhat or baseball cap when outside in the sun to reduce glaring and squinting
* While watching television, the lighting of the room should be about 50% dimmer than the screen
* Avoid watching television at an angle or in darkness
* Another home remedy for eye strain consists of sufficient intake of nutritional supplements such as Vitamin A and beta carotene which are good for your eyes and reduce the risk of eye strain
Source: _http://www.nativeremedies.com/ailment/eye-strain-symptoms.html

 

[mada85]

In Chinese medicine, it is said that the liver opens into the eyes, so to strengthen your eyes, you may like to look into ways of strengthening your liver. I find milk thistle to be helpful, I take one capsule morning and evening. Saturated fats are good for the liver, too. Are you getting enough good quality fats in your diet? In case you haven't seen it yet, you may like to have a look at this post of Laura's. While the article she quoted was mainly written to advise people on getting rid of abdominal fat in middle-age, its information is relevant to all of us. The section about the liver follows:

3) Improved liver health

Adding saturated fat to the diet has been shown in medical research to encourage the liver cells to dump their fat content. Clearing fat from the liver is the critical first step to calling a halt to middle-body fat storage. Additionally, saturated fat has been shown to protect the liver from the toxic insults of alcohol and medications, including acetaminophen and other drugs commonly used for pain and arthritis, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs, and even to reverse the damage once it has occurred. Since the liver is the lynchpin of a healthy metabolism, anything that is good for the liver is good for getting rid of fat in the middle. Polyunsaturated vegetable fats do not offer this protection.

And to give you a taste of the Chinese approach, here's a quote from _http://www.life-enthusiast.com/index/Concerns/Liver

The liver expresses itself through the eyes. Red, inflamed conjunctiva and sclera, watery, painful, feeling of sand in the eyes, blurred misty vision, film over the eyeballs and guck in the corners are all signs of liver imbalance. The amount of life and vitality that the eyes reflect is a very good indication of liver health. A dull, listless, unfocused or tired look signifies problems. Peace, compassion, love, mirth and joy are states of being that the eyes convey when the liver is healthy.

You could also have a look at anti-glare glasses, like these on UK eBay: _http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ComSafe-Vision-Computer-anti-glare-glasses-25-/310212962867?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_VisionGlasses_Lenses_SM
I haven't tried them myself, even though I have a similar problem to you from a lot of time spent on the computer monitor.

 

[SolarMother]

thank you Bud...
I have been doing all that is suggested on that list, except for a screen for the computer screen--- and I don't have a TV, so I can relax about that one...nothing is helping so far.
it just feels like a real severe eye injury...i have wondered if it is an attack of some kind.

In Chinese medicine, it is said that the liver opens into the eyes, so to strengthen your eyes, you may like to look into ways of strengthening your liver. I find milk thistle to be helpful, I take one capsule morning and evening. Saturated fats are good for the liver, too. Are you getting enough good quality fats in your diet? In case you haven't seen it yet, you may like to have a look at this post of Laura's. While the article she quoted was mainly written to advise people on getting rid of abdominal fat in middle-age, its information is relevant to all of us. The section about the liver follows:

3) Improved liver health

Adding saturated fat to the diet has been shown in medical research to encourage the liver cells to dump their fat content. Clearing fat from the liver is the critical first step to calling a halt to middle-body fat storage. Additionally, saturated fat has been shown to protect the liver from the toxic insults of alcohol and medications, including acetaminophen and other drugs commonly used for pain and arthritis, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs, and even to reverse the damage once it has occurred. Since the liver is the lynchpin of a healthy metabolism, anything that is good for the liver is good for getting rid of fat in the middle. Polyunsaturated vegetable fats do not offer this protection.

And to give you a taste of the Chinese approach, here's a quote from _http://www.life-enthusiast.com/index/Concerns/Liver

The liver expresses itself through the eyes. Red, inflamed conjunctiva and sclera, watery, painful, feeling of sand in the eyes, blurred misty vision, film over the eyeballs and guck in the corners are all signs of liver imbalance. The amount of life and vitality that the eyes reflect is a very good indication of liver health. A dull, listless, unfocused or tired look signifies problems. Peace, compassion, love, mirth and joy are states of being that the eyes convey when the liver is healthy.

You could also have a look at anti-glare glasses, like these on UK eBay: _http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ComSafe-Vision-Computer-anti-glare-glasses-25-/310212962867?pt=UK_Health_Beauty_VisionGlasses_Lenses_SM
I haven't tried them myself, even though I have a similar problem to you from a lot of time spent on the computer monitor.

thank you life enthusiast--i will look into all of this. another detox is on the menu!

 

[Laura]

I've had similar problems: blepharitis. Scrub your eyes twice a day with hot water and baby shampoo.

 

[FireShadow]

Sometimes I lie back with a couple of cucumber slices over my closed eyes - it is cooling and relaxing.

Also good is a tea made with Eyebright (1 teaspoon herb to 1 cup water), strained and cooled. Wet a cotton ball with the cool tea and lie back with it over your closed eyes. Also good for a sty - my husband had one some years ago that we used the Eyebright to cure.

 

[SolarMother]

thank you ALL: Bud, Endymion, Laura and FireShadow.

 

[mada85]

Something else that is easy to do, and you might find helpful, is palming. You can read about it and see instructional photos here. Here's the basic method:

To palm is to cover your closed eyes with your hands in such a way that there is no pressure on your eyeballs. The palms of your hands are slightly cupped over each eye (left over left and right over right), and usually the fingers are partly interlaced on your forehead. Close up of Bates student palming, using cushions to support her arms

There should be no light, or as little as possible, allowed to enter the eye. Once you are palming, open your eyes and look around to see if you can adjust your hands in such a way as to exclude as much light as possible. Close your eyes.

I find that having excluded all ight (as far as possible) it is really relaxing to open my eyes and gaze into darkness until all after-images have dissipated.

 

[Lilou]

Solar Mother, do you wear glasses? Or do you wear glasses just to read? I did sneak a peak at your age on your profile, so most likely, you do need some form of glasses to read. If you are suffering from severe eye strain, apart from some of the suggestions made here, you may have an uncorrected astigmatism. If you are using over the counter reading glasses, any astigmatism is uncorrected, so the blur is just magnified!

Astigmatism, while not affecting the appearance of large objects much, it is very apparent with the written word. It can cause severe eye strain and headaches. So you may simply need a new eye exam. In addition, if you are far sighted, the amount of that far sightedness creeps up as we age, so you may be using too low of magnification to read, and perhaps by a large amount. Hence, severe eye strain after reading only a short time.

So my suggestion is a new eye exam first. I would say "eye strain" is the number one complaint I hear from people coming to me for new glasses. Another tip, go for your eye exam in the morning - you get a better exam when the doctor is fresh. ;)

 

[SolarMother]

Solar Mother, do you wear glasses? Or do you wear glasses just to read? I did sneak a peak at your age on your profile, so most likely, you do need some form of glasses to read. If you are suffering from severe eye strain, apart from some of the suggestions made here, you may have an uncorrected astigmatism. If you are using over the counter reading glasses, any astigmatism is uncorrected, so the blur is just magnified!

Astigmatism, while not affecting the appearance of large objects much, it is very apparent with the written word. It can cause severe eye strain and headaches. So you may simply need a new eye exam. In addition, if you are far sighted, the amount of that far sightedness creeps up as we age, so you may be using too low of magnification to read, and perhaps by a large amount. Hence, severe eye strain after reading only a short time.

So my suggestion is a new eye exam first. I would say "eye strain" is the number one complaint I hear from people coming to me for new glasses. Another tip, go for your eye exam in the morning - you get a better exam when the doctor is fresh. ;)

Appreciate your input, ''eye girl!" I am near-sighted, and have had glasses for that, but never could wear them for long...hurt my eyes!!
I've never had trouble reading online or seeing close-up before, but like you said, it could be an age thing and an astigmatism. I don't wear any glasses for reading, but will seriously consider your advice about seeing an eye Dr. and look into that. Thank you! Take care.

 

[Laura]

Just to toss into the mix: my eyes were perfect for years and years. When I hit 44, they went kaflooey fast. Seems that it was part of the onset of the severest of my rheumatoid arthritis symptoms AND menopause began. It was not a fun time. Now, I wear glasses for reading anything close but I can see the computer quite well at about 36 inches away. I wear a pair of half-glasses around my neck in case I need to look at anything close.

 

[Laura]

LOL! I was just on my FB page and there is actually a close-up of one of my eyes!

 

[Lilou]

I am near-sighted, and have had glasses for that, but never could wear them for long...hurt my eyes!!

That could mean you were a bit overcorrected, making focusing more difficult close up.

I've never had trouble reading online or seeing close-up before...

SolarMother, if you're near sighted, but you don't wear the glasses, it is likely a small amount. In that case, the amount you have in reserve for reading, is probably not enough to magnify small print for very long. And since you are reading a lot more these days....I'd say the dreaded bifocals or even trifocals...will solve your eye strain. I know it sucks, and I'm trying to hold off getting them myself!

When I get brave enough, I'm gonna try 25% DMSO in saline drops in the eye. Maybe that'll keep the lense of the eye flexible and able to continue focusing close up. And with any luck, keep cataracts away as well!

I'd say, get to an eye doc stat, and get some specs. You'll be able to enjoy the forum much more!

 

[Lilou]

Just to toss into the mix: my eyes were perfect for years and years. When I hit 44, they went kaflooey fast. Seems that it was part of the onset of the severest of my rheumatoid arthritis symptoms AND menopause began. It was not a fun time. Now, I wear glasses for reading anything close but I can see the computer quite well at about 36 inches away. I wear a pair of half-glasses around my neck in case I need to look at anything close.

I'd say the RA, along with hormone changes, contributed to the rapid onset of presbyopia (needing readers), but at least you still see well at distance! And 36 inches is considered distance. How do you reach the key board? LOL

Laura, are you using 25% DMSO/saline drops in your eyes? Have you noticed any improvement in your ability to focus? I've been a bit chicken to try it, but if it'll keep me out of bifocals...I'm ready to start right away! I wish there were more studies available on this. Morton didn't say much in his book.

And btw, your eyes are a beautiful shade of green! I never noticed how green they were in other photos.

 

[Gimpy]

Hi Solarmother. :)

I wear wrap around sunglasses like these: http://www.sunglasswarehouse.com/fit-over-sunglasses.html?gclid=CMiy4MPY3aMCFaTY5wodmSh4aA

I don't wear contacts, and these fit right over my glasses. When my eyes are hurting, I'll wear them inside, and have even worn them in to watch movies on the big screen a time or two. ;D

The only thing I can add to the list of good advice is to make sure you drink plenty of fluids, and get as much rest as you can. When my eyes act up too much I get a cool cloth and put it over my eyes and stay in a darkened room. That helps a lot. There are nights that I sleep with a mask over my eyes, just to shut out all light. It gives your body time to heal things.


Hope things get better soon!