Your eyes; the seat of your soul

Our eyes tell many non-verbal stories; we speak with our eyes without moving our lips.  Eyesight is one of the biggest blessings; having no eye problems is fantastic.  Yet, there are many people throughout the world, with eye problems; whether it be sight or something else.  Taking care of our eyes is extremely important; especially from a young age.  Today there are so many children glued to either a computer- or cell phone screen, or a television, that their eyes deteriorate far quicker.  Did you know that the eyes have to work far harder to stay in focus, when you are looking at one of the aforementioned screens for long hours? 

Just like the body needs to be stretched and relax after a workout, so too your eyes.  The muscles behind the eyes can also get tired, so here are a few tips that will help you to relax your eyes:

Rub your hands together until you create heat in-between.  Place the warm hand over your closed eyes and hold it there.  Taking slow, deep breathes in and out, relax and feel the heat warming your eyes.  You can keep it there for as long as you want or for as long as there is heat / warmth.

Close your eyes and “squeeze” them together (like you would a lemon), while taking a deep breath in.  You will notice colour and/or dots appearing.  While exhaling, relax your eyes but keep them closed.  Do this a few times – it is another easy way to relax the eyes, including the muscles. Using cucumber slices, a wet cloth or even an eye-mask, to help you relax your eyes.  The cold cucumber slices, for example, works well if your eyes are puffy. Another good tip is to often look up from your screen.  If you are sitting at a window, look outside and consciously relax your eyes.  If you are not sitting at a window, it doesn’t matter.  Just looking away and not “focusing” when you look away, is also helpful in relaxing your eyes.  Never rub your eyes!  It is dangerous not only for the eye itself, but also puts unnecessary pressure on the eye, the lens and the rest of the eye.

Eating the right food and/or adding supplements to your diet, is a great way to help the eyes stay nourished and in good working order.  Taurine, Quercetin, Lutein, vitamin A, Zinc, Bilberry extract, Grape seed extract and Lycopene, are all important.  Not to forget your antioxidant-vitamins A, C and E.  Carrots, leafy greens and other fruit and veg that contain these vitamins should be added to your daily diet.

Another good health tip, for keeping eyes healthy, is to look into the direction of the rising sun, with your eyes closed, for 10 – 15 minutes, as often as possible.  This not only stimulates the blood vessels and nerves, but also strengthens the eyes.  Taking care not to look directly at the sun when it is at its warmest, is safe.  However, there are a number of doctors who believe that, wearing of sunglasses every time you are outside, is not good.  For those using contact lenses, remember that your eyes need oxygen.  There are contact lenses on the market that claim to be “safe” to wear it even when you sleep!  However, oxygen cannot penetrate the eyes if there is something on it, literally.  Therefore, best to remove your contact lenses before going to bed.  And ladies, remember to remove your eye make-up as well!

Your eyes are a gift; just like it is a gift to be alive, healthy and able to see, hear, speak, walk and so on.  Be grateful for what you have and take care of it.  You only have one pair of eyes and only got one pair of eyes…so be thankful and keep it healthy and protected for as long as you can!