Our eyes are the window to the world and help us to see beauty all around us. It is very important to take good care of your eyes. There are many problems that could affect our eyes and one of those is dry eye syndrome. It is a condition when not enough tears are produced thus preventing the lubrication of the eyes. For a healthy eye and clear vision, tears are important. When the eyes are dry, it becomes very uncomfortable and one becomes very sensitive to bright light. Eyes become inflamed and red. The most common treatment is to use eye drops that help lubricate the eyes. Acupuncture can be used to treat the root cause of dry eyes. There are many patients used acupuncture to gain positive results with dry eye condition.
How Can Acupuncture Treat Dry Eyes?
The condition of dry eyes is most common among older people as well as post-menopausal women. Dry eye can be related to a dysfunction of the tear gland. Dry eye can cause blurry vision. By pricking certain points around the eyes and on the hands and feet with fine needles, tears are increased and tear film break-up is reduced and this helps prevent ocular damage. The success rate of those patients who have had acupuncture along with the administration of eye drops is much higher than those patients who use only eye drops. Traditional Chinese Medicine believes that dry eyes are caused by an imbalance of Yin and Yang of the internal organs of the body as well as excess heat. By nourishing Yin and facilitating Qi movement, dry eye and blurry vision can be improved quickly.
What Factors that Cause Dry Eyes?
The factors that contribute to this syndrome are the prolonged use of computers and cellphones. People spend longer hours looking at the screens of their computers and smart phones causing the tightening of eye muscles and the constriction of the blood vessels around the eyes. Dehydration is another cause. Eye drops used to lower eye pressure tend to reduce the circulation of fluid around the eye area and this again could lead to dryness. People who have undergone laser eye surgery tend to complain of dryness of the eyes. Another cause of dryness of the eyes is when tear glands are under stress; thick fluids that cause dryness are secreted instead of the secretion of moisturizing fluids. Dry eyes can be corrected with acupuncture and life style changes in a relatively short period of the time.
Effective treatment for dry eyes:
Dry eyes can be fixed with the help of regular acupuncture sessions for a few months. Reducing the time spent in front of the computer or other gadgets and spending time outdoors can be helpful. By relaxing the eye muscles and improving the tear gland function, dryness can be alleviated. Acupressure around the eyes is an easy and quick self-healing technique for the dry eye. Consumption of fresh lemon water and chrysanthemum tea also helps treat dry eye.
Li Zheng is a licensed acupuncturist and herbalist and a graduate of the Beijing University of Chinese Medicine with 11 years of formal training, including 6 years of residency. She holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the US and is a Harvard Medical School-trained researcher and a professor at the New England School of Acupuncture. Her two practices are located in Needham, MA and Boca Raton, FL. She has 26 years of clinical experience. Here she is sharing the information about Dry Eye Syndrome. You can visit our website to consult her http://bostonchineseacupuncture.org/