As we know the eyes are one of our five senses and should be cared for each day as part of our Dinacharya (daily routine).
We care for our eyes each morning by splashing cool water into them. This helps clear our overnight gunk and cools the eyes. Eyes are an organ of pitta. They tend toward heat and are constantly working (more heat). They are also often asked to work in front of bright, light things (computers and devices), which creates more heat.
We can see where an aggravation of pitta in the eyes is easy. Keep them cool. Splash that cool water daily. You may also use a rose hydrosol to spray in the eyes in the morning and throughout the day (pure hydrosol: NOT alcohol based and NO essential oils in or near your eyes). Rose hydrosol is really nice to keep by your computer. This is our basic baseline, everyday Self Care.
Sometimes, we need a little extra care. Dry eyes. This could be wintery dry eyes or post corrective eye surgery dryness. If post surgery, your eyes must be completely, completely, completely healed before managing dry eyes with the following. Check in with your eye doctor first. If in doubt, wait several months before adding oil to your eyes. Use the suggested eye drops from your doctor in the meantime.
A nice nourisher for your eyes is a drop of ghee in each eye right before bed. You may keep a dropper by your bedside or a small jar. Keep your ghee clean and sterile. The ghee nourishes your eyes overnight and you may find that you no longer need saline eye drops during the day. Of note: be sure to do this at night as the oily ghee will blur your vision and make your eyes sensitive to light. Be kind to your eyes.
Recap: daily splash of water, rose water for overused eyes throughout the day, and ghee drops before bed for dry eyes. Happy Self Care.
Trillium Ayurveda 