Better Eyesight - Grandpa's Tips

 When the doctor announced that I need glasses for short sightedness, I really cried. That was forty two years back.

Like any teenager, I really did not like to walk in classroom with thick glasses on (yes, the short sightedness was really bad). Moreover, it obstructs a lot of things when you play.

If you are reading this page, I believe, you are on the same boat. Many people may have offered a lot of advices to you. This or that vitamins, diet, eye exercises and all that. Please keep on following them religiously. What I am offering to you here will not contradict them. They are simple tips, maybe a little change in existing or making new habits and that's all. It won't take your time.

My grandpa was in village. At that time, they had to walk a lot. Bullock cart is a luxury. So, my daddy passed on his advice to me. Whenever you are walking, look at the the topmost point of the furthest tree which you can see clearly. Every day, we go for a walk or jog or simply sit on the porch. What? no trees around? Can you see any cloud in the sky? Just focus on topmost point of one edge of the furthest cloud.

Then my daddy had some of the advices of his own. We Indians wash our hands after the meal. His advice was, before wiping the hands with a dry towel, close your eyes and run wet fingers over eyelids. press lightly over the eyeballs while doing it. Do it several times from left to right. 

He had another advice too. If you are going from a dark place to properly illuminated place (or switching on the light), close your eyes for a moment then slowly open it. If I take the liberty of extending it further, we all spend good amount of time in front of computers. If we know that something is going to change the intensity of the screen (before starting any video or opening a page which will have very bright theme (specially, for those, who prefer to work on dark theme), then close the eyes and open them slowly.

Those, who are working on computer for longer hours, it is always better to wash the eyes frequently with cold water.

One of my college friends had another advice. If you are in a room, then look at a very small point of the wall or the door in front of you. Then fix the gaze on the point without flickering of eyelid. Eventually, tears gather in your eyes and they start flowing. Don't wipe them but keep on concentrating on that point.

So, I used to combine my grandpa and my friend's advice whenever I was commuting by public transport. During daytime, I used to look outside of the window, focus on the furthest tree, which would look stationary for few minutes even though the vehicle was moving so that I could see its topmost point. In the evening time, when darkness was all around, I used to look at the top corner of the compartment.

Regarding medicines, if you believe on it, then I would mention two medicines. One is 'Rose Water' and another is powder of three fruits which is called "Trifla" (meaning three fruits on Sanskrit). Both the things you may get from any Indian Grocery Store. "Rose water", one drop of it, you can directly apply on your each eye before sleeping. A word of caution is - it maybe a little painful initially but don't jump. After sometimes, it will be relaxing.

Regarding "Trifla", put one teaspoon of it in a cup of water and next day morning, first dip one eye at a time in that water and rotate your vision. After you finish with both the yes, then wash your eyes by splashing it directly.

So another article about eyesight? Come on. Try them and my grandpa will gracefully accept your appreciation.