I use to apply eye drops everyday. Not only am I a little weary of putting chemicals in my eyes, but a symptom like that tends to be an imbalance of a dosha. I may sound like a broken record when I emphasize exercising and eating healthy, so I’ll skip that part and move on to the other things you can do if you to suffer from dry or weak eyes.

As far as food, carrots are a go-to for improving vision. I have a friend who questioned if eating lots of carrots would prevent you from blacking-out. While the answer is surprisingly no, it may help to reduce red-eye after a night of drinking. Some other good foods are stewed apples and leafy greens. If you are looking for a gypsy potion, boil 1 tsp of fennel in 1 cup of water, continue boiling until reduced to half, sip when warm.

During your morning routine, fill your mouth with water, hold it for a few seconds and then spit out. Repeat 2-3 times. You can also try splashing your face with water 10-15 times to remove any impurities that have built up over night. This is also excellent after a long day.

Eye yoga! I first did eye yoga at Yogaville. Initially it was weird, but within seconds I knew it was powerful. Start by looking up, to the left, down, and to the right for two seconds each. Close your eyes for 6-8 seconds. Then open your eyes and slowly move your gaze in a clockwise direction three times. Switch directions. Repeat this for 2-3 rounds.

Palm rubbing is another great trick for when your eyes are bothering. Rub your hands together really fast for 10 seconds to build heat. Then place your palms gently over you closed eyes. Keep them on for one minute while taking deep breaths. If you work at a computer all day, this is good to do every 30 minutes.

Some other basics are to blink frequently when staring at screens, drink 8-10 glasses of water a day, avoid reading in dim or dark light (mom was right,) and keep air conditioners or heaters away from your face. Keep those eyes sparkling my friends.sc