Home Remedies For Eye Strain

Eye strain is commonly due to reading in poor light or to uncorrected short sightedness. In this case the solution is quite straightforward — read in a good light, visit the optician to have your eyes tested and buy a decent pair of glasses. The symptoms of eye strain have become more common in recent years due to the introduction of the VDU. Here the following remedies may be of help.

Close the eyes: There are many times during the working day, speaking on the telephone for exam¬ple, when it is not necessary to watch the VDU screen. This provides an opportunity to rest the eyes whilst simultaneously bathing them in a soothing tear secretion. This can be done by simply closing the eyes. Depending on how much time is spent on the phone this simple suggestion can rest the eyes for one or two hours a day.

Tea: Tea is reported to be an excellent antidote for eye strain. Mrs Patricia O'Driscoll from London describes the method she favors: 'My remedy is cold or tepid tea from the bottom of a teapot, so it is really "stewed". Straining it into a bowl will filter out the tea leaves. Then bathe the eyes with it. Alternatively soak a pad and leave it over the eyes for half an hour or so securing it in place with a few twists of a crepe bandage. Freshly brewed tea is not as effective, so leave it in the pot between cups of tea and it gathers strength.' No doubt tepid teabags directly applied to the eye might have a similar effect.

Massage: It is inadvisable to rub sore tired eyes as they will then become swollen and red and drag the surrounding skin. Two types of simple massage can, however, be very restful as described by Jill Nice in her book Herbal Remedies. The first is palming: Tress the base of the palms of the hands gently but firmly over the closed eyes and maintain pressure for several minutes.' The second is finger massage: 'Using a little fine oil and the tops of three fingers stroke gently from the bridge of the nose out across the eyes beneath and above the brows several times.

With finger and thumb pinch the nose beneath the bridge and maintain the pressure for several seconds/