Everywhere one looks there’s some source of artificial light staring at them, so it’s not uncommon for the eyes to get stressed. It might be because you work a 9-to-5 job in front of a computer, you love your television set or have a habit of reading in bad light, but there are numerous ways in which you can strain and exhaust the eyes. However, instead of using cosmetics to cover up the damage or to cool them down, one can find remedies in their house that won’t have any adverse effects.
People in the IT field spend hours in front of their computers and feel this strain, which is why they have come up with ways to unwind their shutters. Swethashree Paramesh, who sits in front of a computer for nearly 8 hours a day because of her job, says that her eyes would get stressed out by the end of the day. “Whenever I feel this way, I close my eyes and rub my palms together to warm them and press the warm palms on my eyes for a few seconds. After I do it 2 to 3 times, I feel better and can get back to working with renewed energy.” This, for her, is instant relief but if the stress builds up too much and her eyes start to hurt, she places a wet cloth or ripe banana peels on them before going to bed. “I wake up feeling better,” she says.
To add to the strain of working all day, people also tend to come home and stare at their phones, laptops or televisions for long durations. Most experts advice that this not be done as the eyes need a break. Usha Ananth, who studied a course on applied botany in college, learnt the benefits of using natural ingredients over cosmetics and relies on such methods all the time. “We did a brief study on different medicinal systems like homeopathy, ayurveda, unani, siddha and allopathy and I found the ones that used medicinal plants more attractive and effective. Even my grandmother used to use banana peels to relax her eyes,” she says. Other methods she suggests include applying sandalwood paste on the forehead as it has cooling properties, face packs made from ‘besan’, milk cream, curd, lemon juice and turmeric, multani mitti pack with rose water and more. She mentions that relaxing her body as a whole is more important than just calming one part, which is why she has various remedies.
Surobhi Banerjee, who enjoys writing, instinctively takes to her laptop whenever she has a moment to spare. And since she wears glasses, she says that her eyes are always stressed out. “Bright lights and driving in the night also affect the eyes. This is why I’ve found that soaked green tea bags do wonders for me,” she adds.
There are people from various professions who spend hours in front of bright lights but most tend to ignore the discomfort as it is slight. But in the long run, not addressing these problems only leads to more. An entrepreneur who is into corporate branding, Khushboo Gupta spends a lot of time designing on her laptop. She learnt a remedy for her eyes from her elder sisters, which isn’t unusual; many people use remedies that have been passed down through the generations. “I use rose water,” she says.