Eyes

What do your eyes say about your health?

Your eyes are the window to your soul which I have to say that both Islamic and Chinese traditions agree on. From an Islamic perspective, when the person dies, we believe that the eyes are following the soul as it is being taken. If I am wrong Muslims, please feel free to correct me.

However, it is also my window to what is going on in your health too. According to tradition, the eyes relate to the internal organs. In Chinese medicine, each part of the eye is associated with a particular element and corresponding organ. The iris is represented by the Liver. The Heart relates to the corners of the eyes or the canthi, the upper and lower eyelids correspond to the Spleen, the conjunctiva the Lung, and the pupil the Kidneys.

In TICM, there are six environmental and external pathogens that may lead to difficulties with your vision.

Below are the pathogens that can affect your eyes:

- Cold – will yield pain and slow vision loss over time, as in chronic degenerative conditions such as macular degeneration and glaucoma.

- Heat – leads to swelling, inflammation, and the redness commonly found in many eye diseases such as conjunctivitis.

- Dampness – causes secretion of mucous, and swelling.

- Dryness – results in dry itchy eyes and redness.

- Summer Heat – Inflammation and mucous discharge

- Wind – results in the sudden and dramatic onset of vision loss.