Health for All says
In recent years, it has been widely circulated on the Internet that frequent eye rubbing can lead to retinal detachment and eye blindness, causing concern and panic among many people. As an experienced TCM practitioner, I think it is necessary to interpret this issue from a scientific perspective and introduce you to some TCM theories and ancient and modern prescriptions to help you better protect your eye health.
First, we need to understand the structure and function of the eye. The eye is a very important organ in the human body, which is mainly composed of the cornea, iris, lens, retina and other parts. Among them, the retina is a light receptor that has the function of receiving light and converting it into nerve signals. When rubbing the eyes, we are actually applying an external force to stimulate the eyeballs, so this statement seems to have some plausibility.
However, in fact, rubbing the eyes does not directly cause retinal detachment, let alone blindness. Retinal detachment is a serious eye disease that is mainly caused by injuries to the eye, fluid exudation from the eye, retinal detachment, etc. Frequent eye rubbing may cause uncomfortable symptoms such as eye fatigue and increased intraocular pressure, but it will not directly cause retinal detachment.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that rubbing the eyes can help stimulate the acupuncture points in the eyes to a certain extent, promote blood circulation and qi and blood circulation in the eyes, thereby improving eye fatigue and relieving eye pain. However, excessive eye rubbing is also not advisable. According to the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, the eyes belong to the wood system, and if the eyes are rubbed too hard, it may lead to pathological changes such as stagnation of wood qi, qi stagnation and blood stasis, thus affecting the normal function of the eyes.
So, how do you properly protect your eye health?
First of all, it is very important to maintain good eye Xi. Staring at electronic screens such as computers and mobile phones for a long time can easily lead to eye fatigue and dryness. Therefore, we should do regular eye relaxation exercises, stay away from electronic devices, shift our eyes, arrange our eye time reasonably, and get enough sleep.
Second, pay attention to diet. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that autumn and winter are the most fragile period for the eyes, and they are prone to symptoms such as dry eyes and decreased vision. Therefore, we can appropriately consume more foods that have eye benefits, such as carrots, fungus, black beans, etc., and avoid spicy and irritating foods.
In addition, an eye massage is also an effective way to take care of your eyes. There is an old saying in traditional Chinese medicine: "Walk a hundred steps, cover your eyes with both hands", which illustrates the effect of eye massage on eye blood circulation. We can use the palms of our hands to gently massage the temples, between the eyebrows, around the eyes and other areas for a few minutes a day, which can help relieve eye fatigue.
Finally, if you have symptoms of eye discomfort, it is best to seek medical attention in time and receive a diagnosis from a professional doctor. To protect our eye health, we should develop good Xi, follow the doctor's advice, and maintain a positive and optimistic attitude.
Through the above introduction, we can conclude that rubbing the eyes often does not directly lead to retinal detachment and blindness, but is a bad eye Xi. Proper eye care methods, including proper eye use, diet and eye massage, can help us protect our eye health and prevent the occurrence of eye diseases.
Health References:
1. zhao, j., pan, x., zhang, x. (2019). the effect of eye rubbing on corneal biomechanical properties and intraocular pressure measurement. journal of refractive surgery (thorofare, n.j. :1995), 35(5), 328–333. 3928/1081597x-20190402-01