Analysis of common causative factors of eye diseases mentioned in Ayurveda classical text with respect to present era.

1. By Dr Champavathi P
II year PG Scholar Department of Shalakya tantra
G.A.M.C Bengaluru

3. सप्तविधेव्याधािुपनिपनत ।तध्यता आदिबल
प्रिृत्ााः, जन्मबलप्र्िृत्ााः, िॊषबल प्रिृत्ााः,
संघातबल प्रिृत्ााः, कालबल प्रिृत्ात्ाः,
िैिबलप्रिृत्ाः, स्िभािबल प्रिृत्ााः इनत ।
(Su su 24/4)

4.  Due to defects in shukra and shonitha.
 Hereditary disorders ( kulaja )
Ex : Nightblindness (Nakthandhya), albinism.

5.  These are congenital disorders caused because of Rasa and Dauhrida apachara
kruta.
Ex : Jathyanda, microcornea/megalocornea, Keratoconus, congenital myopia,
hypermetropia, congenital cataract, ptosis, dacryocystitis.

6.  Improper ahara and vihara causing vitation of dosha either in amashaya/pakvashaya.
 Ahara like ushna, katu and kshara ati sevana.
 Vihara :
Atiyoga Aayoga Mityayoga
Looking in to
Completely
illuminating and bright
avoiding the vision
objects.
Looking into
very near/
distant objects.

7. These are traumatic disease due to trauma/bite of animals/birds.
Shastrskrutha (instrumental injuries)
Ex : stab injuries, abrasions.
Vyalakrutha (animated injuries)
Ex : bite of insects, irritation with animal hairs etc
 Probable disease : chakshu vibhrama, astigmatisn.
Injury to avarta and apanga
marma causes andhyatva and drusti
upagata.

8.  Seasonal eye diseases are produced due to change in the climatic conditions.
 Avyapanna ruthu – diseases arising due to prakruta rutu.
Ex: spring catarrah.
 Vyapanna ruthu - diseases due to vaikrutha rutu.
Ex: Abhishyandana

9.  Diseases arising due to observing bright light/graha/devata.
 These diseases are produced due to microbes.
Ex: Timira, herpis keratitis.

10.  Age related degenerative changes.
 1.Kalaja – Normal changes by age.
Ex: Pressbiopia, senile cataract,
arcus senilis. ARMD.
 2.Akalaja - Earlier changes due to pathology.
Ex: Cataract in adult(diabetic cataract), visual problem in children

12. उष्णाभभतप्तस्य जलप्रिेशाद् रेक्षणात ्स्िप्िविपययााच |
प्रसक्त संरोिि कोप शोक क्लेशाभभघातािनतमैथुुिाच ||
शुक्तारिालाम्ल कुलत्थु माष निषेिणाद्िेगविनि्रहााच |
स्िेिािथुो धूमनिषेिणाच छिेविाघाताद्िमिानतयोगात्|
बाष्प्रहाात ्सूक्ष्मनिरीक्षणाच िेत्र ेविकाराि ्जियन्न्त
िोषााः ||
(S U 1/26, 27)

13. Immersing in cold water immediately after getting exposed to heat/sun.
Present era – Bathing / drinking cold water, entering into AC
compartment soon after exposure to heat/sun.
Tissue integrity will be spoiled.
Probable : Dosha – Pitta.
Diseases – Abishyandya,
photokeratitis.

14.  Looking at very distant object for a longer time.
 Present era - Drivers, shooters, archery, working with telescopes.
 Accommodative capacity of the lens will be destroyed.
 Probable : Dosha - Vata prakopa
Diseases – Hypermetropia.

15. Abnormal sleeping habits .(diva swapna / nisi jagarana)
Diva swapna –Kapha prakopa
Ratri jagarana – Vata and pitta prakopa.
Present era : Night shifts, sleeping late night.
Probable : Dosha -Tridosha
Diseases - Stye, periorbital puffiness,
nystagmus, dry eye, netra srava, hypermia.

16.  Continuous weeping for longer duration.
 This causes excessive stimulation to lacrimal gland by which the gland secrets
more fluids that washes away nutrients and bacterio static activity of
conjunctival sac.
 Conjunctival sac and lacrimal apparatus looses the stamina against diseases.
 Probable: Dosha – Vata
Diseases - Xerosis and diseases of
lacrimal apparatus.

17.  Getting anger and grief is a dharaniya manasika vega.
 During anxiety attacks our body gets a rush of adrenaline resulting in dilated pupil.
 When pupils are dilated blurness can be noticed as a reaction to the un necessary
extra light.
 Probable : Dosha – Pitta and vata
Diseases – Sub conjunctival
haemorrhage and vataja vikaras.

18.  Stress, suffering pain, trouble vitiates both shareeraja and manasaja doshas
leading to eye diseases.
 Probable : Dosha – Vata
Disease – Vataja netra rogas.

19.  Minute irritating injuries or contusion injuries or perforating injuries cause a great loss
to the eye.
 If improper eye care is not taken blindness follow immediately.
 Present era : chemical injuries, occupational hazards, accidents.
 Probable : Dosha – Sarvadosha
Disease - Corneal abrasions,
corneal erosion.
 i. Skull base fracture - Retrobulbar and retinal
bleeding.
ii. Cranium - Disc, retina and vitreous imbalance.

20.  Excessive indulgence in sex results in dathu kshaya.
 Shukra dathu kshaya leading to poorva dathu kshaya leading to deprived nourishment
to eyes.
 Probable : Dosha – Sarvadosha
Diseases – (HIV) sunken eyes,
infective eye diseases. Majja kshaya causes netra
abishyanda, cytomegalo virus
retinitis.

21.  Suktha and aranala are sandhana dravyas produced by fermentation.
 They have properties opposite to ojas with toxicating action.
 Present era : Many are addicted to alcohol.
 Probable : Dosha – Pitta and raktha.
Diseases –Pothaki, kumbheeka.
cytomegalo virus retinitis.

22.  Excessive use of horse gram and black gram.
Kulattha Masha
Laghu, vidahi,kashaya rasa, katu paka and
ushna veerya.
Opposite to kulattha like madhura rasa,
madhura vipaka, guru and snigdha gunas.
Causes dathu kshaya Causes dathu vruddi
Tridosha Kapha
Tridoshaja netra rogas. Kaphaja netra rogas

23.  Suppression of natural urges.
 Suppression of jrumba, asru, hikka , pratishyaya and ksudha all these leads to
netra rogas.
 Present era : class room, working under boss.
 Probable : Dosha – Tridosha
Diseases – Tridoshaja netra vikaras.

24.  Excessive sudation to eye.
 Only mrudhu sweda is advised in netra rogas. In diseases like timira, swedana is
contraindicated.
 Present era : working in coal mines, cooking.
 Probable : Dosha - Pitta and raktha
Disease – Pittaja abhishyanda etc

25.  Excessive exposure to smoke and other pollutants.
 Present era : smoking, carbon dioxide from vehicles, factories.
 Probable : Dosha - Vata and pitta
Diseases - Cataract, macular
degeneration, uveitis.

26.  Supressing the urge of vomitting/ nausea.
 Causes strain to eyes.
 Probable : Dosha – Vata
Diseases – Eye leasions (kusta)

27.  Excessive vamana therapy.
 This causes “Akshior vyavruthi”(protrusion of eye ball).
 Probable : Dosha – Vata vruddi, kapha and
pitta kshaya.
Diseases – Retinal detachment, sub
conjunctival haemoehages.

28. Supressing tears during grief.
Vitiated vayu obstructs the doshas to produce diseases in asruvaha srotas.
Probable : Dosha – Kapha and vata
Disease – Epiphora, blocked tear duct.

29.  Watching minute objects for longer duration.
 Present era : working with computers, reading.
 Causes strain to cilliary muscles and lens.
 Probable : Dosha – Vata
Disease – Dry eye syndrome,
accommodation problem.

31.  Exposure to dust and smoke.
 Present era : we are all getting exposed to dust while walking, driving.
Addiction with smoking. Contact with carbon dioxide which is a toxic smoke
affecting our eyes.
 Damages the blood vessels.
 Probable : Dosha – Vata
Disease – Pinguecula, pterygum.

32.  Travelling very fast.
 Present era : Driving with high speed. Running and walking in hurry.
 Speed blow of air/ dust directly comes in contact with eyes.
 Probable : Dosha – Vata
Disease – Dry eye, netra srava.

33.  Abnormal seasonal changes/ not following the principles of rutucharya.
 Consuming ushna dravyas in ushna rutu – pitta prakopa
 Consuming sheetha dravyas in sheetha rutu – kapha prakopa.
 Present era : most of the population are not following rutucharya.
 Probable : Dosha – Sarva dosha
Disease – abhishyanda and tridoshaja
netra rogas.

34.  Exposure of head to excessive heat.
 Present era : Engineers, constructors, kuulis, traffic police.
 Probable : Dosha – Pitta and vata prakopa
Disease – Photokeratitis.

36.  Excessive liquid intake and alcoholism.
 Present era : diet conscious, many are addicted to alcohol.
 Lack of adequate proteins, vitamins. Alcohol causes deficiency of vitamin B1.
 Probable : Dosha – Tridosha
Diseases – Cataract, nystagmus,
paralysis to eye muscles, macular
degeneration.

38.  Applying theeksnanjana to the patients who are already tired due to wind, sun etc
 Local irritation, excessive lacrimation, damage to conjunctiva, cornea etc
 Probable : Dosha – Tridosha
Diseases – Sira jala, siraharsha.

39.  Bite of insects, mosquitos etc.
 Causes injury, may release toxin, act as foreign body.
 Probable : Dosha – Tridosha
Disease – Pain, burning, swelling.

40.  Contac with toxic materials.
 Present era : accidental contact with paint, deodorants, detergents, lab materials etc
 Local tissue damage.
 Probable : Dosha – Tridosha
Disease – Irritation to blindness.

41.  Trauma to eye during water sports.
 Present era : Not wearing water glasses during swimming/ water games may lead to
entry of contaminated water in to eye.
 Probable : Dosha – Tridosha
Disease – Conjunctivits, corneal
abrasions.

42.  Excessive fasting.
 Present era : Excessive diet conscious.
 No proper nourishment leading to dathu kshaya.
 Probable : Dosha - Vata
Disease – Netra shosha

43.  Seeing continuously moving objects.
 Present era : playing computer games, traffic police
 Strain to eye muscles.
 Probable : Dosha – Vata
Diseases – Weakness of occular
muscles.

45.  Sleeping by putting head downward position than body.
 Present era : Sleeping on working table, bus.
 Compression to blood vessels.
 Probable : Dosha – Vata
Disease – occipital neuralgia ( pain
behind eyes and sensitivity to light), central
retinal vein occlusion.

46.  Sleeping by putting head in upward position than body.
 Present era : Use of high pillows, sleeping on sofa.
 Decreased blood circulation to head.
 Probable : Dosha – Vata
Disease – Vataja netra vikaras.

47.  Due to high fever or sun stroke. Along with head even eyes are affected.
 Temperature of eye increases.
 Probable : Dosha – Pitta
Disease – Periorbital swelling,
conjunctivities in hay fever.

49.  Causing strain / damage to foot.
 Present era : not wearing chappals, wearing pointed heeled foot wears, tailoring,
excessive cycling.
 Damage to nadis of foot which are connected to head.
 Probable : Dosha – Vata
Disease – Drusti mandya

50.  Athibashana – vayu gets lodged in head causing blindness and netra stambana.
 If dhoomapana done through mouth and exhaled through nostrils causes drusti
nasha.
 Dhoomapana done in excess or in improper time causes drusti nasha.
 If ashchotana done for long time in excess dose, with wrong temperature cause eye
disease and even blindness.
 Atiyoga of putapaka – timira

51.  Nasya in klantha – pain in eyes.
 Excessive shirovirechana – pain in eyes.
 Atiyana – akshi vibrama
 Madya pana and sheeta ambu pana during snehana – akshi upadeha, timira.
 Nasya in nava jwara – timira
 Divaswapna in samsarjana kala – raktha netrata.
 Many systemic disorders – netra rogas as purvaroopa, roopa, upadrava and arista.
Ex: Diabetic retinopathy.

52. भसरािुसाररभभिोषैविागुणैरूध्िामागतैाः ||
जायन्ते िेत्रभागेषु रोगााः परमिारुणााः |
(S U 1/20,21)
The aggravated doshas moving upward through
siras get localized in eye giving rise to dreadful
diseases in different parts of the eye.

54. “तत्राविलंससंरम्भंअशृकण्डूपिॆाित्।
गुरूषा तॊिरागाद्यैाः जुष्टं ाव्यक्त लक्षणैाः” ।
आविलंआकुलंअशपृूणमा।्
 ईषत्शॊफयुक्तम्।
 अश्रु
 कण्डू
 उपिॆाॊ मलिृद्धध

55. According to Astanga Sangraha,
 If a healthy person repeatedly dreams of lunar and solar eclipses it is a
poorvaroopa of netra roga.
 Shulam vartma kosheshu
 Shukapurnabham
 Vihanya mana rupam
 Kriyasu aksi yathapura

56.  Vata : Akshibedha, vartmastambha, vartma sankocha, timira,
akshishoola, akshivyudara.
 Pitta : akshipaka, tamapravesha, haridra harita netra.
 Kapha : shwetha netrata.

57.  To analyse disease.
 To create awareness.
 To start treatment in earlier stages.

58. संक्षॆपताः क्रियायॊगॊ नििाि पररिजिाम ्।