Our eyes, open most of the day, encounter all sorts of pollutants in our air that the body was never designed to handle.  In our air, water and soil, there are 2000 newly created chemicals annually with an estimated total of 80,000 new chemicals. Man mined debris fools the body. Mercury looks like selenium to the body. Lead looks like calcium. Cadmium looks like zinc. Aluminum, nickel and uranium look like magnesium to the body and all these affect the system at a cellular level.  Many of these pollutants are in the air that affects the eyes.

We’ve been renovating a bathroom and enjoying a magnitude of dust that only folks who have gone through a remodel can comprehend.  Between air purifiers, (see my review on air purifiers) neti pot (see my article on this) to deep clean the sinuses, vacuuming & dusting daily after the contractor and crew leave, there is still an amazing amount of dust and the eyes suffer.

I believe one of the reasons eyes age is due to pollutants and irritants.  So minimizing them will help save your eyesight as well as how they look.  Many folks don’t really think about their eyes other than to wash the face, moisturize and perhaps apply makeup.  Maintaining your eyes should be a daily routine and especially in dusty polluted environments.

First there are eye exercises that help stretch and strengthen as well as rest the eyes which is particularly great for those of us that sit at a laptop all day.  Yoga For The Eyes with Meir Schneider steps you through great break time exercises.

Next, everyone should possess a nice eye wash bath cup.  Not just for emergency use as I once thought, but for daily/weekly rinsing of the eyes to clean and clear them of debris and tonify.   Because I believe that every day things should be artfully done as well as be great at what they do, I adore this eyecup by Rosso,  which is all glass and therefore safer than plastic.  The glass is gorgeous, it looks like a piece of art sitting on your vanity, and has a lovely feel and polish to it.  It comes in two styles, I like the raised rib, very comfy and it holds the liquid well with gentle pressure so you’re not getting it all over your face.

So one of my favourite rinses began as a purchase for my pets.  But now the entire family uses it too.  Ark Naturals, Eye So Bright, with Echinacea and Goldenseal, it slightly stings at first, then your eyes suddenly feel so refreshed!  We used a prescription eye drop on our Doberman who bolted after we came back into the room later to give him another treatment.  My husband popped a drop in his eye to understand what all the fuss was about and screamed.  Why on earth would they make anything that hurt that bad?!?  Thus began our self-testing before we did anything to the pets.  And because of this, I LOVE using this product on myself as well as the fur kids.

Another formula I like is Christopher’s Herbal EYE formula which you can both take orally in water or add to an eye bath solution.  Warning, this stuff has pepper in it.  I am using just one drop with my Ark Naturals and sea salt water I get at Whole Foods.  With the construction, I have been doing this routine twice a day and wow this has helped so much!

And on the Whole Foods note, don’t forget to eat right.  Your eyes need leafy greens.  The aim is for at least 50% raw diet, through juicing and yom yomming tasty salads and sprouts.

Supplements – Only 9% of the vitamins on the market are good.  Synthetic vs plant based:  It is important to read labels and avoid synthetic vitamins that the body recognizes at a cellular level as food.  There is much discussion about synthetic vitamins, which are vastly cheaper, being just as good but my Hippocrates advocates going all natural.   I get arguments from folks who eat so well and many even better than I do, 100% raw, juice twice daily etc.  So why do I need supplements they say.  Getting a spectra cell analysis will tell you what your body is deficient in at a cellular level and then you will know.  But here is why everyone needs some supplements:  Our world is totally polluted and our bodies, while able and willing to detox to a point, need the help.  With soil erosion, we no longer get enough minerals and vitamins in even the very best of foods.  So here is something,  Ultimate Eye Formula, you can take to aid the eyes because chances are you are not eating enough blueberries and bilberries daily to counteract the onslaught.

Another thing I love is Triphala, which is an Indian ayurvedic  medicinal combining 3 tree fruits into a slightly tangy bitter powder.  Terrasoul Triphala powder is organic, a fair price and they lab test for impurities and heavy metals.   I enjoy a 1/2 tsp in hot water as a tea.  I don’t mind the taste at all.  You can also use it as an eyewash.  Used as an overall body tonic and detox, it is also said to improve vision.  I use a bit of this in an eye cup when I am done making my ‘tea’ and also drink it.

And for beautiful (or handsome) eyes,  I rep for organic and plant-based, eco and animal-friendly potent and pure skin and supplement lines and highly recommend, especially for evening,  the eye and neck firming serum which I am NEVER without!  The link is below.  My sister in law says this serum knocked out her crows feet and my puffiness is gone. It’s yummy and I have not found its equal on the market anyplace.

And for daywear, in the morning, especially when it is bloody hot outside, where treatments are just melting right off your face because of the heat…dear Lord why do I live in Texas….I love to apply their firming eye serum cold from the fridge.

Finally, let’s look at eyedrops.  Many can actually handicap the eyes, training them to require drops.  My husband and I use Similisan eye drops (everything the brand offers is really good!) Once, a pharmacist chased my husband down to tell him Homeopathy doesn’t work!  Well, we think it does and we’ve been on these drops for 20 years in various flavours, dry eye, irritated eye and computer eyes because, ahem…I am on this thing a lot!

As a plant-based marketer, I seek out natural ways to detox and amp up health and have done a lot of research and testing to come up with what I provide you.  I hope it helps you live your best and healthiest life and I would love to hear from you!