In India, screens are inescapable — and eye strain, dry eye syndrome, and early-onset myopia are rising rapidly. Ayurveda offers two interventions: an internal dietary approach through ghee consumption, and an external therapeutic technique called Netra Tarpana. Here is a complete guide to both.

Internal Eye Health: Vitamin A and Retinal Function

The retina contains two types of photoreceptors: rods (night/low-light vision) and cones (color/daytime vision). Both require retinal — the active form of vitamin A — to function. Gir cow Bilona ghee is a natural source of retinol (preformed vitamin A), which the body converts directly to retinal without the conversion inefficiency of plant-source beta-carotene.

Vitamin A deficiency causes: night blindness (early sign), dry eye (lacrimal gland dysfunction), corneal ulceration (severe deficiency), and increased susceptibility to eye infections. Regular ghee consumption prevents all of these through adequate retinol supply.

What Is Netra Tarpana?

Netra Tarpana (Sanskrit: netra = eye, tarpana = nourishment/satisfaction) is an Ayurvedic panchakarma therapy where warm, medicated ghee is retained around the eyes for 10–15 minutes. The procedure involves:

1. Creating a dough ring (from wheat or black gram flour) around each eye socket
2. Filling the ring with warm medicated ghee (typically Triphala ghee or Mahatriphala ghrita)
3. Asking the patient to blink repeatedly so the ghee contacts the entire eyeball
4. The ghee is retained for 10–15 minutes, then removed

Conditions Treated by Netra Tarpana

• Dry eye syndrome (Shushkakshipaka): The most common indication — ghee provides lipid-layer support for the tear film
• Eye strain and computer vision syndrome: Dramatically relieves burning, heaviness, and fatigue from screen use
• Early myopia: Reduces the rate of progression in children according to Ayurvedic clinical observations
• Conjunctivitis and inflammation: Anti-inflammatory properties of ghee reduce redness and swelling
• Glaucoma (adjunct therapy): Some practitioners use it as complementary therapy — never as a replacement for medical treatment

At-Home Simplified Practice

A simplified home version: place 1 drop of room-temperature pure Gir cow ghee in the corner of each eye at bedtime. This lubricates the eye, reduces dryness, and provides retinol to periocular tissues. (Never use commercially refined ghee — only pure, certified Bilona ghee for any eye application.)

Order Gokripa Pure Gir Cow Bilona Ghee: gomataseva.org/shop | Amazon India