To Heal the Eyes Look to the Liver Image

To Heal the Eyes, Look to the Liver

At first glance, the eyes and liver have about as much in common as milk and champagne. And, if you imbibe too much of the latter, you may be excused for thinking that bubbly’s only link to eyesight is to induce drunken double vision.

But according to Dr. Marc Grossman, O.D., L.Ac (author, lecturer, and consultant to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point), in traditional Chinese medicine – a discipline that goes back more than two millennia – all diseases involving the eye are closely related to the liver. Specifically, he says the cornea and the iris are most connected to the liver.

So, in order to best take care of your vision, let’s not forget to take extra care of our liver health. Your whole body will thank you!

Connected Problems

Blurry vision, myopia, floaters in the eyes, dry eyes, and color blindness are all connected, to some extent, with liver blood deficiencies. This deficiency can occur due to scarring of the liver or anemia. Both of these problems prevent the flow of blood through the liver. We need a healthy flow of blood from this extraordinary organ in order to keep our eyes healthy and our vision clear. Usually, complications in the eyes are linked to liver heat. This is usually associated with inflammation in the liver. Of course, one of the most common causes of liver heat is alcoholism.

So, what are the signs of liver heat when it comes to your eyes? Your eyeball turning upwards or moving involuntarily may have to do with internal liver wind. This normally occurs when there is extreme heat in the liver. This can be caused by high blood pressure, emotional stress, or overindulgence in alcoholic beverages.

Strange as it may seem, your liver and your eyes really are linked in many ways.

As the saying goes, the head bone’s connected to the neck bone, and that goes for the rest of your body as well.

A Holistic Approach

Echoing the core principle of holistic medicine, Dr. Grossman declares, “The body does not work as a series of parts in isolation, but as a dynamically integrated living system. Every cell in the body has receptors for neurotransmitters, so in a real sense every cell is a nerve cell… This biological awareness of every cell is really the foundation of vision.”

He further explains: “A healthy liver is soft and open. This softness permits the free flow of blood and energy throughout the body directly to the eyes. A healthy liver keeps the blood clean and pure and thus directly improves eyesight.”

Thus, when we rejuvenate the liver, we directly promote healthy vision. And the good news is, it’s actually quite easy to take care of your liver because it’s one of the only organs in our body that can regenerate over time – though maintaining a healthy liver is about more than just laying off the champers.

The Right Diet

Dr. Grossman calls diet the “foundation of all rejuvenation regimes” and notes that beta carotene – found in carrots, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, dark green leafy vegetables, cantaloupe, squash, and cabbage – is a powerful immune booster. These leafy greens can also cleanse the blood and eliminate liver inflammation.

Other notable liver-regenerating herbs include:

  • To Heal the Eyes Look to the Liver ImageBurdock
  • Taraxacum
  • Barberry
  • Scute root
  • Nettle

You can purchase these in the form of easy-to-use liver-cleansing products at many drug and grocery stores.

If, like many other people, you are unable to incorporate all the healthy foods you need in your normal everyday diet, you may want to consider a vision-improving vitamin supplement. This way, you will know without all the testing and measuring that you are getting the right amounts of nutrients that your body needs on a daily basis.

You may know these nutrients better as antioxidants. Two strong antioxidants that help in removing free radicals from our liver and eyes are lutein and zeaxanthin. You can find both of these antioxidants naturally in the eyes, in relatively high concentrations in the lens and retina of the eyes.

Lutein and zeaxanthin act to protect our eyes from damaging ultraviolet blue light. As we age, it is important to make sure that our bodies have these antioxidants to protect the eye. With proper amounts of lutein and zeaxanthin, it is possible to prevent the development of age-related macular degeneration.

Another important antioxidant for both the liver and eyes is alpha-lipoic acid, or ALA. This antioxidant has been shown to help prevent cataracts in the eyes and helps to dissolve toxic substances. So, be on the lookout for these nutrients in the foods and supplements you purchase.

Moist Eyes

Traditional Chinese medicine holds that to function optimally, the eyes require an abundance of yin essences (blood and other bodily fluids that moisten and nourish the organs and tissues). In this view, dry eyes reflect a yin deficiency. Natural News recommends combating dry eyes with such classic herbs as eyebright and goldenseal, which are very effective in clearing inflammation from the liver channel. Chinese herbs such as rehmannia and lycium also promote eye health by refreshing and maintaining the blood, as well as the yin essence that circulates to the eyes.

Dr. Grossman also advocates avoiding carbonated, caffeinated, and alcoholic beverages, and instead drinking eight to 10 glasses of purified water a day to hydrate your eyes. Excessive caffeine and alcohol are very hard on our livers. Cirrhosis of the liver is just one problem that comes with excessive alcohol use. Water, on the other hand, helps to flush impurities out of our bodies. There’s yet another reason to make sure you’re getting the proper amount of water every day!

Whether you prescribe to Chinese medicine or not, it is crucial you get all the important nutrients your eyes need for optimal vision health. Eating foods that benefit your liver will also benefit your eyes. Plus, the more you take care of your health in these ways early on in life, the better vision you will have as you age. It’s truly a win-win!

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Join or Start the Discussion

  1. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Lori B Baugh says:

    My eyes are itchie and dry im rubbing them constantly. And my skin around my eyes are drooping and wrinkle is this caused by a fatty livet.

  2. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Anonymous says:

    What about eye problems such as ptyergium or glaucoma?? What kind of advice do u have for these?

  3. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Carol says:

    I have stopped drinking wine and my eyes have improved dramatically, and its only been 2 weeks. I’m sure I have fatty liver which has been impacting my vision negatively… I had no idea. I do plan to abstain from alcohol since I realize that my moderate wine consumption was having such a negative impact on my health. I decided to quit because my liver began bothering me a little… little twinges and feeling puffy… but I didn’t expect my vision to improve… what a bonus. I will not take this for granted… it’s not worth it for the little buzz and I don’t need wine with dinner. I am a delicate flower, apparently, and can’t get away with drinking like some people can. It’s okay… I am grateful that I got the warning from my liver and just quit. Thank God.

  4. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Riot Earp says:

    Cirrhosis of the Liver, not “Sclerosis.” 🙂

  5. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Seroflorus says:

    Using Natural News as your sole citation makes this a weak article. Hopefully, I’m not the only reader who is exceedingly dubious of Natural News in general.

    How can a serious article about liver health completely ignore the advantages of actually consuming liver for your liver. Poor, poor liver….the most ignored power food.

  6. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen andypandy says:

    why not widen this discussion and include the damage of alcohol

  7. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen walter says:

    being an alcoholic i can only agree,after this article i became sure.

  8. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Milly says:

    Champers is a shortened word, slang, for champagne.
     

  9. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen SARAH says:

    When i get afraid for my eyes then i read and try to adhere to your advice for my eyes and it really helps and i will order some of these as soon as i can

  10. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen truefeather77 says:

    What are “champers”? It’s not in my dictionary, nor can I find the meaning anywhere.

    Thanks for the info on the great food sources of these healthy benefits.

  11. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Julie Latta says:

    I find that exercise is the most important of all these.

  12. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Emily says:

    Great article on the connection between the eyes and the liver. My naturpathic doctor strongly recommends using castor oil packs placed over the liver to detoxify. When I eat sugar, my eyes go blurry and I’m a jewelry artist and need all the eye power I can get.

  13. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Kathleen Jovanov says:

    Actually sclerosis means hardening, that being said any organ can become sclerosed.
    And let the Jesus people be. Remember freedom of speech?

  14. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Michael says:

    You are absolutely correct. The first 8 years of my life, I was a blonde haired blue eyed kid. Then eyes changed to hazel, hair dark brown, dark circles around my eyes, but I was out in the sun as a kid, but always pale or ash. Two years ago in my 30s, I started walking an hour a day and then running and then other exercise. My eyes changed to blue green and my hair became blonde (not chlorine pools or anything), dark circles went away. I also gave up soda and most sugar, and my diet was about 80% fruits vegetables nuts and seeds with 20% animal based protein. Skin is golden brown, muscles are bigger. Exercise, nutrition, the sun and a good attitude can turn you around. Use to be a diabetic as well. Also gave up most milk as it turns out I was lactose intolerant most of my life but didn’t know. Good luck!

  15. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen gee gee says:

    yes exercise is very important but the one true healer is jesus christ our lord and savior

  16. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Karen says:

    Well why do you care Wayne? Why are you so intolerant? Does it offend you? So what? I bet people overlook comments you make everyday and are not nearly as intolerant as you are.

  17. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen solomon says:

    can you send me his email?

  18. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen George says:

    Yes Amen see how they hate straight away when our lord is mentioned.

  19. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Anonymous says:

    Amen!

  20. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Annie says:

    I agree Gee Gee!

  21. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Wayne says:

    Why does a simple health discussion require the input of ones religion? You believe this, many others don’t.

  22. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Yvette says:

    Hi Emily,
    Can you recommend and give me the name and contact info of your Naturopath who recommended the castor oil packs? I have been looking for someone who knows about these remedies. You can email me at [email protected].

    Thanks!

  23. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Anonymous says:

    I think you should get checked for diabetes. High blood sugar levels caused by diabetes cause blurry eyes and lead to permanent damage even blindness over the long term.

  24. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen jane says:

    I’m sure you do think that, but your thoughts are not aligned with this system of medicine.

    Diabetes is a disease of the liver. Blurry vision is a symptom of this. So getting tested for diabetes is not going to do anything when simply taking care of your liver would relieve the symptoms of diabetes.

    Sugar not only effects the liver but it feeds the population of Candida in the intestines. Over the years of changing my diet and reducing the amount of sugar I ate, my vision improved significantly. My eyes adjust instantly in the morning, no more blurry vision. I see better at night, far away, all around. anti-candida diet for the win.

  25. Avatar for Tyler Sorensen Anonymous says:

    Champers = champagne

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About the Author

Avatar for Tyler Sorensen

Tyler Sorensen is the President and CEO of Rebuild Your Vision. Formerly, Tyler studied Aeronautics (just like his brother) with the dream of becoming an airline pilot, however, after 9/11 his career path changed. After graduating top of his class with a Bachelor of Science in Informational Technologies and Administrative Management, he joined Rebuild Your Vision in 2002. With the guidance of many eye care professionals, including Behavioral Optometrists, Optometrists (O.D.), and Ophthalmologists (Eye M.D.), Tyler has spent nearly two decades studying the inner workings of the eye and conducting research.

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