The word “retina” originates from Latin and means “net.” Some anatomy sources refer to this light-sensitive surface as the vertebrate retina. Light initiates the stimulation of nerve impulses, which send a variety of chemical and electrical impulses through the optic nerve (cranial nerve two) to the brain.

People often ask me what they should do to develop or keep healthy retina tissue. There are several things:

Any lens prescribed by an eye doctor is usually much too strong for daily full-time use. Eye doctors use an “optics model” that takes a static measurement. The prescription lens creates a repetitive light pattern onto the retina and, over time, this closed system will cause a weakness in that retinal area. This weakness can lead to retinal holes or a retinal detachment.

I recommend taking your prescriptive lenses off in non-threatening situations to allow your retina to receive as much light as possible without creating a strain. Don’t do this while you look at the sun. Be gentle with your eyes and use good judgment in improving your diet of light. If it does not feel right, don’t do it!

Since the eye is mostly fluid and the retinal tissue is a matrix of photoreceptor cells, eye tissue can become more rigid due to toxicities, traumas, and stress. The retina develops as desensitized tissue and becomes starved of nutrients both in the form of antioxidants and light.

On a toxicity level, since the liver rules the eyes in Chinese Medicine, if you are dealing with any heavy metals or radiation, it will affect retinal tissue. As for trauma, because of the soft tissue of the eyes, it will absorb the energy of most traumas we might incur in our life. Stress is a big source of disease throughout the body. Using the computer for just one hour per day can create stress patterns in the eye tissue.