A literary review on timir and its management

Summary of article contents:

Shalakya Tantra is the main branch of Astanga Ayurveda , it deals with the etiology, diagnosis, prognosis, prevention and treatment of disease which are located above the clavicle region in which the eye is a highly specialized sense organ that primarily serves the function of vision. Drushti or vision is the most important Indriya /sense of human body according to Ayurveda . Visual disturbances are described in Ayurveda under the terms Timir, Kacha , and Linganasha and progresses to total vision loss. Timir is one of the ‘ Drushtigataroga ’, if it is not treated then it may lead into complete blindness. The symptoms of Patalgat Timir can be correlated with refractive error. Globally it is estimated that approximately 1.3 billion people live with some form of vision impairment. There is no medicinal treatment available for refractive error in modern science and available therapies have some complications like dry eye, corneal ulceration etc. While in Ayurvedic text Timir is said to be ‘Ayushdhisadhya’ if treated in early stages. So, Ayurvedic science can be explored to find a better alternative to manage this condition. In Ayurveda there are number of preventive and curative modalities explained to treat Timir in the form of Pathykaraaharvihar, Rasayana yoga , Chakshusya drugs, Netrakarma, Kriyakalpa, Panchkarma etc. Use of these therapies helps us to prevent vision loss and to maintain vision. Keywords: Timir , Refractive error, Patalgat Doshdushti , Myopia, Cataract, Pathykaraahar-Vihar, Rasayana Yoga INTRODUCTION Swasthata or wellbeing of a person, ultimate aim or goal of Ayurveda