My work requires me to sit in front of a laptop almost the entire day. Add my phone to that, and I honestly don’t want to calculate how many hours I spend looking at a screen. Over time, I started experiencing frequent dryness, tiredness and a burning feeling in my eyes. By evening, I sometimes felt like I just wanted to close my eyes and keep them closed for an hour.

Someone in my family suggested the Shalakya Tantra department at SGT Ayurveda Hospital. I didn’t even know what Shalakya Tantra meant at first. I later understood that it is the Ayurvedic specialty concerned with conditions involving areas such as the eyes, ears, nose and throat. During my visit, my eye complaints were evaluated and I was asked about my screen exposure, sleep, work routine and other habits. I liked that the doctor didn’t simply blame everything on my laptop and send me home.

I was advised certain Ayurvedic eye-care measures and Kriyakalpa procedures according to my condition. Before the procedure, the staff explained what they were going to do. This was important for me because I get nervous when anything comes close to my eyes. The experience was much more comfortable than I had imagined.

Along with treatment, I was advised to make practical changes in my screen habits. Taking proper breaks, avoiding unnecessary phone use late at night and being more conscious about eye strain became part of my routine. I realised that I was often staring continuously at my laptop for hours without even getting up from the chair. What I appreciated about the department was that the doctors looked at both treatment and prevention. There was a lot of emphasis on protecting the eyes rather than waiting for symptoms to become severe.

After following the advice consistently, I began feeling more comfortable during my working hours. I wouldn’t say that I suddenly became a perfect person who stopped using her phone. I definitely didn’t! But I became much more aware of when my eyes were getting tired and started taking breaks before the discomfort became too much. The experience also made me curious about Ayurvedic eye care because I had never previously associated Ayurveda with ophthalmology. Like many people, I thought Ayurveda mainly dealt with digestion, joint pain and massage therapies.

My visits to SGT Ayurveda Hospital changed that perception. For anyone who spends most of the day on a laptop or phone, I would say that we shouldn’t normalise constant eye discomfort. Getting properly evaluated is important, especially when symptoms persist.

For me, the treatment at SGT was useful not only because of the procedures but also because I came away with a better understanding of how to take care of my eyes every day. Sometimes those small changes are what we forget when our lives revolve around screens.