The liver is called “liver”
because it is a reflection of how well you have lived—essentially,
your lifestyle. The liver is your main body organ responsible for
distributing and maintaining your body’s “fuel” supply. This has a direct and
indirect impact on your vision health.
The liver plays a pivotal part in
your vision health.
For centuries, Chinese doctors
have used the eye conditions to diagnose different diseases: aching, bloodshot,
bulging, itching, watery, and yellowish eyes reflect internal disharmony or
disorder, in particular, that in the liver. Therefore, the liver health is also
vision health.
The Importance of the Liver
According to Chinese medicine, the eyes are “the windows” of your internal
health, especially that of your liver:
Constant redness in the white of the eyes (dysfunctional
circulatory and respiratory system)
Yellowish skin under the eyes (overactive liver and
gallbladder)
Water-containing bags under the lower eyelids (congested
digestive and excretory systems)
Lack of luster (congested liver)
The Liver Functions
The liver plays a pivotal part in
your vision health. The liver serves several important functions in your body
that may directly or indirectly affect your vision health:
Carbohydrate metabolism
The liver turns glucose (blood sugar) into glycogen (energy) for storage in
your liver. Your glycogen controls the amount of glucose released into your
bloodstream, thereby maintaining your blood sugar level. A healthy blood sugar
levels prevents the development of diabetes, which impairs vision.
Fat metabolism
If you are obese, you have a much higher risk
of losing your eyesight, according to the Royal National Institute for the
Blind. Too much body fat is one of the causes of diabetes; too much fat may
cause oxidative damage to the eye in macular degeneration.
The liver is a fat-burning organ: it not only burns fat but also pumps
excess fat out of your body system. Accordingly, your liver controls your body
weight. Too much fat in the abdominal area may impair your fat metabolism,
turning your liver into a “fatty liver” which then becomes a fat-storing organ.
A “fatty liver” is an obstacle to any attempt at weight loss, which begins at
the liver.
The liver detoxifies your body by filtering out excessive waste and toxins
in your body through the bile into the gut. For example, it deactivates
alcohol, hormones, and medicinal drugs for better assimilation.
Alcohol and certain pharmaceutical drugs have been
implicated in vision loss. Always eat a high-fiber diet to facilitate
elimination in order to prevent these toxic waste products from re-circulating
back to your liver! In addition, chronic constipation may damage your liver,
and thus your eyes.
Storage for nutrients
The liver stores glycogen, vitamins A and D, the B
complex vitamins, iron and copper.
Stephen Lau
Copyright© by Stephen Lau
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