‘Dhara’ means a continuous stream of liquid and there are several treatment procedure in Ayurveda which follow the principal of pouring a continuous stream of medicated liquid over the target area which could be the entire body or be more localized. ‘Netradhara’ is one of the ‘Kriyakalpa’ in which the pouring is localized to the eyes. The ‘Dhara’ can be done for different purposes like cleaning, healing or even lubrication of the eyes. There are two kinds of pouring treatments for the eyes mainly ‘Aschotanam’ and ‘Sekam’.
‘Aschotanam’ is generally the first line of treatment for almost all eye disorders and it can be correlated to the eye drop instillation in modern medicine. In this procedure medicine is instilled into the open eyes drop by drop. It is highly beneficial in conditions such as pain, ache, itching, irritation, lacrimation, burning, redness, inflammation and foreign body in eyes.
In ‘Aschotanam’ the patient is made to lie down comfortably and the medicine is introduced into the open eye drop by drop from a height of 3 – 4cms. Generally the medicines used are ‘Kashayam’ prepared with drugs that are especially beneficial to the eyes. After the procedure the eyes are wiped with clean dry cloth and mild fomentation is done using warm water. The dosage varies according to the nature and severity of the disease.
‘Sekam’ is the type of treatment in which the medicated water is poured into the eyes in a continuous stream. The patient is made to lie down comfortably. Then the ‘Kashayam’ is poured into the inner canthus of the closed eyes mostly from a height of approximately 10cms. The medicines used for the preparation of ‘Kashayam’ is similar to the ‘Aschotanam’. The patient is asked to blink at repeated intervals for the proper benefit of the therapy. The indications of ‘Sekam’ is similar to that of ‘Aschotanam’, however, it is more beneficial in conditions that require a cleaning action for the eyes. The patient who underwent ‘Sekam’ has benefits such as refreshing nature to the eyes, coolness and clarity of vision. It is always beneficial for the general health of eyes.
