Warm medicated ghee is pooled over the eyes within a ring of dough — a classical therapy for tired, strained and dry eyes.
Netra Tarpanam means nourishing the eyes: netra is the eye and tarpana means to satisfy or nourish. Warm medicated ghee is held over the eyes inside a ring of dough while you open and close them in it. It is listed with the head and face therapies; in the classics it belongs to Kriyakalpa, the procedures done directly on the eye. Shiro Pichu, despite similar searches, is for the head.
A session runs about 20–30 minutes. Netra Tarpanam is carried out at Sri Vinayaga Ayurvibe, a doctor-led Ayurveda hospital at Nookampalayam, Perumbakkam, Chennai 600131 — within reach of Medavakkam, Sholinganallur, OMR, Pallikaranai, Velachery and Tambaram.
What Netra Tarpanam is traditionally used for
Netra Tarpanam is traditionally used for eye strain, dry, tired eyes, screen fatigue and eye comfort.
Netra Tarpanam is traditionally used to support eyes that feel dry, gritty, heavy or tired, that burn after long screen hours, or that water in wind and air-conditioning. It is the main therapy in the clinic’s plan for Eye strain & dry eyes, where Shiro Abhyangam, Nasyam or Shiro Pichu may be added for the head and brow.
It is typically planned for people at screens all day, drivers facing glare and dust, students in exam season, and older adults whose eyes have become dry. It is supportive care and does not replace an ophthalmologist’s treatment.
What happens in a session
You lie flat on your back, and a firm ring of black-gram dough, a few centimetres high, is pressed onto the bone around each eye socket and checked for gaps.
Medicated ghee is melted over warm water until just lukewarm, tested on the therapist’s wrist, and poured slowly into each well until it covers the eyelashes.
Keeping your head still, you open your eyes and blink in the ghee at intervals. Some people feel a brief sting or haze at first; the holding time is set by the doctor for your complaint.
The ghee is drained through a small opening at the outer corner of each ring, the dough is lifted away, and you rest with eyes closed. The whole session takes 20 to 30 minutes.
Who should not have Netra Tarpanam
A red, painful or sticky eye, conjunctivitis, a stye or any eye infection — it waits until an ophthalmologist has treated it.
Cataract, laser or other eye surgery in recent months; the doctor asks for your eye surgeon’s clearance first.
Glaucoma, retinal disease or another condition under an ophthalmologist — the doctor needs their report, and may decide against it.
A fever, a heavy cold or a sinus flare; it is postponed until that passes.
Sudden blurring, flashes, floaters, a curtain over the vision, or eye pain with haloes around lights — go to an eye hospital urgently.
How many sessions?
Netra Tarpanam is planned as a short course, commonly 3 to 7 consecutive days, and for long-standing screen strain it may be repeated after a gap the doctor sets.
The doctor decides the length after examining your eyes and asking about your screen hours and any ophthalmologist’s report. If you are nervous, the first day can start with one eye or a shorter hold.
Before you come
Bring your latest spectacle prescription and any reports from your eye doctor.
Tell us which eye drops you use and when. Drops prescribed by your eye doctor continue as usual — we never ask you to stop them.
If you use kajal or kohl, leave it off for the whole course, not just the session days.
Afterwards
Vision will be filmy and the eyes heavy for a while; the film thins as you blink. Do not rub them or splash them with cold water.
Stay off screens and reading, and away from smoke and dust, for the rest of the day.
If an eye becomes red, painful, swollen or sticky, or the blurring has not gone by the next morning, call us on +91 81229 39197 and see an ophthalmologist.
Cost
Cost depends on the duration and whether the doctor plans a single session or a course. Call +91 81229 39197 and we will tell you before you book — there are no surprises at the counter.
Yes. You open your eyes inside it, so it bathes the surface of the eye, not just the lids. The ghee is a medicated preparation made for the eyes, which is one reason this should never be tried at home with kitchen ghee.
I wear contact lenses. Can I still have it?
Yes. Leave them out for the rest of each treatment day and wear glasses instead, because a film of ghee on the eye can cloud a lens and get trapped under it.
Is Triphala used for the eyes here?
Triphala is one of the classical herbs for the eyes, and Triphala Churna from the in-house pharmacy may be used to prepare an eyewash. Whether you need one, and how to use it, is decided by the doctor after consultation.
What does Netra Tarpanam cost in Chennai?
Cost depends on the duration and whether the doctor plans a single session or a course. Call +91 81229 39197 and we will tell you before you book — there are no surprises at the counter.
Sri Vinayaga Ayurvibe — 12/597, Main Road, Nethaji Nagar Main Rd,
Nookampalayam, Perumbakkam, Chennai 600131. Phone:
+91 81229 39197.
