In Donguibogam, which preserves the traditional wisdom of our bodies, the eyes are described as the flower of the liver or the window of the liver. Simply put, this means that the liver must be healthy for the eyes to function fully, remaining clear and bright. It is much like how a light bulb shines brightly only when the power source of the house is stable.
Donguibogam views the liver as the storehouse of blood. For our eyes to function properly, maintaining a moist luster and clear vision, an abundant supply of blood and nutrients must be continuously provided. All these resources are produced and stored in the liver, and then flow outward to the eyes. In particular, as expressed in the phrase liver governs the eyes, the liver must properly manage and store blood and essence, the body's fundamental energy, so that the nutrients sent to the eyes remain abundant.
What happens, then, if the liver becomes exhausted and the blood stored within it becomes depleted? Just as a lamp flickers or dims when electricity runs low, the energy supply reaching our eyes becomes disrupted. The eyes then easily turn dry and gritty, vision dims, and focusing becomes difficult. Donguibogam notes that these symptoms worsen especially during times of poor sleep, overwork, or high stress, because the liver becomes further depleted under such strain.
The busy, stressful pace of modern life easily overworks the liver. Looking at smartphones late into the night, working long hours in front of screens, and missing sleep leave the liver without enough time to store blood and recover. Donguibogam warned long ago that when fatigue accumulates in the liver, the balance of the entire body, not to mention the eyes, is easily disrupted. This is why we need to look to the health of the liver as the root of the body, rather than treating eye fatigue as an isolated problem. Tired eyes may well be an alert sent to us by an overworked liver.
