This story on Opticianonline highlights the risk for glaucoma patients of interpreting their religious fasting practices strictly.
It seems that some patients stop using their eye drops during periods of religious fasting, such as Ramadan.
A team led by Dr Nishant Kumar of University Hospital, Liverpool studied patient compliance in relation to fasting by analysing 350 surveys completed by members of the world’s seven major faiths: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Jainism, Judaism, Bahai and Buddhism. This is believed to be the first study of its kind.
In the survey, the majority of patients who classed themselves as Hindus, Muslims and Jains stated that the use of eye drops during their fasting hours would break their fast and, therefore, they would not use their drops during this period.
However, most Baha’i, Buddhist and Christian patients said they did not consider using eye drops would break their fasts.
Dr Kumar recommended that ophthalmologists should be aware of the religious beliefs of their patients. This would allow them to tailor treatment plans in keeping with the patients’ religious practices.
What would you do?
Which would be more important for you? Your sight or your spiritual health? Or can both be enhanced together without one compromising the other?
Technorati Tags: Baha’i, Bahai, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, religion, science, eyes, sight, glaucoma, fasting, Ramadan, eye drops, ophthalmology
Related posts:
{ 11 comments }
Well, it seems to me that sacrificing physical health actually sacrifices your spiritual health. The body is a creation of God, and a temple to God according to our Writings. We are often enjoined to follow the advice of medical professionals, even to the extent of violating our laws in some cases (alcohol for example).
If I considered using eye-drops to break the fast (which I do not) I would still do it, because to allow my eyes to be harmed because of strict adherence to religious law, actually violates the spirit of the law. Baha’u'llah enjoins us to follow wisdom in the application of the laws in our life, and to treat our bodies with reverence (hygiene and medicine are both strenuously enjoined on us).
So, it is almost never a choice between one or the other.
Gerald, thank you for your insightful and helpful comments. In fact, you’ve said what I would have said, had I written a longer post, but I wanted to see if others would get the point.
I think yours is the right answer – at least, it coincides with what I think – but then there are those who believe that their eternal souls will be compromised if they break the strict letter of their particular law on fasting. So I guess they would not agree with us.
Mind you, Bahá’u'lláh says that the truly faithful would fast even unto death had He called on them to do so…
Interesting story. I agree with Gerald, for pretty much the same reasons.
And I would add that issues around health are one of the reasons I remain attracted to Benedictine spirituality. In the Rule of Benedict, there are provisions for the young and the sick not to undergo strict fasts. The Rule promotes balance in all things.
Tess, there’s no doubt that balance and moderation, properly applied are spiritual virtues and it’s good to know that the Rule of Benedict promotes balance. Interestingly, the Baha’i fasting law also provides exemptions from fasting for the young, the old, the sick and pregnant and nursing women. Physical health is important – it’s one of God’s gifts to us.
Well, I know that smoking is considered breaking the Fast, since it’s an ingestion…
Can the eyes ingest?
I’m with previous commentors on the practicality of Baha’i spirituality…
~ Alex from Our Evolution
Hi, Alex, smoking is considered breaking the Fast, as you say, but no doctor would prescribe tobacco for your health nowadays. The drops referred to in the story were part of a treatment programme prescribed by medical practitioners – I’ve no doubt that any Baha’i would give priority to Bahá’u'lláh’s injunction to obey competent physicians.
Bahá’í spirituality is certainly practical (as is Benedictine spirituality, from Tess’s account).
I use asthma inhalers and have never consider this invalidates my fast – the choice as far as I am concerned is to use them and fast or not fast at all.
Hi, Tricia, yours is the choice that I would make, were I an inhaler user (or taker of some other kind of medication). As it happens, I take medication for hypertension, but I can take this before sunrise and after sunset, so the question doesn’t arise quite so directly for me.
Glaucoma can begin at any age, but the rates of primary glaucoma (particularly open-angle glaucoma) increase with advancing age.
Rose.
Peace Barney (and everyone else too),
This is an important issue. There are some Muslims who choose to fast, even though it places their health in jeopardy – even though fasting is not required for one with a health condition. In other words, a simple trip to the doctor will establish whether fasting is permissible or not (from an Islamic perspective). The questions to ask in this case would be: could I fast safely? If not, would there be some way of taking my medication during the night-time without injuring my health? If the answer is no – don’t fast!
Abdur Rahman
Many thanks for this helpful clarification, Abdur Rahman (good to hear from you, by the way). I think this is very much the same approach as Baha’is would take.
Comments on this entry are closed.