Candle Meditation

I would like to practice a kind of meditation where you stare at a candle light as the meditation object (Trataka). Although this practice involves alternating between looking at the flame with open eyes and than looking at the after image with your eyes closed, I find it much comfortable for me to simply stare at the candle flame for an hour a day (which pretty much provides the same desired effects for me). I am only concerned about the health of my eyes which I read somewhere that performing this kind of meditation can damage my retinas if performed for more than 2 months at a stretch. I plan to meditate for life as it is a great pursuit, however I would like to know if this meditation object is safe for a lifelong meditation pursuer as myself.

I'm afraid that I can't give you much help with this question. All I can say is that candles give off visible and infrared light. The eye is especially sensitive to visible and near-infrared light, which falls into what is called the Retinal Hazard Region of the optical spectrum. Given the low brightness of a candle, I would guess that there isn't a high risk of retinal damage, though there could be other physiological issues. You'd need to seek advice from an eye doctor to know for sure. However, there are several things you can do to reduce the potential risks of injury,

• Don't stare at a candle. Can you stare at something else and get the same effect?
• Use a dim candle and sit as far away as you can.
  
• Keep the lights on in the room