Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Testing time for your eyes

It's exam time. Here are simple ways to protect your eyes from strain

It's exam time, folks, and we know you will be submerged in a sea of books and notes and glued to computer screens, trying to absorb as much as you can. You don't want to miss out on a single point, huh?

Amidst all this, you need to ensure that you don't strain your eyes too much.

Remember you need them to be wide open when writing your exam. Here are some common symptoms that indicate eyestrain — itching, burning, irritation, redness, headache, dizziness, excessive tearing and blurred vision that improves with blinking. So, it is obvious that eyestrain may be accompanied by increasing difficulty in focussing, dryness, headache and general discomfort. Even if your eyes are healthy, the extra strain that they are subjected to during the exam time can lead to loss of efficiency and discomfort.

What can you do about it? Some common eye care tips can be of great help. Try not to compromise on sleep. You need a minimum of 6-8 hours of sleep everyday. Rest your eyes even when reading. Lift them occasionally from the books and look into the distance, blink frequently and regularly, especially when you have the above-mentioned symptoms. Keep your books at a comfortable distance from your eyes, don't keep them too close or too far. Keep your line of gaze at 90 degrees to the reading material. This ensures that both eyes are at equal distance from the target. (Unequal distance can cause strain and imbalance of muscles). Prevent the glare of light, which has a fatiguing effect on the eyes. Light fixtures in the room should reflect light upwards as well as outwards and not directly on the eyes (remember, we need to illuminate the object and not the eye, general illumination is of course desired). Grandmother's tricks work. Give rest to your tired eyes by applying two thin slices of cucumber as a cool compress and relax. Or dip gauze pads in light, cold tea and keep on the tired eye for 15 minutes (once or twice a day will do). Splash cold water occasionally on your eyes to relax them and bring back the sparkle to tired eyes. If you are using contact lenses, then you may need to take that extra care. Not using contact lenses during exam time is not the option but rather ensure that you follow a proper lens cleaning regimen as prescribed by your eye care practitioner and that you use good quality lens care solutions that give your lenses and eyes sufficient lubrication and nutrition.

R. PREMA

(The author is a Chennai-based ophthalmologist)

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail