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Never lose sight of this problem
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Maintaining eye health can save you from loss of vision later in life
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THE GIFT OF SIGHT Protecting your eyes is in your hands
We tend to think of eye injuries just around Diwali when firecrackers are set off, but they can happen any time. Just as you wear a helmet or a seat belt to protect yourself while driving, you should also take steps to protect your eyes. Maintaining eye health can save you from loss of vision later in life. Here are a few insights into eye care.
The basics
Are you having trouble seeing? Do you get headaches frequently? You may require reading or seeing spectacles. The first spectacles were fashioned by English scientist Roger Bacon, 738 years ago. Today, glasses and contact lenses have become as matter-of-fact as toothbrushes, but not so proper eye care.
If you wear contact lenses, never leave them on your eyes for over eight hours at a stretch. Alternate them with glasses to give your eyes more rest. Clean your lenses thoroughly after every use and disinfect them with the prescribed enzyme tablets periodically.
"This may be time-consuming, but is far better than succumbing to an eye infection," says ophthalmologist A. G. Ramesh, adding, "never doze off on a bus ride with your contact lenses on, as this can lead to corneal injury. Your cornea needs oxygen, and when you close your eyes, the cornea gets less oxygen, resulting in corneal injury."
What about laser surgery? This can be done only after the age of 18 and if the individual has not had an increase in power for the last 12 months. "Laser surgery is safe and offers permanent correction, but can be done only if the cornea is sufficiently thick (560 microns detected by pachymetry) and if the optic nerve conduction is normal. If the eye has retinal holes and degeneration, then, this has to be treated first," says Dr. Ramesh.
Computer Vision Syndrome
Does your work involve staring at the computer for hours together? Unless you take precautions, you might fall prey to computer vision syndrome (dryness of the eye). "This is caused by the eye-blink rate falling to five times a minute from the normal blink-rate of 11 to 15 times a minute. Blinking produces tears, and those with low blink rates produce less tears and, consequently, less lubrication, resulting in dryness in the eye," says ophthalmologist Mohan Rajan.
"What these people can do is to voluntarily increase their blink rate. In severe cases, artificial tear supplements may be used," says Dr. Rajan.
He suggests that the computer monitor be placed at a level slightly lower than the eye level. "The eye will automatically tend to close then, which will boost the blink rate."
He also advocates the twenty-twenty-twenty rule for circumventing the computer eye syndrome.
What this involves is taking the eyes off the computer screen and looking at an object located at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds after every 20 minutes of staring at the computer. "The eye relaxes then. The computer should not be placed against walls as the operator will not be able to focus on distances," says Dr. Rajan.
He also recommends anti-reflective screens that can be placed over the monitor. The lighting in the area should be such that it should not produce glare.
While watching television, sit eight feet away from it. For reading at night, you need at least the illumination created by a 40-60 watt bulb. It also makes sense to wear protective eye gear while playing rough sports, while in the lab or at workshops where eye injuries can easily occur.
If any foreign object like sand or dust enters your eye, don't rub it. Wash your eye for several minutes with lukewarm water. If the discomfort persists, seek professional help.
Do you feel that there is something in your eye, when there's really nothing? Has your eye reddened or is it producing a lot of tears and overly sensitive to light? "It could be a case of scratched cornea. It may have resulted from wearing contact lenses, or by injury. Then, stop wearing contact lenses, and get your eyes examined," says Dr. Ramesh.
With proper treatment, it usually will heal in two weeks.
If you have red eye, or pain in the eye or any change in vision, visit an eye specialist. If you've been hit in the eye and the eye bleeds, swells or looks different, take emergency medical care at a hospital or clinic.
UV protection
If your lifestyle involves exposure to bright sunlight, opt for sunglasses with UV filters. "UV rays can damage inner structures of the eye and cause pre-senile cataract and macular degeneration and a condition called pterygium involving a fleshy growth on the white of the eye," Dr. Rajan says.
Research indicates that people in the tropics where the sun shines best, tend to develop cataract a good 10 years earlier than people elsewhere. Avoid smoking too, as it can put you at risk for developing macular degeneration.
Risk factors
If you have a family history of eye problems such as glaucoma or cataract, or if you have diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, get your eyes checked at least every year, as these conditions put you at an increased risk of developing blinding eye diseases.
Finally, to preserve this wonderful gift of sight, eat lots of vitamin A found abundantly in green leafy vegetables such as cabbage, carrot, fish, milk and egg — a person needs 10,000 international units of vitamin A every day which can be had by including a these foodstuffs in our daily diet.
HEMA VIJAY
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