KEEPING A TAB

It is alarming when we see the number of children playing on tabs or ipads and mobiles. The games are addictive and the children keep playing on them for long intervals without any breaks in between.

Now how is this harming the eyes?

Continuous near work stresses the accommodation of the eyes and this leads to disturbances of eye coordination especially fusion and convergence. This can lead to focusing problems also.

The next problem is dry eyes. This occurs because of infrequent blinking and disturbances in the tear film constitution. There is accumulation of debris in the tear film.

I think it is the need of the hour to keep a tab on the duration of time spent on the tab and mobile phones.

LOW VISION AIDS

Please visit the page of

www.axismedvision.in

They have a great display of low vision aids...unique in the Indian market

POST DIWALI....

Don't you think the air is polluted after Diwali ? Well this can lead to some irritating issues related to the eyes. The air is thick with the dust and smoke from the firecrackers.

The most common problem due to this is ALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVITIS. The eyes become red, sore and itchy with mild watering.

Wash the closed eyes with normal or slightly cold water is a good idea. DO this 2 times a day. Of course there are drops like mild steroids and anti allergic medication which can help.

But of course this is unavoidable...Using goggles while driving will help in preventing the debris and dust from entering the eyes.

DIWALI AND EYE PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN

               

 DIWALI AND EYE PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN

1.       The most serious problem is burns due to the firecrackers. These can occur on the lids and rarely in the cornea or internal parts of the eyes. The first thing to be done is thorough washing and removal of any debris or foreign bodies. Secondly in case an immediate eye consultation is not possible one can use an antibiotic eye ointment in the eye. But consulting an eye doctor should be the top priority.

Types of injuries

a.       Lid scalds – apply cold water, and antibiotic eye ointment

b.      Corneal or conjunctival burn – remove all foreign bodies and apply ointment

c.       Lid swelling – apply ice on the lid to reduce the swelling

2.       The second issue is allergic conjunctivitis. The dust and pollution due to these firecrackers leads to itching, redness and watering of the eyes and this needs to be treated with anti-allergic medications.    

      Thirdly do not use over the counter drops especially PYRIMON for all eye problems as these contain steroids which can harm the eyes...

    WISHING EVERYONE A VERY HAPPY DIWALI

FDC AWARD for drug research at MOSCON 2013

FDC AWARD AT MOSCON 2013....

HAPPY DIWALI - WISHING EVERYONE A SAFE AND HAPPY DIWALI

ALL ABOUT MYOPIA

v  Myopia, also called nearsightedness or shortsightedness, is the eye condition where objects nearby or a short distance away are clear but objects that are far away are blurred. It is caused by the eye being slightly too long.

v  One can stop the eyes from becoming myopic or progression of myopia.

v  Myopia is getting worse around the world, even to the point of being called an epidemic by some. In some parts of Asia, 80% of the girls in high school are myopic. In the United States, myopia has increased 66% in thirty years so that now 42% of people aged 12-54 are myopic.

v  Myopic parents have more myopic children than non-myopic parents.

v  People in urban environments have more myopia than rural or primitive societies.

v  The amount of reading or near work a person does is not predictive of whether they will become myopic.

v  People who spend more time outdoors, even if they have myopic parents and even if they read a lot, are less likely to become myopic. We don't know why exactly - it may be the sun, it may be focusing on distant objects or some other factor.

v  Spending too much time on the tablets and mobile games can accelerate the progression

v  ­­­­Your child needs an eye exam every year starting at age five. (Check-ups before then.) The goal is to actively start treatment within a few months of myopia starting. In general, you can slow or stop it, you can't make it better. 

Treatment options……

v  Atropine: reviews - the ATOM study. - 77% myopic progression reduction

v  Pirenzepine: approximately 50% reduction; not available easily.

v  Bifocals: No slowing of myopia

v  Progressive Addition Lenses(COMET study): PALs are "not clinically meaningful"

v  Contact lenses (RGP): "not effective for myopia control"

v  Orthokeratology: "...no evidence for long-term efficacy of orthokeratology in reducing myopia progression...A gold standard randomized controlled trial is needed .."

v  Undercorrection: makes things worse. "This means that myopes may have an abnormal mechanism for detecting the direction of optical defocus of the retinal image."

v  Part time lens wear: No effect seen. Larger study called for.

v  NeuroVision: A commercial internet based system of training. Preliminary results compared to age matched normals of another study showed slowing of myopia.

v  EyeRelax: "a microscope-like device". No evidence it can retard myopia.

v  Pinhole Glasses: No evidence it can retard myopia.

v  Bates Method: "Bates' anecdotal reports of improved vision have not been evaluated in trials.