CHILDREN AND COMPUER USE - points to remember

Millions of children work on the computer on a daily basis. While this may be a necessity in some cases as they may have school assignments, some may be just playing computer games for hours on end. It is important to be aware of the harmful effects of computer use in children.

Dry eyes
Adults do complain of symptoms of dry eyes like redness, pain , irritation of the eyes  after prolonged computer use. Children also have the same symptoms but they have some unique aspects which makes them more susceptible to the eye problems

Use of adult computer
Children may not adjust to the table height or the ergonomics may be wrong. Hence they may end up having eye strain or back and neck pain

Increased tolerance
Children are too engrossed in their own world and may ignore the warning signs like eye strain . If they have an underlying refractive error or eye problem they may ignore the poor vision as something that everyone may have. Children many a times have a hypermetropia or plus number which they can overcome with their eye power, but this may become an issue when they use the computer for long hours.

Reduced blinking
Children are not bothered about other things when they are hooked on to computer games and reduced blinking will lead them to forcefully blink their eyes or to severe eye strain.

Accommodation problems
Focussing can be at strain and the internal eye muscles may fatigue because of the excess eye strain .
This can lead to difficult focusing for distance - accommodative spasm.

Room lighting
The room light should not be too bright nor too dark. Comfort while viewing is a must.

POINTS TO REMEMBER
1, PREVENT CONTINOUS USE
2, GET THEIR EYE EXAMINED IN CASE OF ANY ISSUES
3, CHECK THE ERGONOMICS
4, USE OPTIMAL LIGHTING
5, ENCOURAGE THEM TO PLAY OUTDOORS

SQUINT AND BINOCULARITY

When we talk of binocularity we refer to the use of both the eyes together. This means that the two eyes can work together as a single unit and relay images to the brain. The direct result of this is depth perception - which is the judgment of the distance a person or object is from us.

Squint needs to be rectified at an early age as this can improve our depth perception and there is no permanent loss of this function.

What happens when one operated at an older age, maybe once a person is an adult ? Research has shown us that even in an older age, the depth perception can be preserved and improved. So when we operate on a squint at an older age, when he or she is an adult there are two benefits of the surgery - not only does the individual have better cosmetic appearance, the person also regains most of the depth perception. 

So it is worth correction of the squint at any age.

ADVANCES IN SQUINT SURGERY

Squint surgery has become one of the most technically uncomplicated surgeries now. The outcome is mainly dependent on the careful planning and assessment of the patient before surgery. This needs a lot of knowledge and understanding on the part of the clinician and surgeon. Only an experienced and well trained surgeon can perform and give a good result.

Understanding the nature of the squint, the extent and severity and the possible future outcomes need to be understood before embarking on the squint surgery. It is easy to understand this based on tests performed in the clinic. Sometimes it is best to observe the squint for some months in an effort to understand the nature of the squint.

Surgery is technically simple especially for the patient. The patient walks in and walks out of the clinic after surgery. There is no need for special rest, the patient can watch TV, read and work on the computer.

The precautions would be not wetting the eyes for a month, so no swimming for a month and no head bath for a week.

Squint surgery has become technically simple to perform, scarless, and cosmetic in nature. Cosmetic because there is no scar of the surgery. There are no tell tale signs of surgery.

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.

MYOPIA

WHEN BOTH THE PARENTS ARE MYOPIC THE CHILD IS MORE LIKELY TO BE MYOPIC.

THE POWER OF THE EYES AT ONE YEAR OF AGE CAN BE A GOOD PREDICTOR OF THE NATURE OF ASTIGMATISM OF THE CHILD.

EMMETROPIZATION IS A VERY IMPORTANT CONCEPT, WHICH MEANS THE EYES ARE TENDING TO GO TOWARDS NORMALCY AS THE CHILD GROWS.

THIS IS MORE IN THE PRESCHOOL YEARS THAT IS UPTO 6 YEARS OF AGE.

USUALLY THE CHILD HAS 0.5 D OF HYPEROPIA WHICH THE CHILD MAINTAINS TILL THE AGE OF 1.

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HALTING THE PROGRESSION OF MYOPIA

CURRENT RESEARCH

Research is showing that that there are methods to slow or prevent the 

progression of myopia, but the actions work best when the child is younger. 

Myopic changes are generally permanent; they don't get better with treatment. 

Treatment should therefore be designed to prevent the development and 

progression and to do that requires eye examinations to start at a young age, 

approximately five years old for yearly exams. There are no guarantees that any 

specific treatment will work for an individual person but the lack of early care 

prevents any potential benefit from starting early.

CONTACT US ON call@axiseyeclinic.com to fix an appointment

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MYOPIA OR SHORT SIGHTEDNESS

WHAT IS MYOPIA ?
 

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.





WHY SHOULD YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT MYOPIA ?

Myopia is getting worse around the world, even to the point of being EQUAL TO 

AN EPIDEMIC. In some parts of Asia, 80% of the girls in high school are myopic. 

It has become an issue of monumental importance affecting over a billion people 

around the world and it is getting worse.