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

HOLI - TIPS FOR A SAFE HOLI - CARING FOR YOUR EYES

WISH YOU A VERY HAPPY HOLI

We look forward to this festival of colours. ...

let us ensure we take care of our eyes this Holi,,,

1, Avoid industrial colors or synthetic dyes...these can harm the eyes permanently

2, Use natural colours only...

3, Do not rub your eyes when irritation occurs or colors enter the eyes

4, Do not throw water balloons and water guns - these can cause permanent damage and bleeding

5, Wash the eye thoroughly if something enters the eye.

6, Do not buy over the counter medications for the eyes like rose water etc... these can be harmful

WIsh you all  a safe and happy Holi 

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.

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.

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.