| If you think you can get a cataract or suffer from eye contamination only when you begin to age, read on. Younger people are facing loss of vision because of strain and stresses caused by urban living |
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Green-eyed actor Aishwarya Rai may have been able to motivate people to donate their eyes for the cause of those who have gone blind, or are born blind, but no one out there has thought about using a glamorous, high profile brand ambassador to push the cause of eye care. Yet, data available with eye care hospitals reveal that several people loose their vision because of sheer neglect. Dr Ravi Menon, eye care specialist with a major hospital says that eye strain caused by constant use of computer, too much television viewing and too little eye exercise has led to growing number of vision weakening cases. "There are also a lot of cases of eye contamination due to lack of proper care. It doesnt really take too much to care for your eyes on a regular basis," he adds. The largest growth has been in the number of eye strain cases, caused because of increasing stress of urban living, spending too many long hours in front of the computer without bothering to take your eye off the screen often enough, or because you have been reading very tiny print. The other big culprits are our completely polluted cities. Air pollution is known to cause watering and often contamination of eyes.
Even kids are not spared!
While eye strain and contamination may be the big enemies, there are those who also suffer from cataract, glaucoma and diabetic eye disease, each of them painful, each of them leading to a loss of vision. Statistics given out by Wadala-based Aditya Jyot Eye Hospital lead us to conclude that cataract is the single largest cause of blindness in India. "Cataract is a term used to define a situation when the natural lens of the eye becomes opaque," says a study conducted by the hospital. "There are several causes for cataract formation, which can occur at any age. There is a misconception that cataract affects only the elderly. This often leads to a delayed or no treatment, especially when children are affected. In fact almost anything, from trauma to mental disorders or congenital diseases could be the cause of cataract." The hospital has a dedicated inhouse Pediatric Ophthalmologist to take care of eye problems in the younger age group.
Cure at hand : There are several surgical methods to treat cataract, from a surgery called phacoemulsification, done under local anesthesia with the least possible discomfort caused to the patient, to a laser procedure, where the cataract is removed and the vision is improved using a high precision laser beam.
Regular Eye Care : Doctors opine that its better to take care than opt for surgery. Hospitals like the Surya Eyetech Hospital & Research Institute, located in the upscale Mulund suburb, offer eye checkups and care for patients suffering from diabetes or any other eye injuries. Modern technology ensures that there is a treatment for any kind of eye disease or disorder: glaucoma, squint, corneal transplant, retinal detachment and laser correction.
Just as regular eye checkup is essential, so is the use of quality eye products and spectacles. As M. K. Gupta, CMD, GKB Hi-Tech Pvt. Lad says, "Its essential to use spectacles with customised lenses best suited to your eyes. Its better to opt for eye and lens counselling before you pick up your next pair of glasses." A little bit of care is all thats required to keep your eyes beautiful. On World Sight Day, we give you a list of symptoms to look out for and the perfect way to take care of your windows to the world.
Check out for:
- Strain when you are reading or watching television
- Blurred vision
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Pain in the eyes
- Watering of eyes
Tips on how to reduce strain
- Arrange your work desk so that you are at a comfortable distance from the computer screen and have a good posture, as well as hand control at the keyboard. Your eyes should be about level with the top of the screen. Adjust the monitor control so that the screen isnt too bright.
- Keep a book at some distance from your eyes while you are reading.
- Make sure that the contrast between the light from the computer monitor and the room behind isnt too great, so that your eyes dont have to continuously adjust between the two.
- Constantly clean your eyes and wash them with cold water. Once a while, lie down with your eyes shut and cover them with cucumber or potato, which are cooling agents.
- In case you cut your eye, dont wash it. Instead, shield it with a plastic cup and get medical help.
- Use an eye solution in case dust particles get stuck in your eye. Wash it using this solution. Dont ever rub it.
- If your eves are hurt after a fall or after you have got into a nasty physical fight with someone (!), apply a cold pack, one filled with ice, around the area of the eye so that the injury subsides. Get urgent medical help if there is pain, you have problem seeing, or there is blood coming out from your eves.
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