Computer Vision Syndrome

Many of you have jobs that require you to work on the computer. These strenuous computer-intensive work conditions have given rise to what is known as Computer Vision Syndrome.

Dr Harish S Belvi, a practising ophthalmologist (eye specialist) based in Mumbai, says that this occurs "when there is a shortening of tear break up time. In other words, tears that form a defensive film over the eyes start drying up. This occurs when the eyes are open and looking into the monitor for too long. The tears evaporate from the eyes faster, causing the eyes to dry up."

i. Eyestrain

Eyestrain, which is a common problem, mostly occurs when we are working on something for a long time without taking adequate breaks. It can be caused by activities such as watching television, working on the computer, reading a book or studying for long hours. In such cases, your eye muscles are working hard to help you focus.

During these times, your inner eye muscles tighten up, causing your eyes to get irritated, dry up and feel uncomfortable. In addition, lack of sleep, fatigue, poor lighting and an incorrect posture (such as slouching on your chair), can aggravate eyestrain.

Symptoms include a mild headache, coupled with irritated/ smarting eyes. You might also find it difficult to focus after a prolonged session of reading or looking at your computer screen.

Prevention: Apart from placing your monitor 25 inches away from where you sit, tilt it a little below eye level. How does this help? Dr Belvi says, "When your eyes are looking down at a lower level, they are opened less as compared to when you look directly into a monitor tilted at a higher level. Thus, keeping the monitor at a lower level helps minimise evaporation of moisture from your eyes."

Opt for LCD/ plasma monitors as they are more soothing, compared to cathode ray tube monitors. "LCD or plasma monitors are technologically more advanced. As a result, the pixilated picture quality and colour contrast are soothing to the eyes. Compared to that, cathode ray tube monitors are harsh on the eyes as they display focused light on the eyes," he adds.

You can also set the lighting and brightness of your monitor to a lower glare, as per your comfort level.

ii. Dry Eyes

This problem can be worse for those who wear contact lenses to work on a daily basis. Dry eyes occur when our blink rate declines considerably while working on a computer. More so since we are looking straight ahead into the monitor, as compared to desk work where we look down at our books/ files.

The very act of looking into a monitor without blinking results in tear evaporation. An air-conditioned office environment also contributes to this problem, dehydrating our eyes and causing them to itch.

Some of the basic symptoms of dry eyes are a feeling of dryness and irritation, a gritty/ grainy feeling in the eyes, a blurring of vision, redness, feeling a strain on the eyes, general stress, an intolerance to light, and headaches.

Prevention: Follow certain precautions like keeping a minimum distance of 25 inches from the screen.

Fix an antiglare screen on your monitor.

Take regular visual breaks lasting few minutes, at intervals of 20 minutes -- such as looking away from the screen for about a minute and then getting back to work. This will help your eyes focus better.

Blink your eyes several times so they are nourished with tears.

Use preservative-free re-wetting eye drops; these can be safely used even by those of you who wear contact lenses.

iii. Vision related headaches

Most of us have suffered from vision related headaches. These signal eyestrain and are usually caused by improper workplace conditions. Glare from the computer screen and poor lighting are some of the main culprits. Some of the main symptoms include headaches that occur mostly toward the front part of your head or forehead, and you finding yourself pressing the point between your eyes and upper part of your nose.

Prevention: If at home, have lemon tea. If at work, try a hot cup of tea, as it helps soothe headaches.

Eye Wash

EyeWash

Not having an emergency eye wash station available for the protection of your employees’ eyes is one of the most issued OSHA citations. According to the OSHA standards, specifically §1910.151(c), eyewash stations need to be located no more than 10 seconds (or less than 25 feet away) within the work area, and where a strong acid or caustic is used, the station should be immediately adjacent to the hazard area. In addition, the eye wash stations “should contain enough water to provide for 15 minutes of continuous use.”

Eye Wash Stations Are Critical

Protecting eyesight is very important, thus making eye wash stations critical when working around chemicals. Most chemical work environments require their employees to wear safety glasses, but we all know accidents can happen and eyewash stations provide an effective means of emergency treatment for when chemicals come into contact with the eyes. The first fifteen seconds following exposure are critical and having a professional eyewash station is just what you need!

Along with emergency drench showers and other safety products, All Safety Products, Inc. can provide you with a professional eyewash station and equipment. All Safety Products, Inc. carries a complete line of eyewash stations, including portable, wall mount, heat-traced drench showers, faucet mount and floor mount models. Our gravity flow portable wash station meets OSHA’s 15-minute flow time requirement so your people can rest assured that they will get the aid they need in case of an emergency, and OSHA will be happy!

Eye Wash Vs. Drench Shower

In addition to an eye wash station, you may also want to invest in an emergency drench shower. This would help in the event an employee was exposed to harmful chemicals outside of the eye area. This type of prevention tool is also effective for managing clothing fires and removing contaminants.

Combat the signs of aging with the eyelid plastic surgery

No one in this world would like to reveal their exact age. All of us would like to hide our age but in vain .The saggy eyelids and bags will pop up if we are in the verge of old age. For some even much prior to getting into old age itself the eye bags will show its face. At this juncture you can spare a thought to eyelid plastic surgery. Intriguing? Read on.

This article covers

* What Are Saggy Eyelids?

* Symptoms of Ptosis

* Why Surgery?

* The Surgery Itself

* Options for Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery

Most people have eyelid plastic surgery to reduce the signs of aging. They feel an eyelid lift or brow lift will help them regain some of their vibrant, youthful appearance. Others find that their saggy eyelids are causing them vision problems that need to be dealt with. In either case, it is important to know if surgery or other options will benefit you, what causes saggy eyelids, and what might be done to prevent them.

What Are Saggy Eyelids?

A saggy or droopy eyelid, known as Ptosis, is the excess skin or fatty tissue in the eyelids that causes them to sag or droop. Ptosis usually begins to occur in adults between the ages of 45 and 50. Gravity and the loss of muscle tone results in the outer edge of the eyebrows drooping. The eyebrow droop causes the upper eyelids to protrude and sit on top of the eyelashes.

The droop of the eyebrows and eyelids results in the build up of fat and extra tissue around the eyes. This extra tissue makes the eyes look smaller, sunken in, and gives a person's face an overall tired, wrinkled appearance. Saggy eyelids can affect more than just your appearance; they can also affect your vision. Ptosis can result in an obstruction of your vision and you may not even realize it.

Symptoms of Ptosis

All of your senses are the same in that the brain is what determines what you smell, touch, taste, feel, hear, and see. Your eyes, nose, tongue, skin, and ears just gather information. Your brain then decodes the information and, in the case of vision, gives you an image of what you "see". The brain sometimes aids us in completing a "picture" and sometimes filters out what it thinks is not necessary. Often, the brain will filter the drooping eyelids out of your vision, but at the cost of having to work harder to give you a clear "picture".

The functioning of the brain makes some of the symptoms of Ptosis not as clear as others. These often unrecognized symptoms are followed by the more obvious ones:

* Frequent headaches

* Fatigue, particularly after prolonged reading

* Loss of some upper portions of your visual field

* Raising of the eyebrows to see or read

* Frequent blinking or eyelid twitching

* Drooping eyelids

* Excessive upper eyelid skin

* Fatty bags under the eyes

There are a variety of ways to treat these symptoms, and even to prevent or delay them. Those who want an immediate change in their appearance or whose vision is being greatly impaired, often turn to surgery.

Why Surgery?

People often choose surgery to deal with saggy eyelids because it is fast, convenient, and the results are immediately noticeable. Eyelid plastic surgery, Blepharoplasty, is performed on an outpatient basis and usually only involves local anesthetics. A few days recovery time is usually all that is required. Although it is a fairly simple procedure, remember that it is still surgery. Choose your doctor carefully and prepare yourself by finding out how the procedure works.

The Surgery Itself

In blepharoplasty, a laser is used to remove excess skin and fat tissue from the eyelids. Although it is often grouped with other corrective laser eye surgeries, it is important to remember that blepharoplasty deals with the skin and tissue around the eye, not the eye itself. The procedure only removes excess tissue. It does not tighten the skin or remove wrinkles, making it a poor cosmetic eyelid surgery done alone.

Because of this, it is usually done in conjunction with an eyelid lift, in which part of the eyelid is sutured to the skin above the eye to lessen the amount of visible eyelid. Sometimes an endoscopic brow lift is done at the same time so that wrinkles on the forehead, around the temples, and the corners of the eyes are lessoned or removed. Blepharoplasty is usually done to the upper and lower eyelid at the same time, with the patient being given a local anesthetic.

The physician will usually make an incision along the crease line of the upper eyelid and use the laser to remove the excess tissue. Very fine sutures are used to close the incision. The scar from the procedure is almost invisible and hidden by the natural fold of the skin.

The lower eyelid is done in almost the same way, but the incision may be made along the lash line instead of the smile crease. In some cases when there is an accumulation of fat under the eyes (bags under the eyes) and skin does not need to be removed, doctors may suggest a Transconjunctival blepharoplasty. In this procedure, the incision is made on the inside of the lower eyelid and the fat is removed.

Dissolving sutures are used and there is no visible scar. Because these procedures only take a couple of hours, are done on an outpatient basis, have little complications, and deliver results that are normally noticeable, blepharoplasty compares favorably to other options in dealing with ptosis because it is quick, effective, and relatively painless.