Soft contact lenses

Made of soft polymer-plastic, these lenses also contain some amount of water, which adds to the comfort. The more the water content, the longer they can be used.

Disposable lenses

If you suffer from an allergy, opt for daily disposable contact lenses. While some of them are for one time use, other varieties can be used frequently—for 7 days, 30 days or 90 days. Care of quarterly lenses is the same as traditional yearly soft contact lenses—these are to be removed every night, cleaned and placed in the lens case with the appropriate lens solution. They are to be thrown away after the prescribed period.

The biggest advantage of using disposable lenses is that they cut down your risk of infection, dry eye and allergies as you replace them often.

Traditional re-usable lenses

These lenses are to be changed on an annual basis. Some individuals even change them every quarter. However, the frequent replacement costs are often prohibitive. Most toric lenses [those used for blurred vision], bifocals or multi-focal lenses that help both near and far vision, fall under this category.

Extended-wear lenses

These are leave-in lenses, which can be worn continuously for up to 30 days. They are made of material that allows a higher percentage of oxygen to pass through to the cornea.

Rigid gas permeable [RGP] lenses

RGP lenses have fallen out of fashion because they take a long time to adjust. Besides, they cause a lot of discomfort as compared to soft lenses. Hence, they are prescribed only for specific corneal conditions.

Cosmetic coloured lenses

Used to alter the aesthetic appeal of your eyes, these come in a variety of shades. They often have no power and can be purchased over-the-counter without a prescription. When buying these, check their quality. These lenses are also available with special designs for fun. In case of scars or disfigurement of the eye, you can get specialised colour lenses. Most coloured lenses are soft lenses.

Buying your first lenses?

Get a separate eye examination from an ophthalmologist or a contact lens specialist because the prescriptions for your spectacles and contact lenses may not be the same. If you buy contact lenses on the basis of your prescription for spectacles, the lenses may not be correct for you. The eye examination should include computerised mapping [topography] to check size and curvature of the cornea and microscopic corneal assessment to rule out signs of allergies, infections, dry eye, inflammation or scarring related to past contact lens wear. This checks not only vision [visual acuity] but also how well your tears work in lubricating your eyes.

Discuss in detail about your contact lens requirements with your specialist who will then recommend suitable contact lenses for you. You might be fitted with lenses for a short trial period to help you get accustomed to wearing lenses.

Don’t order the lenses till you are confident that you will be able to wear and remove them on your own. Your specialist should give you time to practise doing this. Also, learn how to clean the contact lenses, and other dos and don’ts. Only when you are comfortable with the trial lenses and the instructions, should you order them.

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Since today’s approach to cataract is nothing like it was before, it’s natural to have doubts surrounding it. Here, we clear some common ones.

Common doubts about cataract surgery

Can a cataract be prevented or dissolved by taking medicines and eye drops?

There are no eye drops scientifically proven to dissolve cataracts. As per today’s scientific knowledge, age-related cataracts cannot be prevented by any drugs and surgery is the only method of removing them

Is cataract surgery done with lasers?

Lasers were tried some years ago, but were found to be inefficient. The surgeries now are stitch-less, quick, enable speedy recovery but don’t involve lasers. Advanced cataract surgery can even reduce or eliminate your dependence on glasses.

My doctor has offered me different type of lenses. Which would be best for me?

Cataract surgery needs an artificial lens implant [IOL] to refocus the eye. The standard implant for years was a ‘monofocal implant’, designed to focus the eye for distance vision, which means that reading glasses were necessary [to enable viewing objects that are near].

Multifocal implants and accommodating implants are now available. These are considered premium lenses and designed to help with near, intermediate and far vision. They also reduce or eliminate the need for reading glasses.

However, the suitability of implants also depends on the condition of an individual’s eye. The advantages or disadvantages of these options must be discussed with your surgeon.

What can I expect after a cataract surgery?

Cataract surgery can now be done under eye-drop anesthesia in less than 15 minutes. Hence, recovery is quick. Most patients do not even require pain medication. At the most, they feel as if there’s a foreign body in the eye. However, this feeling usually passes in a few hours.

The next day, the vision could either be excellent or cloudy, depending on the amount of swelling [oedema] in the cornea. While patients with mild cataracts have little swelling, those with dense cataracts have more, as they require more energy to remove the cataract. Typically, the swelling subsides in a few days and most patients are able to see quite well.

For how long is the eye sensitive to light?

It is not unusual to be extra-sensitive to light for a few days. This is temporary and settles down soon. Light sensitivity could be because of several possibilities—dilated pupils or inflammation from prolonged healing.

It could also be because the person’s lens, which was opaque due to the cataract, is now clear, allowing more light in. If you experience this, a follow-up consultation with your surgeon will determine the cause.

Will I be able to see colours properly after surgery?

Cataracts significantly reduce a person’s ‘blue light’ perception. Hence, after surgery, some patients see ‘blue’ with the eye, as compared to the other non-operated eye. This is normal. The ability to perceive colours returns to normalcy within a few days of recovery.

Is it normal to see floating spots in the eye post cataract surgery?

The spots that you see in your vision when you look around are called floaters, and are not unusual. They can appear as curved or straight lines, strings, spots, or O or C shaped blobs. You could see a single floater or hundreds of them. These usually settle down without any treatment. However, if you develop more floaters, flashing lights or a shadow in the peripheral vision, get yourself checked again.

How frequently do I need to change my spectacles after surgery?

The prescription for your glasses is usually tested by the end of one month post surgery. Variation in it is expected. Nevertheless, you needn’t change your glasses if you don’t face a difficulty in seeing distant objects, reading or doing any activity.

I had surgery some years ago and the eye is getting cloudy again. What to do?

You may have developed a cloudy membrane behind the lens implant, called posterior capsular opacification [PCO]. PCO can develop months or even years after cataract surgery. In many patients, opaque cells slowly migrate over the capsule in which the implanted lens is fixed. This layer of cells blocks light and blurs your vision.

Treatment for PCO is simple and quick with a painless, laser procedure that just takes a few minutes. This restores your vision to how it was just after the cataract surgery.

I’ve heard that steroids in the eye drops can be harmful. Is it true?

Yes. If used for long duration, steroids do affect the eyes adversely. But steroids are the only way to treat and cure the inflammation in the eye after surgery. Hence, it is recommended you only use eye drops prescribed by an expert surgeon. If you sense any discomfort in the eye, report it immediately.

My eyes started hurting after I stopped using the drops. Why?

Many experience pain, redness, watering and intolerance to light in the operated eye after discontinuing eye drops. This could be a withdrawal symptom by your body, which is now used to the eye drops. Or it could be an indication of inflammation elsewhere in the body. Consult your surgeon at the earliest. This can be treated completely and does not damage the eye.

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For people with normal vision, this headache or disorientation after watching a 3D film is usual because we have trained our eyes mostly to see movies in 2D. In 2D films, we see images in one plane, so the focussing efforts of the eye are minimal. No strain, no headache.

However, 3D images are stacked in front of or behind some other layer depending on what the filmmakers want you to see. Our eyes have a natural tendency to bring images which are closer or further away into focus.

3D camerawork frustrates this instinct as, here, you are meant to focus where the director wants you to. If you start looking elsewhere—at a creature or an animal on the side—you cannot focus on it and this gives you a disoriented, sometimes nauseous feeling. That translates into greater mental effort, triggering a headache.

A minor, short-term headache immediately after watching a 3D movie is usually not considered serious. But a long-lasting headache, nausea, disorientation could well mean an eye problem. People who do not have normal depth perception cannot see in 3D at all.

If you experience headaches after watching 3D films, you should not ignore it. It could be a red alert especially in case of children. This is like a ‘screening test’ for some eye conditions, which often go undetected like anisometropia [unequal spectacle powers], strabismus [squint] or amblyopia [lazy eye].

Many people with minor eye problems, such as a muscle imbalance remain undetected as our brain under normal circumstances adjusts naturally. Some conditions may be congenital, may develop later in life due to systemic diseases such as diabetes, thyroid conditions, myasthenia gravis or due to
nerve palsies.

Firstly, visit your eye specialist periodically to ensure that your eyes are healthy and your vision is normal.

Secondly, disregard your experience with 2D movies and stay focussed on what is right in front of you—what you should be paying attention to. Concentrate on what the filmmaker wants you to see, focussing too long on the background details is what triggers headaches and disorientation.

Nowadays, advanced movie making techniques are used to make the images easier for our brain to view and keep up with the 3D illusion. However, as 3D moves towards television, more viewers are expected to have eye problems. This is because sports such as football, which have quick movements, will be even harder to focus on for long.

If you face any of the above-mentioned discomforts for a prolonged period, report to your doctor as soon as possible.

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The toll is taken by not only your body but also your eyes.

The natural state of the body is to be at peace. When we read to understand and learn new information, the mind becomes tense and tries to catch hold. This agitation strains the entire body, including the eyes. This is precisely the reason why people often feel drained after studying or working, even though they have not physically exerted themselves.

Like physical exercise strengthens and de-stresses the body from fatigue, similarly a few simple exercises go a long way in strengthening eye muscles and provide relaxation. The following recommended exercises help counterbalance the effects of eyestrain. The key to doing these exercises is to completely relax and empty the mind as in meditation or yoga.

The following eye exercises are frequently suggested by most health care providers:

Improve Visual Concentration

To strengthen visual concentration, sit comfortably with your back and neck straight but not stiff. Start by holding each below mentioned posture for a few minutes and gradually increase the time.

• Focus your gaze on the tip of your nose without blinking. Remain in this position for as long as you can. Then close your eyes and relax.
• Focus on your “third eye” without blinking. This is the area between the eyebrows above your nose. Then close your eyes and relax. It may feel uncomfortable or hard to do at first, but do not give up. Keep your focus on that area and with time, you will find this posture easier to do.
• Without turning your head, focus both eyes on your left shoulder. Remain in this position for as long as you can. Then close your eyes and relax. Repeat this sequence with the right shoulder.

After you are finished, place the palms of your hands on your closed eyes and rest for some time. This will help eye muscles relax.

Imagination for better eyesight

This is another exercise to improve visual concentration. First lie on your back facing up. Your palms should face the ceiling and your legs should be about shoulder-width apart. If you are doing this exercise in your office then sit comfortably in your chair.

Close your eyes. Breathe into your stomach. Feel it expand as it fills with air. Continue breathing in and out for a few minutes and then open your eyes. Pick a stationary object to look at. Close your eyes again and continue “looking” at that object. This exercise helps to relax your eyes. It also balances mental focus with imagination.

De-stress your eyes

Like the previous exercise, lie on your back facing up with palms facing the ceiling and legs about shoulder-width apart. Sit comfortably in your chair if you are doing this exercise in office.

Close your eyes and place your palms over your closed eyes. Breathe into your stomach. Feel it expand as it fills with air. Continue breathing in and out for a few minutes, and then open your eyes. Pick a stationary object to look at keeping your mind empty. Do not attach yourself to it or stare at it. This exercise teaches you how to focus without straining or depleting your eyes.

The above three exercises help in improving and strengthening visual concentration. However, these alone are not enough for effective eye strengthening. Eyes, as we all know, are subjected to so many ordeals that cause various forms of discomfort and sight problems the most common being headache. The following set exercises that form a part of yoga aim to provide relief and strengthen eye muscles.

• Sit at the edge of your chair with your back straight. Close your eyes and place the palm of each hand over an eye, so you feel your palms warming your eyes. Remove your hands, keeping your eyes closed. Inhale deeply through your nose. Exhale and let your head drop forward than rotate it from side to side. Then shrug your shoulders, making circles with them forward and backward.
• Close your eyes tightly and lift and tighten your shoulders as much as you can. Hold for a few seconds and then exhale, suddenly releasing your shoulders and opening your eyes. Repeat this several times.
• Blink repeatedly, fluttering your eyelids until your eyes become moist. Repeat this several times.
• Breathing naturally and focus on an object far away from you for about half a minute. Try to maintain your focus, blink rapidly several times. Then focus on a nearby object for about 15 seconds. Try to maintain your focus and blink rapidly several times. To counteract the tendency to squint, look up while exhaling with eyes half open.
• This exercise helps the extrinsic muscles that move the eyes. Try to keep your head straight and in line with your spine. Roll your eyes into all of the directions below while exhaling. Hold for a few seconds and then return your eyes to the center while you inhale.
• Keep your head straight and look at the object ahead. Exhale and look from side to side without turning your head. Now try to exhale and turn your head from side to side several times letting your eyes follow the head movement. Then turn your upper body from side to side and let your eyes follow the body movement. Place your palms over your eyes to warm them. When you are ready, remove them and open your eyes.

All these exercises if done at regular intervals, with proper care on inhaling and exhaling of air, provide satisfactory results. For safeguarding eyesight and de-stressing eyes from strain, one should take a break from work for a few minutes every hour.

The post Exercises for healthy eyes appeared first on Complete Wellbeing.

• Among school-age children
• Among young adults/college students

School-age children

Your child’s vision is the most important tool that s/he needs in order to succeed in school.

Examination of vision among pre-school and primary school-going children is very rarely practised in India, unless an obvious problem is noted. Often the problem is dealt with too late.

It is possible to check vision in children who cannot read alphabets. All children attending kindergarten must be checked during admission.

How to detect common eye problems

1. Basic eye examination for every newborn by the paediatrician [child specialist]
2. First detailed eye examination for all children at the age of six months; again, at two years, and then annually
3. Screenings at school designed to alert parents on the possibility of a visual problem [This cannot, however, replace visit to an eye specialist]
4. The visual system is developing as the child grows, so annual prescription changes are common. Hence, annual checks are important.

Tips on daily eye care

Diet

A healthy diet with emphasis on green leafy vegetables, drumstick, carrot, beetroot, fresh fruits, including mango and papaya, is a must. These are particularly rich in Vitamin A.

Lighting

Light source should be positioned behind your child while they are reading. Avoid direct glare by using shielded light. Reading material should ideally be placed 12-14 inches away.

Visual Display Units [VDU]

These include TVs and computer screens. Headaches, eyestrain, burning, watering, blurring of vision, double vision and nausea can all be caused by prolonged work on VDUs.

• Avoid watching TV in a dark room. A well-lit room with white light [tubelight] is ideal
• Preferred viewing distance for watching TV is 4 metre, or more
• Place the computer screen at eye level, or slightly lower, and in such a way as to minimise reflection and glare. The recommended distance between the monitor and the eyes for children is 18-28 inches. By viewing the computer screen closer than 18 inches, children risk straining their eyes.

Parents and teachers should be aware of any behaviour that indicates potential problems, such as redness, frequent rubbing of the eyes, head turns and other unusual postures, or complaints of blurriness, or eye fatigue. Avoidance of the computer may also be an indication of discomfort. Do not let your child sit for more than 40 minutes continuously in front of the computer screen/monitor.

Allergies

Common colds and allergies are common among today’s growing children. It is important not to allow your child to knuckle or rub his/her eyes hard as this can be habitual and lead to corneal abnormalities like keratoconus. Hence, always address the root cause, or trigger, of allergy.

Swimming

Water-tight swimming goggles prevent irritation due to chlorine and reduce the chances of infection.

Sports

If your child is involved in ball games and/or contact sports, protective eye wear made of polycarbonate is recommended.

UV light

Exposure to sunlight is healthy in moderation and helps in the “manufacture” of vitamin D by the body. Too much exposure to bright sunlight is harmful and can cause damage. Wide brimmed hats and UV-filtering sunglasses provide adequate protection.

Customs

Application of kajal to newborns, or washing the eyes with normal water, rose water etc., is an absolute no-no. The normal circulation of tears is enough to adequately cleanse the eye of any extraneous material.

Young adults/college students

Dry Eye

This refers to a collection of symptoms that make up an eye condition due to imbalance in the quantity, or quality, of tears. What you may feel is gritty eyes, pricking or burning sensation, irritation or a feeling of a foreign body in the eyes. What you need to do is avoid contact lens wear, use a lubricating eye drop, and reduce the time of work on computers. Air from a fan or air-conditioner directed on the face could worsen the symptoms.

Computer Vision Syndrome

It is common for computer users to have dry eyes. This is because we don’t blink much and we keep our eyes wide open while working on the computer. This results in drying up of the tear film. Symptoms can be caused –

• Poor position in relation to the computer
• Lighting that produces glare or reflections, fuzzy images or images that are too dim or too bright
• Failure to blink often enough to moisten the surface of the eyes
• Use of glasses that are inappropriate for the user’s position and distance from the screen;
• Minor visual defects such as astigmatism that might go unnoticed unless intense computer use exaggerates them.

The following steps may help alleviate your symptoms:

• Lower your computer screen so that the centre of the screen is 4-8 inches below your eye level and at a viewing distance of 20-28 inches
• Use artificial tears as recommended by your doctor to re-wet and lubricate your eyes
• If you are seated in a draught or near an air vent, try to change your seating or position and direct the draught away from your eyes
• Low humidity or fumes aggravate a dry eye condition
• Concentrate on blinking whenever you begin to sense symptoms of dry or irritated eyes
• Take frequent breaks. Follow the 20-20-20 rule. This simply means every 20 minutes, look away beyond 20 feet and blink 20 times.

Red Eye

This is typically caused by:

• Fatigue and eye strain, reading in poor light, lack of sleep
• Poor contact lens hygiene/contact lens allergies
• Infections, conjunctivitis, bacterial [infections] or allergic [e.g., dust].

If you suffer prolonged discomfort or notice a marked change in your vision, you should immediately undergo an eye examination.

Eyes are precious. Attend to them as early and as effectively as possible. They are your window to the world and the world’s window to your soul.

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