Press Release
In a live webinar—‘Keep Your Eyes, Keep Your Vision Intact’ hosted by the IAS Literary Society, Rajasthan on their Facebook page, viewers learned about how to take care of their eyes and different eye conditions on Saturday evening. The webinar was addressed by Head Retina – Ophthalmology, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Dr. Niren Dongre. He was in conversation with Secretary, IAS Literary Society, Rajasthan, Ms. Mugdha Sinha. It was presented in collaboration with Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai. The webinar was held as a part of YASH (Year of Awareness on Science and Health), 2020 Dialogue Series.
Talking about the condition of dry eyes, Dr. Dongre said that increased lifespan of the population, people wearing contact lenses, increased usage if computers, more number of people getting LASIK, pollution and dry environment are a few causes of dry eyes. If someone is experiencing irritation, grittiness, burning, light sensitivity, etc. they may be suffering from dry eyes. Avoiding being in dry atmosphere for a long time, maintaining lid hygiene and not smoking are a few general measures one can take to avoid dry eyes. Consuming flaxseed oil (for vegetarians) and fish oil (for non-vegetarians), Vitamin A, B-12, B-6, C and D can help with dry eyes, he said.
He further said that due to people’s increased usage of digital devices many are also suffering from ‘Computer Vision Syndrome’ or ‘Digital Eye Strain’ (DES). Symptoms of this eye condition include – headaches, blurred vision, neck pain, fatigue, double vision, among others. DES is caused by reduced blinking and difficulty to focus at different distances rapidly and smoothly. It can be prevented by following the ’20-20-20 Rule’ which involves looking away every 20 minutes at an object that is about 20 feet away for a full 20 seconds.
Busting some myths about eyes he said eating carrots and doing eye exercises to improve vision, sun-gazing to increase health of eyes, believing that all eye doctors are the same are all myths. Similarly, lying down while reading, dependency on eye glasses or the acuvue contact lenses from continued usage as well as increasing eye power by not wearing glasses are also some eye myths, he said.