From televisions and computers to today’s smartphones, screens have greatly enriched our lives.
With the sudden rise of smartphones, it is estimated that by the end of 2018, 84% of people will use a handheld device.
In 2014, it was only 40.4%; in 1993, it was only 0.3%[1].
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The widespread use of electronic products in today’s society has led to a new disease: Video terminal syndrome. Visual fatigue, blurred vision, dry eyes, skeletal muscle symptoms such as neck, shoulder, back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome (commonly known as mouse hand) are all common manifestations of video terminal syndrome. People who have been exposed to screens such as computers and mobile phones for a long time have more obvious symptoms [2].
my country’s research also shows that people with high education, working in air-conditioned environments, and using computers for a long time are prone to eye discomfort and skeletal muscle fatigue. The main ocular symptoms are: dry eyes, itching, foreign body sensation, blurred vision, eye pain, and eye fatigue. Among them, dry eyes and eye fatigue are the most common [3].
The world’s first country-by-country report on vision health, namely the “National Health Vision Report” released by Peking University in 2015, stated that in 2012, among the total population of my country over the age of 5, the number of people with various types of vision impairment was approximately 500 million. Among them, the total number of patients with myopia is about 450 million. In other words, Almost 1/3 of China’s population is nearsighted. The total population with high myopia is as high as 30 million, far exceeding the number of patients with low vision and blindness [4].
The Red Cross Foundation of China released the “Research Report on Eye Health of Chinese Adolescents” in 2018, proposing that myopia is increasingly becoming a “national disease”. Survey data show that China has the largest number of myopia patients in the world. Adolescents are one of the “hardest hit areas”, and the myopia rate ranks first in the world and is increasing year by year [5].
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The cause of myopia is still an unsolved problem in the medical field, and the intervention of screen technology has made this problem increasingly serious, and it has also attracted great attention from the country.
There are so many myopic people in my country, and more and more children develop wrong eye-care habits. Eye health needs the attention of parents and young people. Start small and protect your eyes.
1. Focus on the screen
Long time staring at the screen will make the eyes blink less and less frequently, which can easily cause visual fatigue, dry eye, eye congestion, eye muscle spasm and other diseases.
Browse screen time should not be too long. The International Institute of Ophthalmology recommends the 20-20-20 principle, that is, Use the screen for 20 minutes and then take a short break, and move 20 steps away to prevent eye strain for about 20 seconds; and consciously blink more when using the screen [6].
2. Relax without glasses
It is often assumed that glasses or contact lenses need to be removed intermittently for relaxation. I often hear people around me say that “myopia will get deeper and deeper after wearing glasses.” Wearing glasses only corrects vision and cannot prevent and control vision deterioration. The deepening of eye degree has a greater relationship with eye habits and eye environment.
It is necessary to wear glasses when looking at a distance or reading and studying. Without glasses, the eyes cannot be relaxed but rather tense[7].
3. Turn off the lights before going to bed and play with your phone
Many people are accustomed to turn off the lights before going to bed and look at their mobile phones in bed,
In the case of a large contrast between the background light and the screen light, it will lead to decreased tear secretion and abnormal tear composition, and severe cases may cause damage to the corneal epithelium. Using the eyes in dim light will cause the pupils to dilate for a long time. People with glaucoma factors may induce glaucoma. If the intraocular pressure is not controlled, it is easy to cause damage to the optic nerve, Severe cases can lead to blindness[8] .
If possible, turn on a low-brightness background light in the room to ease the brightness gap between the screen and the background environment, which can protect the eyes to a certain extent.
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4. Lying on your back and playing with your phone
Lying down and playing with a mobile phone often occurs when the mobile phone is too close to the eyes, and the distance between the eyes and the mobile phone is inconsistent. For teenagers, in addition to eye muscle fatigue, it may also cause strabismus /strong> happens.
If you must use a mobile phone, you should try to avoid lying down and looking at the mobile phone.
5. Fearless of the bright sun
When driving or going to the beach, people often forget to wear sunglasses due to inconvenience and other reasons. Any exposure to sunlight can increase UV damage to the eyes.
Long-term UV exposure can cause macular damage, solar retinitis, cataracts, pterygium, corneal damage and other eye diseases. The most dangerous time to look directly at the sun is at noon and during a solar eclipse , which not only causes headaches and temporarily impaired vision, but may also cause permanent damage to the retina at the back of the eye.
Sunglasses should be chosen to protect the eyes outdoors in strong light. According to the International Eye Institute, sunglasses that can isolate 99%-100% of UVA + UVB should be selected.
6, race against time to look at the phone
College students and office workers often use the time they walk and travel to process information.
Looking at a mobile phone while walking or taking a vehicle will make your vision more concentrated when looking at the screen, which will easily lead to spasm of the ciliary muscle of the eye, which is more likely to lead to the occurrence of myopia.
In addition, people are prone to dizziness and even nausea when driving, walking and playing mobile phones. This is because the visual center receives intermittent visual images, which makes people feel dizzy.
“Bow-headed people” are unacceptable. Not paying attention when walking not only hurts the eyes, but also is prone to traffic accidents.
7. Wear contact lenses easily
Insufficient disinfection of contact lenses when putting on or removing them in order to go out faster or get some rest.
Be sure to properly disinfect and change contact lenses. Except for daily disposable contact lenses that do not require routine cleaning, other contact lenses require routine cleaning and disinfection. Please use a professional disinfectant, pure water is not enough to achieve the purpose of disinfection, it may contaminate the glasses and cause irreversible damage to the eyes. In addition to the glasses themselves, the boxes containing the contact lenses should also be disinfected in time and replaced monthly [9].
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8. Colorful contact lenses
Wearing colored contact lenses, due to excessive chemical components, may cause eye congestion and inflammation due to poor wearing habits, eye allergies and weather reasons, and in severe cases may lead to corneal hypoxia and Eye infections cause serious eye diseases such as corneal perforation [10].
Everyone has a love for beauty. When buying beauty contact lenses, you must keep your eyes open and beware of being deceived.
9. Eye drops for a long time to protect the eyes
It has been reported that a Japanese Internet celebrity eye drops feel drier the more you use it. After investigation, it was found that it contains neostigmine methyl sulfate. The doctor mentioned that this component has the effect of constricting the pupil. , After using it, it has a bright feeling. Long-term use is addictive and increases the risk of “dry eye”.
The composition of eye drops is complex. Long-term use of antibiotic eye drops will damage the microenvironment of the local eye and lead to new eye diseases; some eye drops contain hormones, which may cause long-term use. Glaucoma and cataracts may also cause local fungal infections; the preservatives contained in eye drops may also damage the cornea due to frequent use and high doses [11].
Blindly choosing eye drops for eye discomfort may delay the time of treatment. The choice of eye drops and their usage should follow the doctor’s advice.
10, if you are tired, it is better to rub your eyes
In the daily work environment, my eyes are sore and tired, and it seems that a rubbing of my hands will relieve it a lot. However, there are many microorganisms such as bacteria on the hands, and random rubbing of the eyes is likely to give these microorganisms an opportunity to cause infection when the immunity is low.
Take more rest when you are tired, choose to look into the distance, and blinking is the scientific and correct way to protect your eyes.
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References
1. Parihar J K S , Jain V K , Chaturvedi P , et al. Computer & visual display terminals (VDT) vision syndrome (CVDTS)[J]. Medical Journal Armed Forces India, 2016, 72 (3):270-276.
2.Chu C., Rosenfield M., Portello J.K., Benzoni J.A., Collier J.D.A comparison of symptoms after viewing text on computer screen and hardcopy[J].Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2011;31 (January (1)):29C32.
3. She Xijin, Huang Zhongning, Huang Duru, Yin Dongming, Wen Xianzhong, Qiu Chuangyi, Ye Huaqing, Li Laiyu, Huang Li. Research on the influence of video display terminals on the visual system [J]. China Occupational Medicine, 2007 (05):392-394.
4. https:https://visionimpactinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Summary-of-National-Vision-Care-Report.pdf[J/OL] .
5. https:https://new.crcf.org.cn/files/%E6%8A%A5%E5%91%8A17.pdf[J/OL].
6. https:https://nei.nih.gov/healthyeyes/eyehealthtips[J/OL].
7. https:https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/5-truths-about-protecting-your-eyes[J/OL].
8.http:https://m.news.cntv.cn/2014/06/05/ARTI1401980361732206.shtml[J/OL].
9.www.feelgoodcontacts.com. Retrieved 5 September 2016[J/OL].
10.http:https://www.jsiec.org/nurse/nurse_detail.asp?id=363[J/OL].
11.https:https://www.puh3.net.cn/yjk/kpyd/109580.shtml[J/OL].
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