Dr. Harshavardhan Ghorpade

Eye problems that are caused due to the computer can be termed as Computer Vision Syndrome. Staring a computer screen has become a part of our daily lives, for many of us. Work and pleasure both include using a computer or a tablet. Looking at this screen for prolonged periods can cause many problems including strain, pain and stress due to the repeated eyeball movements and non-blinking nature of the work that we do when we stare at a screen for many hours.

Let us find out more about the causes of computer vision syndrome or CVS:

• Repeated Movements: When the same motion is carried out on a continuous basis, it can lead to stress based injuries due to the strain and stress caused in that part of the body. Much like carpal tunnel syndrome and other injuries like tennis elbow and shoulder joint problems, this condition is also caused due to the constant and repetitive movements which are known to lead to stress injuries. The longer you continue the activity, the worse it is bound to get.
• Focus: When you sit in front of a computer screen and work, one of the most important things that you are doing is called focus. When you focus on a screen on a continuous basis, to align your eyes with what you need to read or see, you are causing long term damage if this activity is carried out for too many hours on a daily basis. This back and forth motion that makes us focus can lead to pressure and strain on the eyes, which should be broken by concentrating on other activities like writing on a paper or reading from a book.
• Eye Muscles: These types of movements and activities can actually put a lot of pressure and undue strain on the muscles of the eyes. Also, things become even more difficult for the delicate eye muscles with the glare and blue light emanating from the computer screen which also has other elements like a flicker. This causes the eyes to align themselves by putting pressure on the eye muscles, which makes working on a computer that much more challenging than reading a book.
• Wrong Glasses or Lenses: If you have nearsightedness or farsightedness, then these problems can become even more severe due to this kind of condition. Also, if you are wearing the wrong prescription glasses or lenses, your eyes are bound to suffer even more when you stare at a screen for such a long time.

Apart from all these factors, working on a computer gets even more challenging after a certain age like your forties. If you wish to discuss about any specific eye problem, you can consult a specilized opthamologist and ask a free question.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that causes damage to your eye's optic nerve and gets worse over time. The optic nerve is a bundle of millions of nerve fibres which carry visual impulse from the retina at the back of eye to the brain. The increased Eye pressure, called intraocular pressure, can damage the optic nerve and fasten the natural nerve fibre loss. Since nerve cells can't regenerate this damage is permanent and irreversible.

Without treatment, glaucoma can cause total permanent blindness within a few years. Because most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain from this increased pressure, it is important to see your eye doctor regularly so that glaucoma can be diagnosed early and treated before significant functional visual loss occurs.

If you are over age 40 and have a family history of glaucoma, you should have a complete eye exam with an eye doctor every one to two years. If you have any risk factors, you may need to visit your eye doctor more frequently.

What Are the Symptoms of Glaucoma?

For most people, there are usually few or no symptoms of glaucoma. The first sign of glaucoma is often the loss of peripheral or side vision, which can go unnoticed until late in the disease. This is why glaucoma is often called the "Sneak Thief of Vision" or "Silent Thief of Eye Sight".

If you have any of the following symptoms, seek immediate medical care:

1. Seeing halos around lights
2. Vision loss
3. Redness in the eye
4. Eye that looks hazy (particularly in infants)
5. Nausea or vomiting
6. Pain in the eye
7. Narrowing of vision (tunnel vision)

Risk Factors

There are several risk factors, which may lead to glaucoma, such as

1. Age of the individual
2. Ethnicity- African, Caribbean, Hispanics and Asians are at higher risk
3. Increased eye pressure or IOP History of glaucoma in family or relatives
4. Presence of Myopia or Hyperopia
5. Previous eye injuries
6. Use of steroids- as injections, tablets, eye or ear drops or ointments or protein supplements for muscle building in gyms or inhalers
7. Previous history of anemia
8. Individuals conditions affecting blood flow like hypertension, diabetes or high blood sugar, migraine etc are also at risk.

Treatment-

The treatment for glaucoma relies on the nature and seriousness of every case. Generally, glaucoma cannot be totally cured, but it can be controlled. Eye drops, pills, laser strategies, and means of surgery are utilized to maintain and prevent further harm from happening. Talk to your eye doctor to find out if you are at risk of developing glaucoma.

Bloodshot eyes indicate the reddening of the eye vessels. They can cause irritation and make the eye swollen. The condition may arise due to allergies, eye infections, allergies, fatigue and other illness of the eye. It does not signify a disease but indicates an eye condition which might have caused the eye to redden. Bloodshot eyes can be encountered in one or both the eyes.

Causes of Bloodshot Eyes:

One of the frequent causes of bloodshot eyes is irritants such as dry air, pollen, pet dander, dust and UV rays of the sun. Shortage of sleep also tends to make the eyes red. Inflammations of the eye can also make them red giving a bloodshot appearance. It can even happen with people who wear contact lens for more than 16 hours without soaking it in the disinfectant. At times excessive dryness can make the eyes red. Some other reasons for the eye to become red include conjunctivitis, blepharitis, glaucoma and corneal ulcer. Another concerning reason of bloodshot eyes is a subconjunctival haemorrhage. While the latter is not dangerous in nature, it can cause significant trouble if proper care is not taken on time.

Symptoms of Red Eyes:

Some of the common signs of bloodshot eyes include watery eyes, foreign sensation, burning feeling, dermatitis, falling of eye lashes, light sensitivity, swollen eyelid, itching of the eye and feeling of irritation of the eye.

The Complications Involved:

In most of the cases, bloodshot eyes do not imply serious complications. In case it happens from conjunctivitis, a person may not be able to go to work, wear cosmetics and come in public places since it is a communicable disease. If bloodshot eyes arise from a serious condition such as glaucoma and trauma, some of the possible complications may involve the following:

1. Eye scarring

2. Vision loss due to complete blindness

3. Spreading of the existing condition to other persons

4. Eye loss in severe cases

Preventive Measures:

Bloodshot eyes might arise from an array of reasons. While it cannot be totally dodged, some general preventive measures can ensure that such a condition does not arise:

1. Keeping hands clean by thoroughly washing them with liquid soap

2. Not sharing personal belongings such as washcloths, linen, and cosmetics

3. Get immediate medical attention in case of any eye injuries

4. Stay away from an environment that is full of allergens

5. Staying away from people who are suffering from infectious eye diseases such as conjunctivitis

6. Taking a shower immediately after getting in touch with an infected person suffering from conjunctivitis

7. Wearing eye glasses in a dusty environment

   If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an ophthalmologist.

Meibomianitis is a disease that occurs when the lubrication glands of the eyes called Meibomian glands malfunction. The function of these glands is to produce oil that keeps our eyes lubricated and moisturised. Due to some reasons that we shall be looking at later, these small glands flip their switch and start producing excessive oil or just get inflamed causing Meibomianitis.

Bacteria also collect and prosper on the eyelids in the extra oil adding to the malaise.

So, how do you confirm that you have Meibomianitis?

Look out for these symptoms:

1. Watery eyes
2. Swelling and redness of eyelids
3. Burning sensation in eyes
4. Itchiness
5. Flaking skin around eyes
6. Crusted eyelashes
7. Light sensitivity
8. Frequent styes or bumps along the eyelids typically caused due to excess oil secretion and inflamed Meibomian gland
9. Excessive blinking
10. Blurred vision
11. Loss of eyelashes
12. Dry eyes

Like with all diseases, the severity of symptoms varies from patient to patient. A few may experience only mild symptoms, while others have to grapple with severe irritation and burning.

We suggest that you don’t wait for your symptoms to become extreme before you visit your doctor.

Root Causes of Meibomianitis:

We already know that Meibomianitis occurs when the meibomian glands in the eyelids don’t function properly.

But why does this happen?

The answer is that Meibomianitis is caused by any condition that increases oil production in oil glands. Like:

1. Hormonal changes, especially during adolescence
2. Allergies
3. Skin conditions, such as acne and rosacea
4. Eyelash lice
5. Acne medications which actually encourage the growth of bacteria on the eyelids
6. A few contact lens solutions
7. Infected eye makeup

Meibomianitis, however, is not contagious.

Diagnosis and Cure:

When you go to a doctor with symptoms of meibomianitis, he will examine your eyes, focusing on eyelids and the front surface of your eyeball. By doing this, he will be able to identify whether you have blocked meibomian glands.

Next, he will use a swab to collect a sample of the crust or oil from your eyes and send this sample to a lab to be tested for bacteria.

If the test is positive, your doctor will recommend a thorough cleaning of your eyelids with warm water. He may also prescribe antibiotics or steroids to treat your eye condition in form of eye drops or creams applied directly to your eyelids, or in pill form.

Apart from this, you may have to forego wearing of contact lenses and treatment for your acne and rosacea. We also recommend that you go make-up free as this causes a buildup of bacteria and always maintain proper eye hygiene so that your oil glands remain infection - free always. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a ophthalmologist.