The Hindu Business Line : For your eyes only...

Your monitor doesn't have just words; it has tiny light bulbs that send light directly into your eyes. Take frequent breaks from your computer screen.

If your eyesight is weak, and it's a family trait, please take good care of yourself. Eye-ailments can creep up at any age. Sheela underwent surgery for retina detachment at 26, Prerna and Manan at 32, and Lata at 60. While visiting Prerna at the hospital, one heard that a six-month-old infant was scheduled for surgery that day. So, take a second look at your eyes. Give them the healing treatment they deserve. Start taking these preventive measures today:

Don't strain your eyes: Staring for six hours at a video display terminal (VDT) causes eyestrain that has you unconsciously frowning or squinting. This tenses the supporting ciliary muscles around the eye and they ache. It's not a medical condition. But as ophthalmologist Dr Samuel Guillory of the New York-based Mount Sinai Medical Center points out, "Those aren't just words and numbers on your monitor, they are tiny light bulbs that send light directly into your eyes." His advice:

Shape a black hood of cardboard, put it on top of your terminal. By putting your computer in a black box, you can turn the brightness to a low level.

When you dim the monitor's brightness, adjust the contrast to make up the difference.

To lessen eyestrain further, shut your eyes every two hours. This shuts out the constant light emanations.

Similarly, when talking on the phone, or thinking about something, shut your eyes to rest them. "People who use these techniques to rest their eyes for an hour or two daily say their eyes really feel better and not strained," he says.

Stare at the night-sky: At night, stare at a star without strain for 10-15 minutes. Distance staring relaxes the ciliary eye-muscles and prevents short sightedness (myopia). Eye muscles are comfortable only when we look at objects 18 ft and beyond. So, it is important to keep our eyes in their comfort zone as often as possible. In ancient India and Saudi Arabia, children were made to stare at the night-sky for eye-correction.

Don't lug heavy stuff: Moving heavy furniture or carrying loaded suitcases strain eye muscles. In the years to come, this can cause retinal detachment. The retina, a light-sensitive screen attached to a bed of tissue, can tear. When fluid leaks through this tear, it gradually peels the retina from its tissue-bed. The symptoms of an afflicted retina:

Flashes in eye-corners.

Dark floating spots, a cloudy ring or black areas that hinder your vision.

Straight lines that appear crooked. Try this personal check: Close one eye. With the other, focus on your nose-tip. If you can't see it, consult a vitreo-retinal surgeon immediately. A retinal tear is sealed by laser treatment. If the retina is detached, it is refixed under general anaesthesia. Early treatment restores vision, though sometimes with a drop in the eye-number. In any case, live and travel light.

Lose weight: Just as lugging heavy stuff strains the eye-muscles, so does excess body-weight. That's what happened to Manan who played squash regularly unaware that it was harming his eyes. The safest non-weight bearing exercise for losing weight is stationary cycling. However, consult your ophthalmologist or vitreo-retinal surgeon before you start any exercise regime.

Prevent/control diabetes: Diabetes can cause abnormalities in small blood vessels all over the body. If it affects the blood vessels in the retina, it is called diabetic retinopathy. The vessels leak causing blurred vision or darkness. If you are diabetic, please get your eyes examined every year by an ophthalmologist. And keep a check on blood sugar levels too. Diabetic retinopathy is dangerous — one can lose sight too. So, cutting out fats and sweets is a small sacrifice.

Choose the right reading glasses: You are the best judge of which reading glasses work for you, says ophthalmologist Dr David Guyton, professor, John Hopkins University School of Medicine. "Pick the weakest or least powerful ones that allow you to read at the distance you want," he advises. "If they are too powerful, you will see fine up-close, but things will blur beyond that distance."

Blink your eyes: "Make it a point to consciously blink your eyes 300 times daily," advises Meir Schneider, author of Self Healing: My Life and Vision. Blinking often prevents unconscious squinting. "Each blink cleanses your eyes and gives them a little massage."

Eat for your eyes: The anti-oxidant beta-carotene protects the lens from ultra-violet damage and improves night-vision. Yellow, orange and green vegetables are rich in beta-carotene, vitamins C, E and B complex, minerals, calcium and phosphorus. Carrot juice and orange juice spiked with zinc-rich ginger nourish the eye.

Sleep eight hours: Without sleep, eyes dry and redden. Sleep re-hydrates. So does a cool wet cloth laid over closed eyes. The coldness constricts the blood vessels that show up as red lines and the water moistens the eyes. Try crying. This is one time crocodile tears are required!

The writer is co-author of the book `Fitness for Life'.

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