Pollution: It's adverse effects on eyes, and Preventive measures.

how to keep your eyes healthy

Recently, People of Kathmandu are getting diseased due to the increasing pollution which is not only affecting the lungs and respiratory system but in the eyes of people living in the Capital city of Nepal. Due to the carelessness of people, they are getting conjunctivitis and vision-threatening problems. Increase in the number of patients visiting the eye hospital of Kathmandu also proves the serious effects of pollution in the eyes of people living in Kathmandu. People are spending more time watching their Mobile phones, Laptops, Computers, television which is also a risk factor in inviting eye diseases.
Here are some tips as told by eye specialist Dr. Sagun Joshi, Kathmandu University Teaching hospital.

So how does our eye become weak?

  • Our eyes catch infection due to the environmental pollution, dust, and smoke. People complain of the feeling of Dryness, Foreign body sensation, Pink eye, and burning sensation. This has become a common problem among people living in Kathmandu valley. Control of pollution should be done or else it could be a big reason for eye problems in the near future.
  • People often spend a long time with Mobile, Laptop, Computer, and Television. These types of electronic devices, when used for a long time can lead to weak eyes sight. People like bankers, Journalists, office workers often complain of burning sensation and eye-ache these days.
  • Children playing computer games are complaining of a headache and eye-ache. Eye strain occurs when games are played from too near to eyes for a long time. This has caused them to wear spectacles in small age. Problem seen after long computer usage is also known as "Computer Vision Syndrome". Junk Food and Chemical containing food also affect our eyes. These can result in Cataract as well.
  • Increase in diabetes can also bring problem in eyes. Diabetes cause blood vessels in our eyes to rupture. Diabetes brings bigger problems in kidney and eyes.

How to protect our eyes?

  • The government should Focus on control measures to prevent pollution, Management of dust and smoke, Community Health, and Sanitation methods.
  • As we use a mask for Mouth/Nose, we need to use protective glasses to protect our eyes. We should not forget to clean our eyes after we return from somewhere outside.
  • We should not rub our eyes in case dust enters the eye. We should clean our eyes with clean water to remove the dust and dirt. If the dirt is not removed by water, We need to consult an eye doctor.
  • If you have blurred vision, redness in eyes, Burning sensation, headache, you have to consult an eye doctor as soon as possible. People have no idea that the topmost cause of a headache is due to an eye problem.
  • If you use electronic devices like computer, Close your eyes after every 20 minutes for 20 seconds and rotate the eyeball with eyelids closed and look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. We shouldn't make our screen too bright.
  • We should wear ARC(Anti Reflective Coating) glasses while using the computer. We should make our children use such type of glasses.
  • If we watch our food and Nutrition,  We can control our eye weakness problems.
  • Patient with diabetes should go for comprehensive eye examination as soon as possible. Most of the diabetic patient is unaware of eye check while most of the diabetics are careless. If it is too late, the blood vessels of the retina can break and it is too hard for your eye doctor to treat your eyes.
  • The biggest topic is to protect eye to catch an infection.
Note: This article was written by Ophthalmologist Dr. Sagun Joshi, Kathmandu University Teaching hospital. The original post was posted in hamrodoctornews.com on 7th, June 2018.