Aier Eye Hospital Professors Sun Tong and Xu Longhua shared some key eye-care information with us.

According to Professor Sun Tong, here in the multi-screen age, eye strain has gradually become one of the primary health concerns of city-dwellers. In Shanghai and other big cities, the onset of visual fatigue, video terminal syndrome among white-collar workers is on the rise.

Recent eye-health report statistics revealed that more than 58% of respondents indicated frequent dry eyes, eye swelling, and foreign-particle sensation, while 95% of respondents admitted that they had never undergone a regular, professional eye examination.

Professor Sun Tong pointed out that, for white-collar workers, it is crucial to take work-breaks at regular intervals to do eye exercises, such as standing 2-3 meters from a window and looking as far into the distance as possible; thus, promoting blood circulation and neural regulation of the eye, which helps to relieve visual fatigue. For students, correct posture and pen-grasp are important prerequisites for the protection of eyesight. Educational institutions should promote correct posture and consistent use of eye exercises to help protect student’s vision and promote overall eye-health. Professor Sun Tong additionally pointed out that young people should select a variety of entertainment-types, including ones that do not involve screen-time (as in the case of surfing the internet, watching television, and other static-types of entertainment); moreover, eye-health exercise routines should be interspersed into physical examinations as a normal routine.

With the popularity of computers and mobile phones, and an ever-increasing amount of sedentary office jobs, there has been a sharp increase in dry eyes. To combat this, white-collar workers often carry eye drops and use them as much as once every half hour, believing that "eye drops can protect the eyes, relieve fatigue, and prevent disease; moreover, frequent application is beneficial and harmless." In this regard, Professor Xu Longhua of Aier Eye Hospital cautioned computer-users, warning that “when experiencing dryness, one should not abuse eye drops, and should be particularly on-guard against overuse of the drops, due to potential complications related to the preservatives in the drops. All eye drops are best used according to prescribed directions. Otherwise, it is easy to fall into the trap of misunderstanding and misuse.”

Professor Xu reminded that approaching the problem of dry eyes ought to be "three parts treatment, seven parts maintenance" by cultivating a frequent-blink habit. This is because, when we blink, tears are uniformly distributed over the surface of the cornea and conjunctiva to maintain hydration; thus, prevent dryness. Intermittently doing eye exercises when working can not only play a role in relieving eye-strain, but also in alleviating the impact of dry eyes. In reality, "the prevention is greater than the cure."

(Article provided by MSH CHINA Network Provider - Aier Ophthalmology)