Natural Health
| CARE OF EYES DURING EXAMINATIONS |
| By : Dr Anand Shroff | Previous | Next |
| Posted on : 06 Jul, 2009 | Total Views : 103 |
FOR STUDENTS
The most important reason why most students come to us is headaches and eye strain. This could be because of a probable spectacle number. But most of the times these symptoms are aggravated during school or college examinations.
CARE OF EYES DURING EXAMINATIONS
If your eyes water, eyelids twitch, and part of your forehead around your eyebrows seems to ache, you may be suffering from eyestrain. It's a common affliction that can occur after the eyes are taxed for a prolonged period - for example, after hours of close work. But you can reduce eyestrain by taking simple precautions.
Good lighting
Hold the reading material about 30 to 40 centimetres away from your eyes. Ensure you have adequate soft light coming from a source behind or beside your left shoulder [to avoid a shadow] -use a lamp with a 60-watt bulb. Good lighting does make reading easier and prevents eye fatigue. Use a tubelight if it's for general room lighting and a bulb for a table lamp.
Periods of rest
Take a break every half an hour or so by looking at distant objects for three or four minutes. Rest usually alleviates eyestrain.
Proper posture
Do not read while lying down, as it will strain the muscles of your eyes, neck and back. While sitting and reading don't slouch and make sure that you sit in a comfortable chair with good low back support. Headaches, neck aches, backaches and muscle spasms result from holding the body in awkward positions in trying to maintain a desirable angle between eyes and the book.
Good nutrition and hydration
Eat a healthy diet with emphasis on fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, beans, seeds, and nuts. The nutrients that they provide are important for overall as well as eye health. For non-vegetarians, add eggs and fish. Avoid addictive sweets, sodas, cookies and junk food, which is a prescription for disaster not just for eyesight but overall health. Staying with a mostly vegetarian diet of unprocessed, natural foods will help preserve the circulation to the retina, the rods and cones, and the lens.
Wear the correct spectacle number and do not read for long time with contact lenses.
If you have a refractive error or need spectacles, then wearing the correct prescription reduces eyestrain, which would have otherwise impeded your work. Contact lenses are meant to float on the tear film of your eyes. When we do near focus work such as on the computer, we tend to blink less than normal and this dries up our tear film. The contact lens then sticks on the eye and also causes contact-lens-induced allergies. If we wear contact lenses and read for a long time, then we are only worsening the situation. Try and avoid contact lenses while studying, spectacles are a better option.
Written By : Dr Anand Shroff
