Can green prevent eye fatigue? Does mydriasis eye examination cause serious damage to the eyes? Don’t be blinded by these rumors!

Eyes are the windows to the soul and one of the most important organs of the human body. Throughout history, people have never been reluctant to praise this pool of water. Bright eyes, bright eyes, lively and clear eyes... are all beautiful descriptions of eyes. But in addition to praise, there are also various rumors about eyes circulating on the Internet: looking at green protects eyesight? Myopia will not increase after adulthood? If one eye becomes blind, the other eye will also become blind? Cataracts must be "mature" before they can be removed? ... Are these claims true or false?

Today is National Eye Care Day. Let us identify 10 rumors about eyes and share 9 scientific eye protection methods to make everyone's watery eyes healthier and brighter.

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01

Rumor: Changing the screen color of your computer or mobile phone to green can prevent eyestrain

Analysis: The biggest factors affecting eye fatigue are the distance and duration of looking at the screen. Even if the screen is set to green, your eyes will still become dry and tired if you look at it for too long.

Green light is softer and less stimulating. Green can also make people feel comfortable and calm, so people may find green screens more comfortable to look at. However, it is of limited help in protecting the eyes, especially when viewing objects at close range.

"Looking at more green things is good for your eyes" usually means looking at distant scenery such as grass and trees more often to help your eyes relax and adjust, thereby relieving visual fatigue.

02

Rumor: Mydriasis optometry is very harmful to the eyes

Analysis: Mydriasis refraction does not harm healthy eyes. After mydriasis refraction, the eyes may be accompanied by some side effects such as dilated pupils, blurred near vision, photophobia and other symptoms, but you don’t have to worry too much, these symptoms will disappear when the effect of the medicine gradually wears off.

Since children and adolescents often have tense eye adjustments, the optometry results are prone to deviations, such as mistaking mild hyperopia or pseudomyopia for myopia. Mydriasis can relax the ciliary muscles and eliminate the influence of adjustment, thereby obtaining an objective and true refractive power, which helps doctors formulate more appropriate eyeglass prescriptions for patients.

03

Myth: Wearing blue light blocking glasses will make it okay to look at electronic screens for a long time

Analysis: Even if you wear blue light blocking glasses, looking at electronic screens for a long time will still cause damage to your eyes.

On the one hand, there is currently insufficient evidence to prove that the small amount of blue light in daily life, including from electronic products, is harmful to normal human eyes; on the other hand, the damage to the eyes caused by looking at electronic screens for a long time mainly causes visual fatigue, dry eyes, myopia and other problems, which have nothing to do with blue light.

Relatively speaking, paying attention to usage distance, screen brightness, scientific posture, etc. is more effective than wearing blue light glasses.

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04

Myth: Myopia will not increase in adulthood

Analysis: Regardless of whether you are an adult or not, the degree of myopia will continue to develop, and you still need to develop good eye habits and check your eyesight regularly.

Although the axial length of the eyeball tends to stabilize with age, it does not mean that the degree of myopia will not increase.

Especially in recent years, with the popularity of electronic screens, the time of using eyes at close range has doubled. In this way, the eye muscles will always be in a state of contraction, which will inevitably cause eye muscle tension over time, resulting in continued growth of the eye axis and continued deepening of myopia. Some myopia is pathological myopia, which requires regular examination and timely treatment.

05

Myth: If you lose sight in one eye, you will also lose sight in the other eye.

Analysis: Most blindness caused by eye diseases is monocular and does not affect the other eye. This is because the left and right eyes of the human body are relatively independent and are only connected to each other at the optic chiasm in the skull.

It is not inevitable that both eyes will go blind one after another, but for patients who have lost one eye, they should pay attention to protecting the other eye, go to the hospital for examination in time, and deal with the problems in time. Beware of eye diseases that usually occur in both eyes, such as some glaucoma, severe pathological myopia, some hereditary eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease, familial optic atrophy, eye lesions of systemic diseases, and poisoning, such as diabetic retinopathy, methanol poisoning, etc., which may cause blindness in both eyes one after another.

06

Myth: Cataracts must be "mature" before they can be removed

Analysis: It is generally believed that if cataracts cause a decline in visual function and affect daily life needs, cataract surgery can be considered.

Cataract "maturity" means that the cataract has developed to a more serious stage: the lens is completely cloudy and hardened, and the vision may only be light perception or index. The concept that cataracts must be "mature" before they can be removed was formed by the fact that early cataract surgery was limited by the medical conditions at the time.

Modern cataract phacoemulsification only requires a 2-3mm incision to emulsify and remove the lens inside the eye. The operation is safer and more efficient, and postoperative recovery is faster and better.

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07

Myth: Only older people get macular degeneration

Analysis: The "macula" is located in the central area of ​​the retina and is the area with the sharpest vision. Age, genetics, environment, diet, other diseases and other factors may cause changes in the morphology and function of the macula and lead to pathological changes.

There are more than a dozen types of macular degeneration, and people of all ages may be affected.

Once macular degeneration occurs, dark spots, distorted vision, decreased vision, and even blindness may occur, which has a great impact on your life.

The most common macular degeneration is age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is one of the main causes of blindness in people over 50 years old. Relatively speaking, smokers, people with high myopia, diabetes, hypertension, and people with a family history of macular degeneration are more likely to suffer from macular degeneration.

08

Myth: Laser treatment for myopia is useless

Analysis: Laser treatment of myopia is useful. After the operation, patients can generally see clearly without wearing glasses. However, laser is powerless to cure the pathological changes that have already occurred in myopia.

This is because myopia laser surgery uses laser to precisely cut away part of the corneal tissue, changing the corneal surface morphology, thereby improving naked eye vision. From the surgical method, it can be found that myopia laser surgery only changes the surface morphology (curvature) of the cornea, and some changes caused by myopia, such as axial lengthening, retinal thinning, choroidal atrophy, etc., are not cured.

09

Myth: Dry eyes mean dry eyes

Analysis: Dry eyes may be caused by dry eye syndrome, visual fatigue, ocular surface allergy, ocular surface infection, inflammation, etc. Dry eye syndrome is a chronic ocular surface disease caused by multiple factors.

Under normal circumstances, tears are evenly coated on the surface of the eyeball to form a thin film of liquid, called the tear film. The tear film is divided into three layers from the outside to the inside: the lipid layer, the aqueous layer, and the mucin layer. When the tear film is unstable or the ocular surface microenvironment is unbalanced due to abnormalities in the quality, quantity, and dynamics of tears, dry eyes may result.

In addition to dry eyes, dry eyes may also be accompanied by ocular surface inflammatory reactions, tissue damage and nerve abnormalities, causing a variety of eye discomfort symptoms and/or visual dysfunction, such as foreign body sensation in the eyes, burning sensation, fatigue, discomfort, red eyes, vision fluctuations, etc.

10

Myth: Dry eyes require frequent eye drops

Analysis: At present, the incidence of dry eye in my country is as high as 21% to 30%. There are dozens of causes of dry eye, and the ocular pathological changes of each case of dry eye are different. Therefore, it is recommended that the treatment of dry eye should be comprehensively analyzed and diagnosed by professional ophthalmologists based on the cause of the disease, type of dry eye, severity of the disease, eye signs, etc., and appropriate eye drops should be selected in a personalized manner. Remember not to use eye drops blindly to avoid aggravating the condition.

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9 scientific eye protection methods

1. Properly arrange the time of using electronic products: avoid using your eyes for long periods of time, especially using small-screen electronic products at close range in dark conditions.

2. Combine work and rest: use your eyes for 20 minutes, look at an object 6 meters away for at least 20 seconds; use your eyes for 45 minutes, and rest for 10 minutes.

You can also try blink training: close your eyes normally for 2 seconds, close your eyes normally again for 2 seconds, and then close your eyelids tightly for 2 seconds. Regular practice can increase the stability of the tear film.

3. Adjust the working eye environment: When you need to use a monitor, the distance between your eyes and the monitor should be no less than 50 cm; your line of sight should be about 15 to 20 cm higher than the center of the screen; adjust the font size and monitor brightness so that you can see clearly without squinting or glare.

4. Check your eye degree regularly, especially for those with high myopia. Replace your glasses in time to avoid glasses wear and tear and adding burden to them.

5. Actively choose alternative activities, such as more outdoor activities, observing more flowers, plants and trees, etc., reduce screen time, exercise and relax your eyes.

6. Eat a balanced diet to ensure comprehensive nutrition. Eat less sweets and more foods rich in vitamins.

7. Friends who wear contact lenses must choose regular products and take good care of them. It is best not to use them for more than 10 hours a day and do not wear them overnight.

8. Reduce eye makeup and clean your eyes carefully and promptly after applying makeup.

9. If you have any eye discomfort, do not rub your eyes vigorously. It is recommended to seek medical attention immediately.

in conclusion

Green is of limited help in protecting the eyes; mydriasis will not harm the eyes; even if you wear blue light blocking glasses, looking at electronic screens for a long time will still harm your eyes; if you use your eyes improperly, your myopia will increase after adulthood; generally, the loss of one eye will not affect the other eye; laser surgery has a certain effect on the treatment of myopia, but it is powerless for the pathological changes that have already occurred; adolescents, young and middle-aged people, and the elderly may all suffer from macular disease; cataracts do not have to wait until they are "mature" before they can be removed...

It should be noted that long-term and unreasonable use of electronic devices is bound to lead to visual fatigue. Scientifically arranging eye use time, maintaining a scientific posture and ensuring eye cleanliness are the most important eye protection methods and are irreplaceable!

Author: Yao Yanghua, Chief Physician of Ophthalmology Department, Hangzhou Third People's Hospital

Review | Chen Weijiang Director of the Department of Ophthalmology, Hangzhou Third People's Hospital, Chief Physician, Standing Committee Member of the Ophthalmology Branch of the Hangzhou Medical Association

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