We all know that playing with mobile phones is harmful to our eyes, but did you know that it can also shorten your life?

Sitting in front of the computer for 8 hours at work, unable to put down the phone after get off work, and watching TV series at night with the lights off, this is simply a guide to young people's eye use. Everyone knows that playing with the phone hurts the eyes, but do you know that playing with the phone shortens your life?

A finding from the Buck Institute for Research on Aging was published in Nature Communications: Staring at computer or mobile phone screens at night and being exposed to light pollution has a great impact on the circadian clock, which not only damages vision but also affects the brain and even the whole body.

Doctors also said that the blue light from mobile phones can affect the biological clock and cause delayed sleep. Staying up late for a long time can easily lead to obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure and other problems. Teenagers playing with mobile phones before going to bed and not sleeping well for a long time may cause emotional problems. Elderly people will find it more difficult to fall asleep if they wake up in the middle of the night to look at their phones.

In this regard, netizens said:

Therefore, be sure to turn on the lights when playing with your phone!

With so many negative effects, will you continue to play with your phone recklessly?

I guess many people are thinking, "I understand the truth, but who can resist the temptation of a mobile phone?"

But we must know that although we are still early to 80 years old, we are very close to dry eye syndrome!

1

Do I also have dry eyes?

Dry eye is a relatively common eye disease, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca. It is a condition in which tears cannot properly lubricate the eyes. Common symptoms include: blurred vision, pain, foreign body sensation, eye burning, red and itchy eyes, photophobia and tearing, etc. (please check which one applies to you).

Did you know that even if we don't cry, our eyes will still secrete tears? Normally, you can't feel these tears because they are secreted in small amounts and hidden in the gap between the eyelids and eyeballs that you can't see. They are called "basal tears."

When we blink, these tears are evenly spread on the surface of the eyeball to form a "tear film". The tear film covers the eyeball, lubricates and soothes it, and protects the eyes from damage such as dust debris and bacterial infection.

The reason why the tear film has such a powerful function is that it contains some relatively "powerful" ingredients, including lipids, water and mucin. Water is used to moisturize; lipids play a role in water retention and lubrication similar to cream to prevent tears from evaporating too quickly; mucin is used for uniform dispersion.

These components all come from the glands around the eyes. If there is a lack of water, it may lead to aqueous-deficient dry eyes. If there is a problem with lipids, it may cause evaporative dry eyes, which is mainly caused by abnormal lipid quality (such as abnormal meibomian gland function) or degradation of the normal lipid layer (such as seborrheic blepharitis).

In addition to the above two types of dry eye, there are three other types of dry eye: a mixed type of water-deficient dry eye and evaporative dry eye, a mucin-deficient type, and a tear-dynamic abnormality type. The treatments for dry eyes caused by different reasons are also different.

So, is the dryness and discomfort in the eyes caused by staring at the screen for a long time related to dry eye syndrome? The answer is: it must be!

Under normal circumstances, people blink once every 4 seconds, and every time you blink, the tear film will cover the eyeball to moisten it. But when you are looking at a computer or a mobile phone, because you are too focused, your eyes will unconsciously become lazy, and the frequency of blinking will at least drop by half, so tear evaporation increases, and the eyes cannot be fully moistened by tears. If this continues for a long time, it will cause dry eyes.

Similarly, excessive eye activities such as long-term reading, driving, and watching TV can easily cause dry eyes.

In addition to eye fatigue being prone to dry eye, women who are pregnant or menopausal have reduced tear gland secretion due to hormonal changes, making them a high-risk group for dry eye.

Older people have less tear production and are at a higher risk of dry eye. People with autoimmune diseases, diabetes and other medical conditions are also more likely to suffer from dry eye.

Some medications can suppress tear production, causing dry eyes;

This may also happen to people who take antihistamines or blood pressure medications. If you stay in a low-humidity space for a long time, such as a heated room or outdoors in strong winds, your tears will evaporate faster.

Additionally, smoke, allergens, and other irritants can dry out your eyes.

2

Teach you a few tips to quickly relieve dry eyes

1. Use eye drops properly

Eye drops can play a certain role in relieving dry eyes, and the most commonly used are artificial tears. Artificial tears are eye drops made from simulated real tear components and have the effect of moisturizing the eyes.

Artificial tears are effective for both types of dry eyes (aqueous deficiency dry eyes and evaporative dry eyes). Common artificial tears include sodium hyaluronate eye drops, polyvinyl alcohol eye drops, sodium carboxymethylcellulose eye drops, etc.

If dry eyes have become inflamed, eye drops such as cyclosporine can be used to reduce dry eye-related inflammation and relieve discomfort, but these drops are irritating and may take several months to work.

For mucin-deficient dry eyes, you can choose eye drops that promote mucin secretion: such as Li Ai Si (diquafosol sodium eye drops).

There are many kinds of eye drops with various effects. If you buy one at random and don't use it for the right purpose, it may backfire and aggravate dry eyes. It is best to choose the eye drops and relief methods that are suitable for you under the advice of a doctor.

2. Hot and cold compresses

Using hot towels or hot water for hot compresses can help dry eyes caused by meibomian gland dysfunction. Note that the temperature of the hot compress should not be too high, 40~45℃ is more appropriate. It is recommended to apply hot compress for 10~15 minutes each time, and you can change the hot towel 1~2 times during the period. Apply 1~2 times a day.

For water-deficient dry eyes, cold compresses can help relieve discomfort. It is recommended to apply cold compresses for 15 minutes at a time, 2 to 3 times a day.

3. Surgery

For persistent cases, punctal plugging may be necessary. If necessary, ophthalmologists perform a procedure called punctal plugging on some dry eye patients.

Specifically, the ophthalmologist inserts a plug into the punctum (a small opening at the inner corner of the eyelid near the nose) to block the flow of tears from the surface of the eye, through the tear duct, and into the nasal cavity, so that the tears do not leave the eye.

In this way, more tears can moisten the eye for longer.

Nasal puncta (arrow) obstruction is a strategy to reduce tear outflow from the ocular surface in the treatment of keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Source: Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Treatment

For people with severe dry eyes, partial eyelid sutures may be needed to reduce tear evaporation.

4. Treat the underlying disease

As mentioned earlier, some other diseases can cause dry eyes, such as autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, polymyositis), diabetes, thyroid abnormalities, asthma, etc.

Why do these diseases cause dry eyes?

Let’s take autoimmune diseases as an example. Autoimmune diseases are inflammatory diseases caused by immune cells that are supposed to attack bacteria and viruses, but suddenly “rebel” and attack our healthy cells. Inflammation can damage glands related to tear secretion, resulting in insufficient water or lipid secretion from the eyes, which eventually causes dry eyes.

If dry eye is caused by these diseases, while treating the dry eye, you should work with the corresponding specialists to treat the primary disease, which can also improve the effectiveness of dry eye treatment.

In fact, if your eyes are dry and itchy occasionally, don't panic. If these uncomfortable symptoms occur frequently, you should suspect that you have dry eye syndrome.

Fortunately, dry eye is treatable with a combination of lifestyle changes and medications. However, dry eye should not be underestimated. If you ignore it, let it develop, and don't treat it in time, it may eventually lead to serious vision damage.

END

Author: Liu Dongbao, chief physician of ophthalmology, Shenyang Red Cross Hospital.

Tadpole Musical Notation original article, please indicate the source when reprinting

Editor/Xiao Xitushuo