Front-Shop Magazine

EYE ALLERGIES

An eye allergy happens when the eye overreacts to a substance perceived as harmful, even though it may not be. For example, dust that is harmless to most people can cause excessive production of tears and mucus in people with overly sensitive eyes. Eye allergies are often hereditary.

Allergies can trigger other problems, such as conjunctivitis (pink eye) and asthma. Most of the more than 22 million Americans who suffer from allergies also have allergic conjunctivitis, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

COMMON SIGNS OF ALLERGIES INCLUDE: red, swollen, tearing or itchy eyes; runny nose; sneezing; coughing; difficulty breathing; itchy nose, mouth or throat; and headache from sinus congestion.

WHAT CAUSES EYE ALLERGIES?

Many allergens are in the air, where they come in contact with your eyes and nose. Airborne allergens include pollen, mould, dust and pet dander. Other causes, such as certain foods or bee stings, do not typically affect the eyes. Adverse reactions to certain cosmetics or drugs such as antibiotic eye-drops also may cause eye allergies.

TREATMENT

Avoidance. The most common “treatment” is to avoid what’s causing your eye allergy. Itchy eyes? Keep your home free of pet dander and dust, and stay inside with the air conditioner on when a lot of pollen is in the air. Air conditioners filter out allergens, though you must clean the filters from time to time.

Medications. If you’re not sure what’s causing your eye allergies or not having any luck avoiding them, your next step will probably be medication to alleviate the symptoms. Over-the-counter and prescription drugs each have their advantages.

It’s important to discuss the problem with your doctor, so the cause of the problem can be treated and cleared up. Constant use of products that only treat the symptoms, may make the problem worse over time.

HAVE YOUR EYES TESTED REGULARLY

Regardless of your age or physical health, it’s important for everyone to have regular eye exams.

When an eye doctor examines your eyes, he is doing more than checking to see if you need glasses. During a complete eye exam, your eye doctor also checks for common eye diseases, symptoms of any other diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate them as an indicator of your overall health.

EYE TESTS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF HEALTH MAINTENANCE FOR EVERYONE.

Adults should have their eyes tested to keep their prescriptions current and to check for early signs of eye disease. For children, eye exams can play an important role in normal development.

Vision is closely linked to the learning process. Children who have trouble seeing or interpreting what they see will often have trouble with their schoolwork. If your child performs poorly at school or exhibits a reading or learning disability, be sure to have his eyes examined to rule out an underlying visual cause.

9 STEPS TO REDUCING COMPUTER EYESTRAIN

Computer eyestrain is the number one office-related health complaint, but there are many things workers and employers can do to reduce this symptom of computer vision syndrome (CVS). Here are nine easy tips:

1. Get a computer eye exam.

This is the most important thing you can do to prevent or treat computer vision problems. Computer users should have an eye exam before they start working on a computer and once a year thereafter.

2. Use proper lighting.

Eyestrain is often caused by excessively bright light coming in from outside and excessively bright light inside. When you use a computer, your ambient lighting should be about half that used in most offices. Eliminate exterior light by closing drapes, shades, or blinds. Reduce interior lighting by using fewer light bulbs or fluorescent tubes, or use lower intensity bulbs and tubes. If possible, position your monitor so that windows are to the side of it, instead of in front or back.

3. Minimize glare.

Glare on walls and finished surfaces, as well as reflections on the computer screen itself can also cause eyestrain. You may want to install an anti-glare screen on your monitor and, if possible, paint bright white walls a darker color with a matte finish. Again, cover the windows; when outside light cannot be reduced, use a computer hood. Have an anti-reflective coating applied to your glasses. This will prevent glare and reflections on the back side of your lenses from reaching your eyes.

4. Adjust the brightness of your computer screen.

Closely match the brightness of the environment with that of your computer screen, by using the buttons on the monitor. As a test, try looking at the white background of this web page: if it looks like a light source, it’s too bright; if it seems dull and gray, it may be too dark. Also adjust the monitor to make sure the contrast between the screen background and the on-screen characters is high. And make sure that the text size and color are optimized for the most comfort.

5. Blink more often.

Blinking is very important when working at a computer — it rewets your eyes to avoid dryness and irritation. When working at a computer, people blink less frequently — about five times less than normally, according to studies. Tears coating the eye evaporate more rapidly during long non-blinking phases and cause dry eyes. Office buildings may have excessively dry environments that also reduce tearing.

For significant problems, ask your eye doctor about artificial tears or eyedrops that you can use during the day. By the way, don’t confuse lubricating drops with the drops that only “get the red out.” The latter can indeed make your eyes look better with vasoconstrictors that reduce the size of the blood vessels in your eyes, but they are not necessarily formulated to help with dryness and irritation.

Also try this exercise: Every 30 minutes blink 10 times by closing your eyes as if falling asleep (very slowly). This will help rewet your eyes.

Information made available by ICAS. Contact them on 0800 611 191 or www.icas.co.za