Why our eyeballs are ageing before us

Yes, say Australian researchers claiming that while people are living longer, their eyes are not. iTALK tells you why your eyes need more attention than you think

Access to better health care facilities has contributed to a longer life span. However, the bad news is that the stress of living the modern life is taking a toll on our eyes. As a result, people as young as 40 are grappling with cataract and age-related degeneration of the retina. And not surprisingly, vision problems are especially common among young professionals who work in front of the computer for long hours. Dr Phiroze Patel, senior consultant, department of Ophthalmology, Jaslok Hospital says, "Modern lifestyle hardly allows our eyes to rest.
In some cases, professionals work long hours in front of the computer, and then go home and watch television or read a book, thus overusing their eyes and straining them. As a result, we have a lot of patients between the age group of 20 to 40 years who complain of different problems like headaches, redness of the eyes, itching, blurry eyesight and refractive vision."

Why our eyeballs are dying out

Professor Jonathan Stone, who works with The Vision Centre in Australia, is leading a team looking for ways of extending the life of the photoreceptors in our eyes. Each eyeball, he says, starts out with some 150 million light-catching photoreceptors at birth, but these begin to die at the rate of several hundred a day, explaining why a person's vision deteriorates over time.

Many people retain as many as 100 million or more photoreceptors in each eye when they are in their 80s, but for others their eyesight has by then begun to deteriorate. "People are now living longer as a result of improved health standards, so new techniques are needed to slow the shedding of the photoreceptors, which can't be regrown," he says.

You can get a cataract at 40

Dr Gul J Nankani, Consultant ophthalmologist, Lilavati Hospital and Krishna Eye Centre
Since people are straining their visual sense, they are now complaining of cataracts and age related degeneration of the retina while they are only in their 40s. "Previously these conditions were only prevalent among people over the age of 60," says Dr Gul J Nankani.

How to deal with it?
Adjust your computer monitor so that it's in line with your eyes.
Ensure that the A/C blower is not in front of your eyes.
After every one hour, take your eyes away from the PC.
Blink your eyes as often as possible, this will keep them moist.
After a long day at work, dip a cloth in warm water and leave it on your eyelids for sometime.
Encourage kids to play outdoors rather than spend too much time in front of the television or computer.

Visit an eye doc if:
You notice frequent redness in your eyes.
If your eyes water a lot or there's constant itching.
If you have defective vision.
If you are a diabetic.

How often should one visit an eye doctor?
If you are below 18 and have a number, you should visit an eye specialist once every six months, or once a year if you don't have a number.
If you are below 18, you should visit an eye doctor once in two years.
If you are diabetic, an annual visit is mandatory. If you are above 50, once every six months.

This sales coordinator's eyes, wrists and shoulders ache everyday
Work culture: Deepali Palekar, a 41 year-old sales coordinator employed in the hospitality industry works 8-hour shifts, daily. "I start work at 9 am and finish by 7 pm, and take a half-an-hour break for lunch and two breaks of 15 minutes each, later in the evening," she says. Otherwise, Palekar is constantly glued to her PC preparing reports, as she has deadlines to meet on regular basis.
Effects on the eyes: Deepali often complains of dryness in the eyes at the end of the day, and even eye pain sometimes. Wrist and shoulder pain are routine problems.

Everyday, the Mid Day features team battles eye damage

Bhairavi Jhaveri, 24
Number of hours spent on PC: 8 hours a day
Breaks: Three, 20 minutes each.
Effects: Headaches, migraines and unbearable neck pain are the result of working in front of the computer for 8 hours straight.u00a0

Aastha Atray Banan, 26
Number of hours spent on PC: 6 hours a day
Breaks: Two, 20 minutes each.
Effects: The trouble started with constant headaches and neck aches. I started squinting while driving. Now, I have to wear spectacles as I have Myopia.

Melissa D'costa, 28
Number of hours spent on PC: 9 hours a day
Breaks: Two 20 minutes for lunch and 15 minutes for tea.
Effects: Since I've been working long hours for 8-odd years now, I have got a number.

Soma Das, 24
Number of hours spent on PC:u00a0 8 hours
Breaks: Two a 30-minute break for lunch and a 20-minute break in the evening for snacks.u00a0
Effects: I use spectacles for Myopia. When I work for extended periods, I tend to feel restless and my shoulders ache.

Shikha Shah, 19
Number of hours spent on PC: 10 hours a day
Breaks: Two 20 minutes for lunch and 15 minutes for snacks.
Effects: Since I've a high number, my eyes water, resulting in extreme redness. Painful headache makes it difficult to concentrate.