Eye Diseases, a Problem for Working People
Each age group has different eye problems. Especially office workers, they could develop eye problems because the longer they stare at a computer or mobile phone, the more tired the eyes. It is difficult to avoid eye strain at work. Even though some people are still able to work from home, they have to sit and look at a screen every day, leading to eye diseases without us even realizing them.
Today, let's take a look at diseases which may incur if we use our eyes too much as follows:
โรคซีวีเอส (Computer Vision Syndrome)
Let’s start with the most popular disease of screen addicts. Sitting and working in front of a computer all day may affect eye health in long term and may cause the Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). This disease is a consequence of looking at a computer or mobile phone screen for more than 2 hours continuously per day without taking a break. This causes the retinal cells to gradually deteriorate; the severity of the disease will increase according to the amount of screen time.
Causes
- Insufficient light
- The position of the computer screen is inappropriate.
- An uncorrected vision condition, especially farsightedness or astigmatism
Symptoms
- Eye pain
- Blurred vision, unclear vision or double vision
- Eye irritation, dry eyes
- Neck pain, headache or back pain
🔖 Bangpakok Hospital (Data as of 06/08/2021)
Vitreous Degeneration
For vitreous degeneration, you probably think that it is a disease that usually occurs in people aged 50 years and over, but nowadays it is found that working people like us are more likely to suffer from this disease because we use our eyes to stare at the computer screen for a long time. The gel in the eye is a clear, viscous gel at the back of the eye and attached to the retina. If the gel in the eye deteriorates, it will turn into a clear liquid, which may cause retinal detachment and cause other eye diseases in the future.
Causes
- Increasing age
- Staring at the computer or mobile phone for too long
- Infections or other physical conditions, such as cancer
- Vitreous hemorrhage from an accident or a disease that causes blood vessel abnormalities
Symptoms
- Seeing dark shadows or cobwebs floating around
- Seeing a flash of light
- Partly seeing curtain-like shadow
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is another disease that can be found at any age, especially in working age people who use the eyes heavily every day. Glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the optic nerve due to increased intraocular pressure. If not treated quickly, it may lead to blindness.
Causes
Most are caused by the deterioration of the body itself. Also, it could be found together with other eye diseases that are complications from accidents or surgery in the eyes. However, the most important risk factor is increased intraocular pressure which may increase naturally or due to a medication, accident or surgery.
Symptoms
- Red eyes
- Eye pain
- Headache
- Some people may experience nausea and vomiting.
🔖 Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital
Macular degeneration
Coming to another popular disease, Macular degeneration, it is a disease with abnormalities occurring in the center of the retina. It is most common in people aged 50 years and over, but it can occur in people of working age as well. Macular degeneration causes loss of vision, especially in the center; the edges of the image can still be seen.
Causes
It can be caused by many factors, such as people with very nearsightedness or people with certain infectious diseases, including the effects of the screen's blue light. However, the most common cause, which is found in the elderly people, is the deterioration of the body, also known as aging, which is one of the important causes of macular degeneration.
Symptoms
- Not being able to see clearly
- Distorted vision
- Distorted colors
- Seeing a black spot in the center of the image
- Not being able to see clearly in bright places and being sensitive to light
🔖 Samitivej Hospital (data as of 09/04/2020)
🔖 Bang Pakok Hospital (data as of 06/08/2021)
Stop risky behaviors and start protecting your eyes.
We already know about eye diseases that working people like us are at risk of. Now, let's take a look at some risky behaviors in everyday life which we have not noticed could cause an eye disease.
- Screen addiction
Blue light can lead to macular degeneration, and it can be prevented by choosing a high-resolution screen to reduce eyestrain. The distance between the screen and our face should be between 20-28 inches. Adjust the brightness of the screen to make it not too bright or too dark, and always change your postures to relax.
- Drinking little water and eating unhealthy food
You should drink 8 glasses of water per day because drinking less water will directly affect the moisture of your eyes, followed by symptoms of dry eyes, red eyes, swollen and bruised eyelids. For not eating all 5 food groups, especially people who rarely eat fruits and vegetables, it will cause a lack of vitamins which are necessary to repair and care for our eyes.
- Drinking alcohol and smoking
Regularly smoking or drinking alcohol can affect our eye health, leading to cataracts, macular degeneration, uveitis, dry eye disease or even diabetic retinopathy.
- Not wearing sunglasses; the eyes directly exposed to UV rays
Walking outdoors, including driving, without wearing sunglasses causes our eyes to be directly exposed to UV rays, causing both pinguecula and pterygium. Therefore, every time you have to go out in the sun or encounter dust and smoke, you should also wear sunglasses that can filter UVA and UVB rays.
- Having never had an eye health checkup
● Eye health checkup is important which should be done every year or as recommended by an ophthalmologist to understand the problems and risks of certain eye diseases that show no symptoms of illness.
🔖 โรงพยาบาลพญาไท (data as of 20/05/2020)
It can be seen that starting at screen continuously, including having behaviors that harm the eyes without realizing it, may increase our risk of developing diseases, so we should pay more attention to our eye health. It is recommended to get your eye health checked once a year and get a health insurance plan as buying health insurance when we are still healthy provides us comprehensive coverage as you have no pre-existing conditions. Once you are sick and decide to buy one, it may be too late. Therefore, plan and prepare now to live life more confidently.
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