Vision Loss

Which came first – The glasses or the nerd?

The scenario occurred frequently in my youth. There I would be, nestled in a comfortable corner, immersed in a book. The hours would slip away, completely unnoticed as I turned over page after page, until the sun had sunk low over the houses across the street. At this point, like clockwork, my stepmother would wander through the room and, for the first time in several hours, take notice of me.

“For the last time, will you turn on a light!” she would shout, jostling me back to reality. “If you keep reading in the dark like that, you’re going to need glasses!”

For the record, I still have 20/20 vision, despite the fact that I stubbornly continued to read in any light that was adequate to allow me to distinguish one character from the next.

The whole excessive-reading-leads-to-nearsightedness nonsense is a product of a basic misunderstanding of how the eye works. Myopia, or nearsightedness, is caused by a shape discrepancy between the cornea and the eyeball. People are either born with the genetic predisposition to myopia or they are not.

What reading in dim light might cause is eye strain, which can result in soreness around the eyes, headaches, or drowsiness. This is because the muscles that control the eye’s movements and ability to focus are being worked harder than normal. Just like any other muscle, they will be sore after exercise. A little rest will have them back to normal, if not stronger for the workout.

Besides, I’d much rather be well-read and nearsighted than have perfect vision and the intelligence of a fruit fly. But that’s just me.

There’s no doubt that a high percentage of people who play sports need corrective lenses. Until recently, athletes with poorer eyesight had three options: 1) play without their corrective lenses despite compromised vision; 2) play with their corrective lenses despite discomfort, annoyance, and less-than-ideal range of vision; or, 3) play while wearing prescription goggles (relatively) popularized by the likes of Horace Grant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (a choice most athletes actively avoid, more or less for aesthetic reasons).

While contact lenses provide certain advantages, such as better depth perception and peripheral vision, over glasses, specially-designed athletic contact lenses provide even more benefits. Now, contact lenses specifically created for sports afford athletes not only the chance to play with their corrected vision, but optimize their eyesight to their sport of choice.

Certain new sports contacts can enhance athletic performance covering the entire pupil to reduce glare, enhance contrast, and cut down on the athlete’s eyes’ exposure to UVB and UVA radiation. Certain tints are designed to help athletes who participate in long-distance running, golf, or any other sport that requires extended exposure to bright sunlight by sharpening the details of their surroundings. Other tints actually sharpen the image of the ball and are ideal for sports like baseball, tennis, and soccer.

While contacts can’t make you stronger, taller, or more agile (at least not yet – okay, probably not ever), they are ideal for professional and amateur athletes alike who are serious about enhancing their athletic performance.

It is not uncommon to experience dryness or itchiness of the eyes from time to time. Environmental factors such as high altitude, low humidity, wind, smoky air, and dust can cause temporary discomfort in the eyes. For these occasional cases, people often reach for relief in the form of over-the-counter eye drops.

For people who suffer from frequent dry eye or allergies that cause eye irritation, however, many popular brand-name eye drops can do more harm than good. This is especially true of those products that contain vasoconstrictors, also known as redness reducers. These ingredients work by constricting the tiny veins that run through the outer layers of the eye, restricting blood flow. This reduces redness but increases irritation, and over the long term, can actually damage the blood vessels of the eye.

A common side effect of using redness reducers is what is known as “rebound redness.” Once the effects of the vasoconstrictor wears off, the symptom comes back, making the eyes appear as red as or even redder than before. When this occurs, people may be tempted to reapply the drops, despite label warnings to use no more than 4 times daily (or every 6 hours). This will only increase the irritation and potential damage. Most products containing vasoconstrictors carry label warnings that overuse can lead to increased redness in the eyes.

So for chronic dry eye or allergies, be sure to choose products that do not contain vasoconstrictors. Check the list of active ingredients and avoid any products that contain naphazoline hydrochloride, tetrahydrozoline, oxymetazoline, or anything that is listed as a redness reliever. Also watch out for zinc sulfate, an astringent that is commonly used in conjunction with redness reducers. There are a wide range of formulas that are labeled “artificial tears” and are designed to mimic the natural moisture of the eyes, without added ingredients. People who are sensitive to preservatives may need to choose a preservative-free option, which are usually packaged in single-use vials. As always, your physician can recommend the product that will be best for you.

These days, Tantric gurus and suburban housewives alike are singing the praises of yoga and its many health benefits. From the intensive rituals of yoga purists to the MTV-inspired pop-fusions such as “hip hop yoga” and “yogalates,” the ancient practice is often touted as a panacea for the many ailments brought on by a fast-paced society.

Now, a recent study suggests that regular yoga practice may also relieve the symptoms of computer vision syndrome, or CVS. Oft the scourge of programmers, web designers, writers, and anyone else whose profession requires a good portion of their day to be spent behind a computer screen, CVS is comprised of a number of painful and irritating symptoms, including dry eyes, burning, redness, and blurred or double vision.

In the study, conducted by the journal Head and Face Medicine, 291 professional computer users were divided at random into two sample groups: those who would practice yoga for the duration of the 60-day experiment, and those who would make no change in their daily habits. The yoga routine used in the study included 10 minutes of trataka visual exercises, which involve controlled eye tracking movements and sustained focus on a specific object, such as a lighter flame. At the end of the study, the group practicing yoga reported a significant decrease in their symptoms, while the control group exhibited little change and in fact some increase in discomfort.

So if neck pain, carpel tunnel syndrome, and work-related stress aren’t enough reason to get us computer geeks out of our swivel chairs and into the yoga studio, we may become duly motivated the next time our meta tags spontaneously duplicate before our eyes. And hey, if nothing else, the trataka exercises will give you an opportunity to show off that wicked Turbo Bright LED lighter you just ordered on eBay.

Eye exercise programs that claim to improve vision walk the sometimes-fine, sometimes-chasmic line between science and folk remedy. Though it’d be nice to knock another DIY health program out of the ballpark of credibility, it seems as if the jury’s still out.

Seeking to provide a remedy to the fact that refractive errors, including farsightedness and nearsightedness, develop out of a combination of hereditary and circumstantial factors, eye exercise programs purport to both prevent and fix poor vision. In theory, these exercises are supposed to strengthen the eye muscles, improve eye coordination, and enhance the flexibility of the eye muscles.

Some of these programs even encourage vision enhancement and maintenance through practicing mantra-based personal affirmations.

The fact that many of these eye exercise programs, which basically consist of a booklet (and occasional snazzy multimedia CD or VHS/DVD), are advertised primarily over the internet and radio commercials doesn’t lend them any additional credibility. Claims that these simple exercises – some of which are called “tromboning” and “clock rotations” (and don’t forget those affirming mantras!) – can do what complex surgical procedures like LASIK can do seem, if anything, outlandish.

While these programs are unproven at best, there are still thousands of consumers buying into these exercises. They haven’t been proven to be harmful to anyone’s vision (yet), but their lack of proven results have put a hurt on people’s wallets and, most likely, their expectations.

Researchers at the University of Rochester say shoot-em up games like “Halo,” “Gears of War” and “Unreal Tournament” may actually improve your eyesight.

They found action games help players block out visual distractions, resulting in sharper vision. Novice gamers who played video games for at least 30 hours over four-to-six weeks improved their ability to ignore visual clutter by at least 15-to-20 percent.

Sedate games like “Tetris” don’t have the same effect.

“Action video game play changes the way our brains process visual information,” University of Rochester professor Daphne Bavelier said in a prepared statement. “After just 30 hours, players showed a substantial increase in the special resolution of their vision, meaning they could see figures like those on an eye chart more clearly, even when other symbols crowded in.”

Visual improvements were not only seen in the center of the video game visual field, but also at the periphery, suggesting that people with vision problems may be able to increase visual acuity.

But don’t throw away your glasses just yet.

Visual improvements were minute because the study was based on 32 students who had good vision. So miniscule, in fact, that an optometrist would probably not be able to recognize the difference in an eye test.

“People think that they’re going to replace their prescription lenses with video games—no, no, no!” Bavelier said.

Even still, the research suggests high-action video games can be used as rehab therapy for people with vision problems like amblyopia.

“These games push the human visual system to the limits and the brain adapts to it,” Bavelier said in a prepared statement. “That learning carries over into other activities and possibly everyday life.”

I was never a fan of carrots as a child. This was most likely due to the fact that my stepmother refused to peel them, and the tough outer skin with its tiny hair-like offshoots and faintly dirt-infused flavor grossed me the heck out. Yet I ate them anyway, out of the deep-seated fear that, without a steady dose of carrots, I would never be able to see in the dark. Darkness, to me, was much more frightening than carrot skin.

Like many children, I was a victim of the government conspiracy surrounding carrots and night-vision. That’s right, I said, “government conspiracy.” The story goes that, in order to keep the newly developed radar technology a secret from German intelligence during World War II, the British government started telling the press that the reason their soldiers could see enemy planes coming was that they fed them a steady diet of carrots to improve night-vision. The story proved useful to parents, who found it an effective way to convince their children to eat the vegetable.

Like all myths, this one has a grain of truth at its core. Beta carotene, the substance that gives carrots their orange color, is converted to Vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is responsible for development and maintenance of cells and tissues in the eyes and other organs. Vitamin A deficiency can cause blindness. However, eating plenty of carrots will not improve vision beyond normal levels, and it has no effect whatsoever on such conditions as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism.

So why don’t rabbits wear glasses? The answer is simple. Rabbit ears are too high to hold glasses in place.

Yes, your eye makeup can go bad. Eye makeup that has been used for long periods of time can become overrun with bacteria, which can lead to infections like pink eye. While most cosmetics contain preservatives to ward off evil bacteria, they can only do so much. Bacteria from the air and your hands swarm into new makeup the second you open it. Top it off with a dirty applicator and your brand new eyeshadow can turn in to an all out bacteria bash.

Add time to the equation, and the situation gets worse. Over time, cosmetic preservatives lose their power to fight bacteria, increasing your chance of developing an eye infection. That’s why it’s important to discard old makeup.

But how do you know which prettifiers are passé and which ones can stay? The FDA doesn’t require manufacturers to stamp an expiration date on cosmetics. It’s up to you to determine when to part with that sexy eyeliner. Here are some tips to help you make that big decision:

• Mascara should be the first to go. Throw it out after three months, and NEVER attempt to salvage dried out mascara with saliva.

• Eyeshadow can last up to a year if properly stored (in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight). Use new applicators in fresh eyeshadows to prevent transfer of bacteria.

• Eyeliner can also last up to a year. Sharpen eyeliner pencils often to keep the casing from transferring bacteria to your eye.

• If your makeup starts to smell funny or change color, toss it!

Following these rules can keep your makeup safe and your eyes in good health.