During the Covid pandemic the world was focused on staying healthy and staying alive with particular focus on the respiratory system and other vital parameters.

Scant notice was given to the fact that thanks to people being forced to be indoors ,practically all activity involved the eyes…. Either in the form of work from home or for leisure and gaming activities. Kids had to endure close to two years of Home schooling.

This led to a different pandemic… of eye and ophthalmic related problems!

Children who had never had any numbers or refractive errors suddenly complained of decreased vision due to short sightedness induced by prolonged staring at a screen.

Adults who had back to back zoom calls or binge watched TV shows had a high incidence of DRY Eyes and Computer vision syndrome.

Others who had chronic conditions , like glaucoma or retinal conditions ,which require continual supervision had no recourse to do so. This has led to several people with drastically reduced eye sight and worsening of glaucoma control. Cataracts were left unchecked and untreated.

With the Covid pandemic on the wane it is time to address this other pandemic on a war footing.

Regular eye exams and advanced screening tests where required are the need of the hour.

 

 

Corrective lenses are minute things that make an enormous difference in our lives

Most people who wear glasses or contacts can remember what it was like the first time they were able to see individual blades of grass and leaves on trees after putting them on. It is necessary to take good care of our lenses so that you get the maximum benefit from wearing them!

Tips for eye glasses care

Even with protective coatings, glasses tend to gather dust and oil as we wear them, and they need regular cleaning. It is normal to reach the corner of your shirt or dupatta. However, please use a microfiber or cotton cloth and a good quality glasses cleaner. You can make your own glasses cleaner with a drop of soap in a small spray bottle filled with water.

If you do not have a glass cleaning cloth around, the edge of a cotton shirt is a passable substitute. But, make sure never to use wood-based materials like napkins or tissues. These are made from wood pulp and can scratch the lenses causing permanent damage. Avoid using chemical cleaners like ammonia or window cleaners because they can dissolve the protective coatings on your lenses. When you are not wearing your glasses, the best way to store them is in their case. Avoid falling asleep wearing your eyeglasses as you might damage them.

Contact lens care and safety

It’s a little more complicated to take care of contact lenses. Because they sit directly on the eye, keeping them clean is as much about hygiene as it is about maintenance, if not more so. Make sure you handle contact lenses with freshly clean hands and use fresh solutions to clean and store them with care. It takes just one unclean use for a solution to get contaminated.

Never use tap water on contact lenses (and do not use spit) because freshwater contains microorganisms that will treat a contact lens like a Petri dish that can assist microorganisms spread. Please follow the instructions on the contact lens packaging to understand how frequently to replace your lenses and how long to keep them in at a time. Follow the instructions on how long they are safe to wear and when to replace them. It might be tempting to stretch things out, but saving a little on replacement lenses can avoid the risk of an eye infection.

More on preventing eye infections

A contacts-wearer should be careful about minimizing the risk of eye infection. Avoid rubbing your eyes which could damage the lens or introduce germs into the eye. In case you drop a lens, clean and rinse before reapplying. Remember the importance of good blinking. Regular and complete blinking will help to keep the lens moist and clean.

Bring us your lens problems and questions

When you have questions about how to take good care of your lenses, get in touch with us, whether eyeglasses or contact lenses. When you are experiencing any irritation or other symptoms using contact lenses, approach us for professional advice. If everything is going well, still make sure to schedule regular eye examination.