National Nutrition Week (NNW) is being celebrated from the 1st to the 7th of September. It is organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India’s Food and Nutrition Board. This week observed every year honors the nutrition plays for the wellbeing of a healthy human body. Nutrition for health is embodied in a well-balanced diet with essential nutrients and calories required for the body to function at an optimal rate. A well planned and perfect diet will support growth and repair of the body.  The aim of celebrating this week is to create awareness about nutrition and its importance on the health of all, the lack of which can negatively affect productivity, development along with impacting economic growth and national development.

Hon’ble PM Mr.Modi calls for nutrition month:

A healthy and robust food plays vital role for speedy recovery of COVID19 patients. WHO issued guidelines to all the Governments across globe on the importance of nutritious food to be given to the patients apart from regular medication. Hon’ble PM Mr.Modi has announced September as a month dedicated to create awareness on the of Nutrition and its importance.

Nutrition & eye care:

COVID19 Pandemic made everything go online i.e online Schooling, Competitive exams, companies work, Virtual meetings etc. Now use of electronic gadgets likes Mobile Phones, Computers etc are not limited to IT employees but to everyone. Student to Teacher, Politician – Party worker, Boss and Employee all are dependent on electronic gadgets and spending a lot of time before the screen. Extensive use of these electronic gadgets will result in eye strain if proper food is not taken.

Students and online schooling:

Being parents of a children you need to provide kids with a holistic, balanced diet that has all the required calories, proteins, minerals, vitamins and alternative nutrients. It is always necessary to have 3 timely spaced small meals spread over the day consisting of 60-70% of total calories from carbohydrates , 10-12% from proteins and 20- 25% of total calories from fats.

Special attention to be given to vitamin-C (so lots of citrus fruits & juices to build immunity) and vitamin-D. As the child is mainly restricted to indoors with minimal exposure to sunlight, weekly vitamin-D supplementation has been shown as safe and effective against acute respiratory tract infections. Thus, during this global pandemic we should consider taking Vitamin D supplements to maintain the circulating 25 (OH)D in the optimal (75 -125mmol /L) for online.

Long hours in front of computer for online classes causes computer vision syndrome (which comprises of eye strain, headaches, ocular discomfort, dry eye, double vision and blurred vision). This can be overcome with a simple 20-20-20 RULE That is view an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes & blink intentionally a couple of times. Any refractive error has to be examined and corrected .

 A good lubricating eye drop also helps. Long hours of sitting are linked to posture related problems and obesity. Proper body positioning for computer use is important. Optimally, the computer screen should be 25-20 degrees below eye level (about 4 to 5 inches) as measured from the center of the screen and does 28 Metres from the eyes. Relevant material should be located above the keyboard and below the monitor. Position the computer screen so as to avoid glare.

Anti-glare screens can be used. Chairs should be comfortably padded and feet should rest flat on ground while sitting. The chair should also have arm rests . It is advisable to make them do neck & shoulder exercises every 2 hours and also incorporate spot jogging. These can be easily picked up once it forms a routine.

Mental health- do yoga and meditation:

The last but not the least is mental health. Humans have a profound need to connect with others and gain acceptance into social groups. People suffer when relationships deteriorate and social bonds are severed. We need to make sure they have no dysfunctional social behaviour causing depression or rarely aggression.

So keep a tab on their activities and be responsive to their needs not desires. Do yoga and meditation together to help them bond and have a sense of belonging. The pandemic is here to stay for some time- make the most of it by spending time with them and including them in your daily activities.

Dr.Anitha C Kamarthy
M.S. Sr. Cataract & Glaucoma Surgeon
MaxiVision Super Specialty Eye Hospital
Hyderabad

The post Beat the eye strain with healthy & robust food. appeared first on Health Vision.

The Corona virus has deeply impacted one and all. Not only that it has brought with it several changes in everyday life and with it vicious cycles that no one could envision. One of them is school’s being shut for a prolonged period of time. To overcome the shutdown of schools; several institutes have introduced online schooling.

However, this is having an impact on children’s eye health both long term and short term. What that means for parents is that it’s time to get serious about protecting your child’s vision. With the increase in the use of electronic gadgets or as some call it screen time, many children experience a pervasive threat of digital eye strain.

After a couple hours of continuous use of laptops or mobiles one experiences tired, dry eyes, blurry vision; sometimes headaches and neck ache. Digital eye strain also known as computer vision syndrome can affect everyone who uses not just computers but also TVs, smartphones, tablets, gaming systems, etc.

The problem with virtual classrooms are that students spend more time using computers during school from home than when they attend a brick-and-mortar school, so they’re more likely to experience digital eye strain. Increased screen time increases the risk of Myopia and Myopia progression can cause stress, anxiety, loss of social skills and other behavioural issues.

How parents and teachers can help?

1. The duration of online classes must be age-appropriate. For a younger child say 4 – 6 years, the duration of the class should be one hour with one break. Older kids can have classes for 4 – 6 hours with 5 to 6 breaks.

2. Children must be allowed to take a break every 45 minutes. Some forms of physical training such as yoga or dance should be incorporated into the child’s schedule.

3. Children who use spectacles should wear them regularly. They should not be allowed to sit directly in front of an AC / Fan. This will cause their eyes to dry eyes. Lubricating Eye drops can be used in case of prolonged screen usage.

4. Make sure children follow the 20 – 20 – 20 rule and blink their eyes frequently. Every 20 minutes take a break for 20 secs and look at something 20 feet away.

5. Encourage physical activities and movement in between classes. Preferably ask them to connect to bigger screens like a TV, Laptop, or Desktop.

Dr.Rohini
Senior cataract, Lasik & ICL Surgeon
Maxivision Group of Eye hospitals, Hyderabad

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