World Glaucoma Day | Do you often turn off the lights and look at your phone before going to bed? Beware of this vision "thief"!

Turn off the lights and play with your phone

It is a bedtime ritual for many people.

One message or video after another slides across the screen

Kill the short time before bed...

If you do this with the lights on and sitting down

It's not a bad idea

But if you turn off the lights and do these things while lying down

It is easy to cause dry eyes, sore eyes, eye fatigue, and worsening myopia

besides

There will be a "thief" who will come to your door quietly.

This "thief" is glaucoma

01

The direct cause of glaucoma is high intraocular pressure

Glaucoma is a type of irreversible blinding eye disease characterized by pathological increase in intraocular pressure, optic nerve atrophy and visual field loss. The probability of blindness is about 5% to 20%.

(Photo source: Department of Ophthalmology, Nanfang Hospital)

In our eyes, a clear fluid called aqueous humor circulates to provide nutrients to the eye and metabolize waste. Under normal circumstances, the production and outflow of aqueous humor are balanced to maintain stable intraocular pressure. However, in patients with glaucoma, the outflow of aqueous humor is blocked, resulting in the accumulation of aqueous humor and increased intraocular pressure , which can damage the optic nerve .

(Photo source: Department of Ophthalmology, Nanfang Hospital)

02

What changes occur in your eyes when you look at your phone in the dark?

Playing with your phone for a long time with the lights off may cause your eyes to feel foreign and dry .

In a dark environment, the light intensity of a mobile phone alone is far from enough, and the distance of looking at the phone will involuntarily get closer and closer. The eyes focus on the small screen, the pupils dilate but the pupil distance shortens, so things will be blurry.

For potential glaucoma patients who already have abnormalities in their eye structure, looking at the phone for a long time in a dark environment may induce glaucoma .

In addition, if the ciliary muscles of the eyes are in a state of tension and fatigue for a long time, it will cause abnormal accommodation function, leading to the occurrence or increase of myopia , which will cause more serious damage to the eyes.

The structure of the tear film (Source: Life Times)

For the elderly, as they age, their tear glands gradually shrink and age, making them more susceptible to dry eye syndrome. If they stare at electronic screens for a long time, the tear film formed after blinking will be unstable, which will aggravate the symptoms of dry eyes. In addition to easily inducing acute glaucoma , it will also stimulate the macula and lens of the fundus, leading to a greatly increased risk of macular degeneration and cataracts .

03

Common causes of glaucoma

There are many common causes of glaucoma. One type is internal causes, which are organic problems of the eyes , such as short axial length, small cornea, shallow anterior chamber, narrow chamber angle, etc.

The other type is external factors, such as staying in a dark environment for too long , turning off the lights to watch TV, movies, mobile phones, etc., which will cause pupil dilation and increased intraocular pressure; wearing tight clothes and corsets , especially collar buttons and bow ties that are too tight; lowering your head or bending over for a long time , drinking a large amount of water (more than 500 ml) at one time , all of which may cause increased intraocular pressure.

It is generally believed that among the external causes of glaucoma, there is a large category called psychosocial factors, which refers to excessive emotional fluctuations , such as excitement, agitation, anger, sadness, and depression, which can cause increased intraocular pressure.

The following is a "Healthy Guide for Using Mobile Phones"

Welcome to use scientifically

01 Avoid prolonged use

The mobile phone should not be used for more than 15 minutes at a time, and continuous eye use should not exceed 40 minutes. Take a 10-minute break after each use, close your eyes and turn your eyes. Do not use the phone for more than 1 hour before going to bed to avoid causing visual fatigue and ciliary body tension.

02 Select Night Mode

When playing with your mobile phone before going to bed, you can adjust it to night mode to make the screen brightness moderate, the clarity good, and the font size appropriately enlarged; tilt the phone downward about 45° to avoid direct blue light into the eyes and reduce damage.

03 Keep weak light sources

In a relatively dark environment, people's pupils will dilate, which can easily cause eye fatigue and induce glaucoma. It is better to leave a small light on.

04 Don’t lie on your side while playing with your phone

Lying on your back while watching mobile phone has relatively little impact on your health. It not only prevents your hands from being sore and your neck from being painful, but also does not put pressure on one eye. Relatively speaking, the damage is relatively small. Avoid lying on your side or stomach while playing with your mobile phone.

Preventing glaucoma

Mainly, try to avoid factors that induce increased intraocular pressure

Can maintain a regular life, a balance between work and rest, and emotional stability

March 6 is World Glaucoma Day

Not just this day

We should also take extra care of our eyes.

When you experience eye discomfort

Be sure to go to a regular hospital for treatment in time

Early detection and early treatment

Minimize glaucoma and other eye diseases

Dangers to eye health