Staying at home and being a "screen slave" during the Spring Festival, how to treat post-holiday syndrome?

During the Spring Festival, people are staring at mobile phones, tablets, TVs and other electronic screens, grabbing red envelopes, collecting lucky cards, watching movies, and staying up late to play games. After the holiday, people have to switch from their happy holiday life to work, especially white-collar workers who work at computers. On the first day of work, they immediately feel eye fatigue, photophobia, congestion, dryness, and itchy eyes. These symptoms indicate that you may be suffering from "dry eye syndrome"!

Chen Xiangxi, PhD, associate chief physician, secretary of the Cornea and Ocular Surface Group of Aier Eye Hospital Group, and deputy director of the Cornea and Ocular Surface Disease Department of Aier Eye Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University , said that during the Spring Festival, many people often stay up late and frequently use electronic products, which may affect the amount of tears, the quality of tears, and the natural fluidity of tears. Any abnormality in any of these three items will cause tear film instability or other ocular surface damage, resulting in symptoms such as dry eyes, eye soreness, eye fatigue, foreign body sensation, which is what we call dry eyes.

Reasonable response is the key

We should have confidence in the treatment of dry eyes. Mild dry eyes are reversible, and the cause can be removed as much as possible while the symptoms are relieved. Therefore, when dry eye symptoms appear, we should first improve bad living habits, and then receive correct treatment under the guidance of an ophthalmologist.

1. Reduce the time spent using mobile phones, computers and other electronic products.

It is recommended to use your eyes intermittently. After using your eyes at close range for a period of time, you can close your eyes and rest, or look into the distance to develop good eye habits.

2. Develop good living habits.

Eat a light diet, eat less greasy and spicy food, eat more vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins. Exercise appropriately, avoid staying up late, and ensure adequate sleep.

3. Maintain appropriate indoor temperature and humidity.

Try to avoid staying in a dry environment (such as air-conditioned rooms or heated rooms) for a long time, and use a humidifier appropriately at home.

4. Use eye drops reasonably under the guidance of a doctor.

Never abuse eye drops on your own. Different eye drops have different effects and should be selected on a personalized basis. In addition, many eye drops contain preservatives. Long-term use may aggravate dry eye discomfort and may cause lesions of the cornea and conjunctiva.

5. Use contact lenses reasonably and wear frame glasses correctly.

Early treatment is key

Shen Lei, deputy chief physician and director of the Comprehensive Ophthalmology Department of the Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Wuhan University , reminded that "despite the high incidence and wide population, many people do not know that 'dry eyes' is a disease and have no awareness of seeking medical treatment." Due to lack of knowledge, many patients suffer from moderate to severe dry eyes due to delayed treatment. Moderate to severe dry eyes cause repeated inflammation of the eyes due to dryness, damage to the cornea, and may lead to vision loss.

Wu Shangcao, deputy chief physician, member of the Eye Bank Expert Group of the Cornea and Ocular Surface Group of Aier Eye Hospital Group, and deputy director of the Department of Ocular Surface and Corneal Diseases of Aier Eye Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University, emphasized that the causes of dry eyes are complex. In addition to long-term use of electronic products and lack of sleep, eye makeup, long-term wearing of contact lenses, mental and psychological factors, environmental pollution, systemic diseases, etc. may all cause dry eyes. Therefore, in the diagnosis of dry eyes, it is very important to accurately distinguish the types of dry eyes and "prescribe the right medicine"! The Department of Cornea and Ocular Surface Diseases of Aier Eye Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University has opened a dry eye clinic to provide diagnosis and treatment services for dry eye patients.