Preventing Short-Sightedness

I have just realized that my eyesight has become poorer. I cannot see clearly even with my glasses on. I am becoming more short sighted now, maybe due to spending too much time on reading and staring at computer.

How ironic. Myopia or short-sightedness, could occur because a person did not spend enough time outdoors in his or her childhood, as study published in Optometry and Vision Science. Myopia has become increasingly common now, as a result of children spending more time indoors now, and their eyes do not learn to focus on faraway objects during the stage of eye development.

So do not allow your children to watch tv or play computer games for a long time. Allow them 2 to 3 hours a day playing outside, as this is the recommended amount.

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For reference
Optometry and Vision Science

Does Watching TV Cause Damage to Children's Eyes

Most of us grow up listening to our parents telling us not to watch television all the time as it would damage our eyes. For us, grown ups, maybe the length of time spent on watching TV would not be of our concerns anymore. But how about your children? Would you allow them spending 2-3 hours watching their favorites TV cartoons? Does watching TV actually affect our children's eyes?

In general, just like any other muscles in our body, the longer the time spent on doing certain thing will cause muscle strain. The same rule applies for watching TV. Focusing our eyes on certain object will make our eye mucles work harder. The longer the time spent on focusing on TV, the harder the eye muscles have to work.

Well parents, you should follow a few guidelines when allowing your children to watch TV:

- Make sure your children sit at least 4-5 metres away from the screen. The closer they are to the TV, the harder their eyes have to work, and thus the more tired the eyes will become.

- Watch TV in a bright room, but avoid causing any glare or reflection of light on the TV screen.

- Take a break. You can ask your children to look away or move about during commercial break.

The above tips are contributed by Optometrist Andrew Hogan, the president of the Tasmanian division of the Optometrists Association Australia.

Can Carrot Consumption Improve Eyesight

I believe most of us, since we were young, are stuffed with carrots and carrots and carrots. Especially us who need the help of specs, our mom will just stuff more carrots down our throats. And we will most likely continue this habit to our children. Well, probably you won't do it anymore after reading this.

A major Australian study called the Blue Mountains eye study, examined the link between increased vitamin A consumpiton and deteriorating night vision in older people. This study was conducted in late 1990s. The results was that the vitamin A intake didn't improve their eyesight.

This is also supported by Professor Algis Vingrys, from the University of Melbourne's Department of Optometry and Vision Services. According to him, if you already have a well balanced diet, no amount of carrots will improve your eyesight. The balanced diet should contain sufficient vitamin A, iron and other provitamins i.e. substances that our bodies can convert into vitamins.

There are two types of vitamin A: retinoids and carotenoids.

Retinoids are a lipid form of vitamin A found in liver, fish oils containing liver (e.g. cod-liver oil) and butter. However you should be careful in consuming these, as overdosing can lead to toxicity, or worse, promote some forms of cancer.

Carotenoids are provitamins your body converts into vitamin A. These can be found in carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and dark-green leafy vegetables all contain beta-carotene, a potent carotenoid. But if you already have enough vitamin A, your body will not convert these into vitamin A. This is why it is said earlier that no amounts of carrots will improve your eyesight.

So after all, the important thing is to have a balanced diet, and you do not have to worry nomore about consuming certain amount of carrots everyday.