Ophthalmologists warn that long hours of studying before exams can have a significant impact on students’ eye health. According to experts from Narayana Nethralaya, over 50 percent of 10th-grade students and those preparing for exams experience various eye problems, which affect their academic performance.
The average student spends 10 to 14 hours reading and writing, which can increase to even 16 hours during exams. Perfect vision is crucial for success in academics, but it is not the only factor. Many factors in the eyes can affect concentration, ability to focus, and attention span beyond refractive errors. Common problems such as accommodative spasms, inability to accommodate, convergence insufficiency, pseudomyopia, and myopia progression can significantly impact a student’s exam results.
Unfortunately, 95 percent of concentration problems or binocular vision abnormalities are not diagnosed during routine eye examinations. If neglected, these problems can lead to symptoms such as eye fatigue, weakened concentration, frequent headaches, double vision, and blurred vision. In addition to concentration problems and binocular vision abnormalities, excessive screen time and increased time spent reading online materials can lead to dry eyes, myopia progression, and sleep disturbances. These symptoms are often wrongly interpreted by parents or teachers as a lack of interest in studies, leading to lack of confidence and a feeling of overload in children.
Traditional eye examinations usually focus only on identifying distance vision problems, which can overlook significant diagnoses of eye problems that require detailed orthoptic evaluation. Such evaluation provides personalized treatment, including glasses, targeted eye exercises, and in rare cases, surgery, offered only by specialized centers.
Dr. Jyoti Matalia, a specialist in Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, emphasizes the importance of detailed orthoptic evaluation for personalized treatment, including glasses, targeted eye exercises, and, in rare cases, surgery. Dr. Sumitha Muthu, another specialist from Narayana Nethralaya, recommends early detection of problems using orthoptic tests and prompt treatment to alleviate eye health problems caused by increased digital stress.
Preventive Measures
Vision problems such as accommodative spasms, inability to accommodate, and convergence insufficiency can worsen during the exam-related stress period, so it is important to follow several guidelines during studying:
– Maintain an appropriate distance from the reading material (14-16 inches from the book).
– Avoid using small devices such as mobile phones for reading online materials.
– Take regular breaks, following the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds).
– Avoid using mobile phones and watching television during breaks.
– Practice meditation to rest the eyes and improve concentration.
– Maintain a healthy diet.
– Ensure an adequate amount of sleep.
Remember, eye health is extremely important for academic success, so it is essential to take proper care of your eyes, especially during the intense study period before exams.
Key Questions Based on the Article:
1. What eye health problems can occur in students before exams?
2. What factors can affect students’ concentration and ability to focus?
3. What are the symptoms of eye problems in students?
4. Why can traditional eye examinations overlook important diagnoses?
5. What are the preventive measures for taking care of eyes during the study period before exams?
Definitions of Key Terms:
1. Refraction – the bending and focusing of light by the eye.
2. Accommodative spasms – the inability to maintain a decent level of focus on near objects.
3. Convergence – the ability of the eyes to focus on objects at close distances.
4. Pseudomyopia – a temporary loss of the ability to focus on distant objects.
5. Orthoptics – a field in ophthalmology that aims to diagnose and treat disorders of the visual system.
Suggested Related Links:
1. Narayana Nethralaya – the official website of Narayana Nethralaya, where more information about eye health problems can be found.
Preventive Measures:
1. Maintain an appropriate distance from the reading material (14-16 inches from the book).
2. Avoid using small devices such as mobile phones for reading materials online.
3. Take regular breaks following the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds).
4. Avoid using mobile phones and watching television during breaks.
5. Practice meditation to rest the eyes and improve concentration.
6. Maintain a healthy diet.
7. Ensure an adequate amount of sleep.
Remember, eye health is extremely important for academic success, so it is essential to take proper care of your eyes, especially during the intense study period before exams.
The source of the article is from the blog guambia.com.uy