Computer Vision Syndrome or CVS

Few months back I was applying for admissions in USA. I had to go through different universities’ websites, check mails, prepare my documents and prepare presentations and reports. For this I was using my laptop more frequently and for longer durations. I was unable to sleep till 4 am in the morning even if I was exhausted. In the beginning I took it casually, because sometimes when we are too tired we are unable to sleep. But when the problem aggravated I consulted a doctor, he said that I am having Computer vision syndrome. You all must have felt sleeplessness or insomnia sometimes but you would never have thought that using computer for long can cause it. Even if you knew that computer can cause sleeplessness, you must have not known that it is called CVS. So, I am telling you all about CVS in detail because it is more than sleeplessness.

 
What is Computer Vision Syndrome?

The personal computer (P.C) has become a single device which has brought a great revolution in all aspect of our lives. The use of computer is increasing day by day. As our dependence on computers continues to grow, an increasing number of people are seeking medical attention for eye strain and irritation, along with back, neck and shoulder soreness.

                                                                                                                                         

One such problem is of Dry eyes. Dry eye refers to a condition that results from inadequate wetting and lubrication of eyes. With the increase in use of computers, this condition is becoming more prevalent and is being known by the name Computer Vision Syndrome. CVS is the complex of eye and vision problems related to near work which are experienced during or related to computer use.

What causes CVS?

Few of the important causes of CVS are:

•          Inadvertent less blinking

Studies have shown that the normal blink rate in human eyes is 16-20 blinks/min. For persons working on the computer it decreases to 6- 8 blinks/minute. This leads to dry eyes. It also puts strain on ciliary muscles of the eye and leads to a feeling of tiredness in the eyes. This can be a setting for early presbyopia.      

•          Improper ergonomics of computer work-station.

•        High visual demands of computer viewing.

How is reading at the monitor screen different from reading a printed page?

Reading a computer monitor screen is hard on the eyes because of the way the characters are formed on the monitor. The video display is made up of pixels, or tiny dots, rather than solid lines as on a printed page. Because our eyes cannot “lock” focus on these dots, the eyes must continually focus and refocus to keep the image sharp. This focusing and refocusing results in stress to the eye muscles.

What are the symptoms of CVS?

Symptoms of CVS may vary from person to person depending on various factors such as age, hours of computer usage, etc.

Common symptoms include:

1.          Blurred vision
2.          Double vision
3.          Discomfort to light
4.          Eye fatigue/eye ache
5.          Redness, watering of eyes
6.        Itching, burning of eyes
7.          Headache
8.          Neck/shoulder pain.

Prevention of CVS:

•          The computer work-station should be ergonomically correct.

•          Conscious frequent blinking of the eyelids during computer usage. Say every time you press ‘Enter’      or click the mouse blink your eye.
•          Short break of about 15 seconds away from the screen every 20 minutes or so.
•          Use appropriate glasses or contact lenses for correction of refractive errors, if any.

In this computer era there is no scope to avoid this modern technology rather its use is expanding every day. The parents should be very conscious to identify their children’s problems like behavioural change, ocular complaints and headache. They should take proper measure by consulting with the computer vision syndrome specialists for the prevention of permanent disabilities.

We all know the gravity of situation and we also know the solutions; we just have to act on them. We just have to abandon our wrong habits.

Steve jobs once said “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do” so start deciding.

Credits:- Dr. Hemant Mittal, Paras Hemrajani, Manas Hemrajani

Difference between sprain and strain

In our day to day conversations, we interchangeably use sprain and strain but technically speaking these are two different terms. Most of us believe that sprain and strain are same because many of their symptoms are same. So let us see how are they different?

“Sprain”

It is an injury to a ligament (a tough, fibrous tissue that connects bones to other bone). Ligament injuries involve a stretching or tearing of this tissue.

Cause:-

They usually result from traumas like a fall or external force that displaces the surrounding joint from its normal alignment.

Symptoms:-

The most common symptoms of sprain are pain, swelling, bruising, and inability to move, bear weight on the joint.

Sprain Severity

·         Grade I Sprain:

•          A grade I (mild) sprain causes overstretching or slight tearing of the ligaments with no joint instability.
•          A person with a mild sprain usually experiences minimal pain, swelling, and little or no loss of functional ability. Bruising is absent or slight, and the person is usually able to put weight on the affected joint.

·         Grade II Sprain:

1.          A grade II (moderate) sprain causes partial tearing of the ligament.
2.          It is characterized by bruising, moderate pain, and swelling. A person with a moderate sprain usually has some difficulty putting weight on the affected joint and experiences some loss of function. An x-ray or MRI may be needed.

·         Grade III Sprain:

1.          A grade III (severe) sprain results in a complete tear or rupture of a ligament.
2.          Pain, swelling, and bruising are usually severe, and the patient is unable to put weight on the joint.
3.          An x-ray is usually taken to rule out a broken bone. This type of a muscle sprain often requires immobilization and possibly surgery. It can also increase the risk of an athlete having future muscles sprains in that area.

The best way to treat a sprain is to use an ice pack. Putting some ice on the joint will reduce pain and swelling and you can also compress the sprain with a compression bandage.

This was sprain; now let’s talk about strain.

Strain

Strain in an injury to a tendon (the tissue that connects muscles to bones) or to muscle fibers. A strain may be a simple overstretch of tendon or it can result in partial or complete tear. Patients typically have pain in the injuries and general weakness of the muscle when they attempt to move it.

Cause:-

They usually result from over stretching or over contraction.

Symptoms:-

Typical symptoms of strain are pain, weakness and muscle spasm.

Strain Severity

Strains are categorized in a similar manner to sprains:

·         Grade I Strain:

1.          This is a mild strain and only some muscle fibers have been damaged.
2.          Healing occurs within 2 to 3 weeks.

·         Grade II Strain:

1.         This is a moderate strain with more extensive damage to muscle fibers, but the muscle is not completely ruptured.
2.         Healing occurs within 3 to 6 weeks.

·         Grade III Strain:

1.          This is a severe injury with a complete rupture of a muscle.
2.          This typically requires a surgical repair of the muscle; the healing period can be up to 3 months.

Treatments for sprains and strains are the same. To reduce swelling and pain in the first day or two, doctors usually say to adopt RICE strategy:-

·         Rest the injured area. If the ankle or knee is hurt, the doctor might tell you to use crutches or a cane.

·         Put ice on the injury for 20 minutes at a time. The doctor might say to do this 4 to 8 times a day.

·         Compress (squeeze) the injury using special bandages, casts, boots, or splints. Your doctor will tell you which one is best for you and how tight it should be.

·         Put the injured ankle, knee, elbow, or wrist up on a pillow to provide elevation.

After treating pain and swelling, doctors usually say to exercise the injured area. This helps to prevent stiffness and increase strength. Some people can also need physical therapy.

Credits- Paras Hemrajani, Shivani Ashra and Mr. Kavinder Saini

Principles of Physical Fitness Development

“If you can act as you can do it, it will be done”-the same applies in exercising, you just have to act. And just like acting, exercising has many guidelines. But, we cannot just go there and start   weight lifting or exercising because if we do so, the result could be catastrophic.

Developing physical fitness is a scientific and systematic process. Every individual who wants to be physically fit needs to follow certain guidelines.  There are 9 simple principles to follow-

1) Warming up – Warming is necessary for the body because it prepares the body for training. Warming up raises the pulse rate and increase the temperature of the muscle. Brisk walking and slow jogging should be done followed by easy and untiring joints mobility exercises and stretching exercises.

2) Regularity - According to me, it is the most important principle. The complete program for the development of physical fitness should be done regularly. The principle of regularity should be adopted strictly. If the individual does not practice regularly, he may get out of shape and lose physical fitness. Achieving regularity is the most difficult job because sometimes we are preoccupied with our work, sometimes we are not getting results so we get demotivated and so on.

3) Overload - The principle of overload is as important as regularity for achieving physical fitness development. Our workout should make us fit; it should not add stress to our lives rather it should help us in relieving stress. Over overload can be hazardous.

4) Variety – One should not feel bored during a fitness program. Therefore there must be a variety of exercises you do. Until we are not interested in something, we cannot do it right. Sometimes, when you don’t feel like exercising, we should do our favorite exercises.

5) Proper rest – Lifting proper weight and doing proper warm up is as important as taking proper rest or something will happen, that’s for sure. The most common is loss of weight and speed. It is the third pillar of workout (other two are diet and exercise).

6) Progression – We cannot exercise at the same difficulty level forever. Everybody’s body is different, so everyone should exercise at their own pace but at the same time, intensity level should be increased periodically. Progression can be achieved by increasing intensity, frequency and duration. There is no gain if we don’t understand the importance of when and how to move forward and reach your goal.  When we understand that how we have to move forward, we should go for it, but steadily.

   

7) Specificity – The more specific exercise you do, the better it is. This is usually for the individual who wants to be in sports or is in a sport for better muscle power. For other people who want general fitness, they should is to include a variety of exercises     in their routine for whole some development.

8) Age and Sex – The activities should be according to age and sex. The program must be followed with complete precision. The amount of exercising varies from women and men. Men and women cannot do the same exercises with same difficulty level. 

9) Limber down – limber down is as essential as warming up. It is lowering your pulse rate back to normal. It is important that the body gets back at the normal condition. Easy lowering down of pulse rate helps the person to get back at normal life or they could feel tired the whole day.

So these are the principle/ guidelines of exercising. As we can see, there is nothing to remember; all we have to do is pay attention. 

               

Credits:- Paras Hemrajani, Shivani Ashra and Mr. Kavinder Saini