Eye problems

If you continue to do work that requires using your eyes, even tasks that wouldn't normally cause any problems can quickly tire your eyes, leading to symptoms such as eye strain, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, watery​ ​eyes, headaches, stiff shoulders, and nausea.

cause

The most common cause is "accommodative asthenopia," which occurs because the eyes have to constantly adjust their focus. Dry eyes and other eye diseases can also cause eye strain.

countermeasure

Mild eye strain can be treated with over-the-counter (OTC) eye drops. However, if the cause is an eye disease (such as conjunctivitis or glaucoma) or severe dry eye, treatment of the underlying condition is necessary.

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VDT syndrome (technostress syndrome)

With the widespread use of personal computers and smartphones, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people complaining of accommodative asthenopia (a type of eye strain) due to excessive eye strain. Another contributing factor is that when working with VDTs (visual display terminals), people concentrate on the screen for extended periods, reducing blinking and causing the surface of the eyes to dry out.
Preventive measures include preventing light from reflecting off the screen, stopping work when you notice eye strain, and consciously blinking more often.

This condition involves a decrease in the amount of tears or a change in the quality of tears, causing the surface of the eye to dry out, and various unpleasant symptoms can appear.

cause

Low humidity environments such as air-conditioned offices, reduced blinking due to prolonged staring while driving or working on a computer, and wearing contact lenses (especially soft lenses) are all contributing factors.

countermeasure

Dry eyes can be alleviated by frequently using artificial tears. For mild or severe dry eye, please consult a specialist.

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Simple ways to identify dry eye

If all three of the above conditions are met, there is a very high possibility that you have dry eyes.

Various factors can cause the tear ducts to become blocked, leading to uncontrollable tears.

Causes and countermeasures

Tears in middle age and beyond

The lacrimal canaliculi become easily blocked, preventing tears from draining into the nose and causing them to overflow from the eyes in most cases. (Conversely, tear production decreases.)
Treatment: Keep the area clean by wiping it frequently. Eye drops containing vitamins or amino acids are also effective. If you notice yellowish discharge, there is a possibility of a bacterial infection, so use eye drops containing antibacterial ingredients. (If there is no improvement after 3-4 days of use, consult a specialist as soon as possible.)

Newborn's watery eyes

It often resolves on its own, but in some cases, the nasolacrimal duct may be congenitally blocked, so please consult a specialist.

Suddenly, watery eyes

It's possible that bacteria have infected the lacrimal sac, causing pus to accumulate and spread to the surrounding area (acute dacryocystitis). The area slightly below the inner corner of the eye becomes red, hard, and swollen, causing severe pain. In addition, tears and discharge may not stop, and pressing on the area between the eye and nose (the lacrimal sac area) may cause pus or mucus to flow back into the eye through the tear duct. You should also consult a specialist about this.

Allergic conjunctivitis

It is often accompanied by eye discharge, redness, and itching. First, treat the underlying disease.

dry eyes

When the surface of the eye dries out and damages the cornea or conjunctiva, reflex secretion can occur secondarily, leading to watery eyes. First, treat the underlying condition.

When physical stimuli such as foreign body intrusion, pressure, or friction occur, chemical mediators (such as histamine and serotonin) are produced to signal these stimuli. Additionally, increased blood flow to supply oxygen to the cornea, which has become oxygen-deprived due to eye strain, can cause the surface of the skin and mucous membranes to appear reddish.

	Conjunctival hyperemia	Ciliary congestion
color	Bright red	Pink color (veins appear thin and blurred)
Distribution of blood vessels	Strong at the outer and inner corners of the eyes, weak around the pupil.	Strong around the pupil
Direction of blood flow	From the outer corner of the eye towards the pupil	Running radially from around the pupil.
mobility	It moves when you move the conjunctiva.	It doesn't move because it's deep inside.
Redness inside the eyelids	Congestion present	No redness
Vasoconstrictor eye drops	The redness will disappear.	Unchanging
Main diseases	acute conjunctivitis	Iridocyclitis, keratitis, scleritis

Causes and countermeasures

Conjunctival hyperemia

It can be caused by eye strain or minor physical irritation.
Treatment: Symptoms can be relieved by using eye drops containing vasoconstricting agents (decongestants), such as naphazoline hydrochloride or tetrahydrozoline hydrochloride. If symptoms are severe, you should consult a specialist as soon as possible.

Ciliary congestion

It is caused by diseases such as iridocyclitis affecting the deep blood vessels beneath the conjunctiva of the eyeball.
Treatment: Since the lesion is deep within the eye, vasoconstrictor eye drops will not be effective. Please consult a specialist as soon as possible to treat the underlying disease.
*Redness can trigger inflammation, so do not ignore it and take appropriate care.

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subconjunctival hemorrhage

A small blood vessel beneath the conjunctiva ruptures, causing a blood blister-like bump on the conjunctiva. This often occurs when rubbing your eyes, drinking too much alcohol, or in cold weather, although the cause is sometimes unclear. The blood does not enter the eyeball, and it will naturally be absorbed within 2-3 weeks, or at most 2-3 months, so there is no need to worry.

Conjunctivitis is a condition in which the conjunctiva, the protective membrane on the surface of the eye, becomes inflamed due to various irritations or microbial infections. Symptoms include redness and discharge, and it is very uncomfortable.

Causes and countermeasures

Exogenous: bacterial

The conjunctiva is red and edema, and purulent (yellowish) eye discharge is observed.
Treatment: Use eye drops containing antibacterial ingredients for 3-4 days, and if there is no improvement, consult a specialist.

Exogenous: Viral (herpesvirus, etc.)

Sudden redness, tearing, and a feeling of a foreign object in the eye occur. There is little eye discharge, and it is thin and watery like tears. There is little to no itching, and swelling and tenderness of the preauricular lymph nodes are also characteristic.
Measures to take: Consult a specialist as soon as possible. (Ophthalmologists will administer steroids and antibiotics (to prevent secondary infections), which will help alleviate the symptoms.) Because it is highly contagious, take precautions to prevent infection, such as using separate towels.

Endogenous: Allergic conjunctivitis

Allergies are broadly divided into perennial allergies (caused by dust mites, house dust, etc.) which cause symptoms throughout the year, and seasonal allergies (caused by pollen, etc.) which only appear in spring and autumn. In addition to itching, eye symptoms such as redness, watery eyes, and a foreign body sensation, and nasal symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, and nasal congestion may also occur.
Treatment: Using eye drops containing anti-allergic or antihistamine agents is effective. Avoid rubbing your eyes and take care to prevent the offending substances from entering your body.

A portion of the eyelid becomes swollen and red, initially itchy, and gradually the pain intensifies. If it worsens, the swelling of the eyelid will increase, and pus will appear.

cause

Normally, the eyes are resistant to bacterial infections, but if this resistance weakens due to overwork or illness, they can become infected with Staphylococcus aureus and other bacteria, leading to inflammation.

countermeasure

Antibiotics will be administered according to your symptoms. Also, if pus appears, incising and draining the pus can promote healing, so please consult a specialist.

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How to identify a stye

If you experience other symptoms such as pain, severe redness, or swelling or ulceration of the preauricular lymph nodes, you may have viral conjunctivitis, so please consult a specialist.
Furthermore, if your symptoms do not improve after using eye drops, we recommend that you consult a doctor.

Closed-angle glaucoma (acute)

In addition to severe eye pain, it can be accompanied by symptoms such as headache, nausea, and vomiting, and is easily mistaken for other conditions such as brain tumors, so caution is necessary.

Open-angle glaucoma

There are usually few noticeable symptoms, but some people may experience decreased vision, blurred vision, or see rainbows. As the disease progresses, the field of vision may narrow, and it can even lead to blindness.

cause

This disease occurs when intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eye) increases for some reason, compressing the optic nerve. It begins to increase around the age of 40 and tends to increase with age. Acute attacks can be triggered by vasoconstrictor eye drops, so caution is necessary.

countermeasure

First, please consult a specialist. The following are some of the treatment options available at medical institutions:

Closed-angle glaucoma (acute)

During an attack, intraocular pressure is immediately lowered with frequent use of pilocarpine eye drops (a drug that promotes the drainage of aqueous humor), and then laser treatment (creating a hole in the iris to create a bypass for aqueous humor to drain into the anterior chamber) is performed to prevent future attacks.

Open-angle glaucoma

Intraocular pressure is controlled with medications that suppress the production of aqueous humor, such as beta-blocker eye drops and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. If medication alone is insufficient, surgery or laser treatment is used to improve the flow of aqueous humor as needed.

This condition involves clouding of the lens of the eye, leading to decreased vision and blurred vision. (While nearsightedness makes it difficult to see distant objects, and presbyopia makes it difficult to see things up close, cataracts cause both distant and near objects to appear hazy and blurry.) In the early stages, the clouding of the lens can cause light to scatter, resulting in symptoms of glare. In some cases, if the clouding begins from the nucleus, the refractive index of the lens changes, temporarily improving near vision.

cause

The majority are "senile cataracts," which result from clouding of the lens due to aging. Other types include those caused by diabetes, congenital cataracts, and traumatic cataracts caused by damage to the lens, such as being hit in the eye by a ball.

countermeasure

Please consult a specialist first.
Once a lens becomes cloudy, it cannot be made clear again. The only way to treat it is to have surgery to remove the cloudy lens and implant an artificial lens.

This symptom, where you see black shadows moving in front of your eyes like mosquitoes, occurs when clouding develops in the vitreous humor of the eye for some reason.

cause

A normal vitreous humor is a colorless, transparent, jelly-like tissue, but if it degenerates and becomes cloudy due to aging or other factors, it casts a shadow on the retina, which is what makes it look like a mosquito or a water droplet.

countermeasure

If a fundus examination reveals that the floaters are physiological, there is not much to worry about. However, if they suddenly appear, increase in number, or darken in color, there is a risk of complications. We recommend seeing a doctor as soon as possible. Also, floaters can sometimes be seen in the early stages of retinal detachment.

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Photopsia

This refers to a condition where photoreceptor cells are mechanically stimulated, causing symptoms such as seeing flashes of light or flashing lights even with the eyes closed. It can also be caused by cell membrane tears or retinal detachment.