Category: Health and Wellness
HEAVY users of computers, especially those who are short-sighted, may be at risk from glaucoma, a disease that can cause blindness, a new study has found.
Japanese doctors assessed the sight of more than 10,200 Japanese workers, measuring them for visual acuity and signs of glaucoma. The volunteers were also asked to fill in questionnaires about their computer use, at home or in the office, and any history of eye disease. A total of 165 workers, or 1.6 percent, turned out to have suspected glaucoma, characterised by tunnel vision or blind spots. Those who were heavy computer users -- defined as working onscreen more than eight hours a day -- were twice as likely to have glaucoma than light or medium
Users.
In addition, of the 165 with glaucoma, 136 had myopia.
The study appears in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, published by the British Medical Association (BMA). Glaucoma is a slow, gradual disease of the optic nerve that often goes undetected. Among the identified risk factors are smoking and high blood pressure. The authors speculate that the optic nerve in short-sighted people may be more vulnerable to computer stress than in normal-sighted people. If so, that would be dramatic news, given that so many hundreds of millions of people around the world now work at computer terminals, at work and at home. They stress though that the study has limitations, notably in that most of the volunteers were male and this may have skewed the outcome. Further work is
needed to probe the suspected link, they say.
NEW YORK, September 17, 2004 – In a new study, researchers at Columbia University Medical Center demonstrated the significance of central corneal thickness
(CCT) on the clinical management of patients with glaucoma and those suspected to have glaucoma. While confirming previous research about the relevance
of CCT in glaucoma management, this study represents one of the first attempts to determine exactly how great an impact CCT has on a patient's intraocular
pressure (IOP), fluid build-up inside the eye that is a glaucoma risk factor. Results found that CCT affected more than half of the patients in the study.
"We were astounded to find that so many of the glaucoma patients in our study needed an IOP adjustment, based on their CCT measurement," said James C. Tsai,
M.D., the study's senior author. Dr. Tsai is associate professor of ophthalmology and chief, division of glaucoma, at the Edward S. Harkness Eye Institute
at the Columbia University Medical Center. "While more research needs to be done to further determine the effects of CCT on clinical management and consequent
long-term outcomes, it's clear that CCT should be considered when making glaucoma treatment decisions.”
The study, "Clinical Significance of Central Corneal Thickness in the Management of Glaucoma," was published in Archives of Ophthalmology (2004;122:1270-1275).
Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the eye's optic nerve and result in vision loss and blindness. Similar to cholesterol readings for heart
disease, measurements of a patient's IOP are a cornerstone of glaucoma treatment – with the clinical goal to get as low as possible to reduce the risk
of long-term disease progression and vision loss.
However, if a patient also has an abnormal CCT, research has shown that the true IOP level (measured in millimeters of mercury – Hg) may be masked, which
may result in under-treatment or over-treatment of the glaucoma. Patients with thinner corneas tend to have underestimated IOPs (i.e., their true IOP is
higher than the measured value); whereas those with thicker corneas tend to have overestimated IOPs (i.e., their true IOP is lower than the measured value).
About the Study The researchers tested a linear correction scale that was used to guide treatment management decisions for all patients with glaucoma or suspected glaucoma
seen in a two-month period (n=188). Based on whether a patient's CCT was found to be thinner or thicker than normal (defined in the study as 545 µm), the
linear scale added or subtracted 2.5 mm Hg to the IOP for every 50 µm difference in CCT from 545 µm.
Corrected IOP = Measured IOP – (CCT-545/50 X 2.5 mm Hg).
* Measurement significant adjustments were defined as IOP corrections of 1.5 mm Hg or greater (in either direction).
* Any CCT-associated IOP adjustments of 3.0 mm Hg or greater (in either direction) were designated as outcomes significant.
Results of the linear scale found that 55.9 percent (105 patients) had at least a measurement significant adjustment to their IOP, with 35.6 percent (67)
having adjustments between 1.5 and 3.0 mm Hg and 20.2 percent (38) having an outcomes significant correction (=3.0 mm Hg in either direction). A mathematical
formula was used for comparison and was found to have similar results.
Good thing I'm totally blind. Doesn't really matter to me now. LOL.
Doesn't mean it can't happen it did to me and that pain is awful..
Yeah I'm totally blind too, so I don't have to worry about eye strain. How is it that it happened to you Goblin? Did you just get eye strain somehow or something?
Caitlin
Glaucoma, that's what caused my vision to gradually decline. Luckily, I use jaws so I don't have to worry about that part of it :) Just out of curiousity, though, where did you find those studies? I'm always interested in finding out information on eye conditions.
Glaucoma, that's what caused my vision to gradually decline. Luckily, I use jaws so I don't have to worry about that part of it :) Just out of curiousity, though, where did you find those studies? I'm always interested in finding out information on eye conditions.
I was just 1 of the unlucky few
So what happened to you Goblin I don't get it?
Caitlin