7 eyecare tips for screen addicts

The Straits Times

Seven eyecare tips for those who are often glued to their computers and other devices

By Poon Chian Hui

Assistant News Editor 

People are often glued to screens these days, from mobile phones to tablets as well as television sets, laptops and computers. Indeed, some can end up gazing at a screen all day - at home, at work and even while on the move.

Whether you are a video game addict or social media maven, looking at such screens for prolonged periods of time can tire your eyes and cause vision-related problems. Some symptoms include eye pain and fatigue, blurred vision, redness in the eyes and the need to blink more or close your eyes more often.

This is known as computer vision syndrome and, despite the name, it can occur with the use of handheld devices like the mobile phone or tablet, said Dr Lee Sao Bing, medical director of Shinagawa Eye Centre at Wheelock Place.

"The level of discomfort increases with the amount of computer use or screen time...Our eyes get dry from prolonged use. We tend to blink less when concentrating on the computer or television screen."

Dr Lee gives tips on how you can avoid computer vision syndrome.

CHECK THE PRESCRIPTION OF YOUR GLASSES OR LENSES

Ensure that the prescription is appropriate for close computer work. Glasses or contact lenses that are not of the correct power will cause your eyes to tire easily.

ENSURE GOOD LIGHTING

Proper lighting can help to achieve maximum comfort and, if you are at work, productivity. When in the office, for instance, try to angle your monitor away from light sources and windows so that there is no light reflecting off the screen. This can cause visual disturbances, such as glare and difficulty in seeing words on the computer screen.

ADJUST THE BRIGHTNESS AND CONTRAST OF THE SCREEN

Toggle the display settings of your computer or mobile device so as to achieve a similar level of brightness as your surroundings. As a guide, if you cannot read the words well, the screen may be too dim, while a screen that is too bright will feel glaring to your eyes.

REST YOUR EYES FREQUENTLY

Your eyes will become drier the longer you spend looking at the screen. A strong draught from air-conditioning also tends to aggravate this problem.

Take frequent breaks from the screen to prevent headaches, blurry vision and dry eyes. Look away or close your eyes every half an hour.

If your eyes are dry, consider using lubricating eye drops. These can be found at pharmacies and eye doctors' clinics.

INCREASE POINT SIZE OF FONT

This will help to reduce eye strain. Increasing the point size of the font may also improve your reading experience. This is helpful if you are reading long documents or have to spend hours editing on your computer or mobile device.

DON'T 'OVERWEAR' OR MISHANDLE YOUR CONTACT LENSES

Wearing such lenses for a prolonged period of time, coupled with inadequate cleaning of the lenses, can lead to a variety of eye infections. Some infections may even cause blindness. Contact-lens use will dry your eyes out over time. If you are expecting a long day in front of the computer, for example, wear glasses in place of contact lenses when your eyes become too dry.

GET YOUR EYES CHECKED REGULARLY

Going for eyecare examinations, either by an optometrist or ophthalmologist, will ensure that you still have the appropriate prescription for your glasses or lenses.

A doctor can also prescribe the appropriate treatment if your eyes are found to be too dry.

Dark shadows of blue light?

The "blue light" emitted from computers, smartphones and tablets could be putting users at risk of early onset of macular degeneration. This is warning of a New Zealand optometrist. 

Click here to read more. 

The power of Siri

By Kym Ong

MDS Treasurer

The first MDS event for 2015, though somewhat belated, kicked the year off to a resounding start. We were grateful to have Apple host us and provide us with 30 brand new iPhone 6 and 6+ during this training session which was conducted by Junior Tan. 

We have all heard of the prowess of the Siri function, and what better way than to learn from the Apple experts how Siri can help the vision-impaired in our everyday lives. The 90 minute session which overran was interactive as members diligently took notes and tried their hand at asking Siri for the date, time, and advice for the best dim sum in town.

Junior shared with members how Siri can send messages, call loved ones without needing to view the screen. Junior also taught us how a simple Settings function can enlarge the text on the screen so it’s easier on our less than perfect vision. Reader Mode, Speak Screen, VoiceOver, these were all functions we dreamt off, but do actually exist in this age of advanced technology, all packed into a small device, the iPhone. 

Here are notes taken during the session. Steps may vary slightly depending on the iphone version. Please also refer to tinyurl.com/siriug, which is what Junior refers to as the Ultimate Guide to Siri.

Once again, we would like to thank Apple for their precious time and generosity. In a fast paced society like ours, we are heartened that we are not left behind and reminded we should embrace the opportunities that technology presents us to help us lead a more fulfilling life.

SIRI

1) Activate Siri: Settings è General è Siri

- Press Home button and hold to activate Siri. If you do not wish to press the home button, you can activate “Hey Siri” but use it when the phone is charging.

- Remember to setup “My Info” by setting yourself up as a contact.

- Under Contacts, search for yourself è Editè scroll through and add as much information as possible, include loved ones and friends under “add related name” so Siri can call them easily.

2) Siri is akin to a personal assistant, and you can use Siri to minimize needing to look at the phone.

- To send a message, the keyword to Siri is “Tell”. E.g. “Tell Mum I love her”.

- To call a loved one, the keyword to Siri is “Call”. E.g. “Call Mum”.

- Siri can check new emails “Do I have any new emails?” and read your emails “Read me the last email”

- Siri can set a reminder, keyword is “Remind” E.g. Remind me to buy milk when I’m near home”. You can share Reminders using iCloud with other iCloud users.

- Check your calendar “What do I have on my calendar today?”

3) You can teach Siri how to pronounce certain names “Learn how to say this name”.

Other Settings

1) Zoom, Enlarge Text and Bold: Settings è General è Accessibility

2) On any specific news link, click on the horizontal stripes icon that is on the top left hand corner next to the website address. This will activate Reader Mode.

3) For Speak Screen, go to Settings è General è Accessibility è Speech è Speak Screen

MDS Event: iPhone and iPad Lessons by Apple

Dear MDS members, 

Apologies for the lull in recent months. We have been trying to organise events but had several roadblocks. Now, we are elated to announce an incredible event. 

For the first time, experts from Apple will host a class to teach our members how to make iPhone and iPad work for our limited vision. Yes, Apple experts will host and teach us! 

We took many months before Apple agreed and this will be an amazing opportunity. In fact, we have never heard of Apple doing this for anyone! You can learn how to magnify your phone, use voice commands for your iPad and many other functions which we may not even know exist! 

Apple will provide the iPhones and iPads for the class. So even if you do not have one, just come and play with the devices! 

Date: May 16 (Sat), 2014

Time: 4pm - 6pm

Venue: Seminar Room, Old Alexandra Hospital

MDS subscription fee of $20 for 2014-2015 will be collected at the door for those who have not renewed their membership.

Call Anne at 6238-7387 or send an e-mail to alleyes@singnet.com.sg to register. Limited places. Book your seat now!

Retinal prosthesis video

Smart glasses for the blind

Smart glasses that can help people with limited vision to navigate and avoid walking into obstacles have been developed by researchers at Oxford University.

The smart glasses, which consist of a video camera mounted on the frame of the glasses and a computer processing unit that is small enough to fit in a pocket, are designed to boost people's awareness of what is around them.

Click here and here to read more.

The Implantable Miniature Telescope

The Implantable Miniature Telescope is a glass-and-plastic telescope which is implanted in only one eye. 

It magnifies images, projecting them onto a part of the retina that remains healthy, which helps restore central vision. 

Vision in three-fourths of patients in a study leading to approval improved to moderate impairment.

It was approved for use in the United States in 2010. Read here for a report of a successful procedure done in Madison. Click here for our 2012 report on this telescope.

Making iPhones and iPads work for our eyes

Apple's iPhones and iPads have revolutionised technology and lifestyles around the world for millions. Today, it helped change the lives of a few visually impaired Singaporeans too. 

For the first time, the Macular Degeneration Society held a tutorial to teach members how useful iPhones and iPads can be for those who don't see well. Thanks to tech expert Gurmit Singh, some 16 members were taught the basics of making the famous Apples products work for our eyes. 

The zoom function, for instance, was an important feature of iPhones and iPads and Mr Singh showed how easy it was to enhance text and images with the tapping of three fingers. It is easier on the tablets than the phones, he said, because of the larger interface. 

He has difficulty with with the three-finger tapping, he added, saying jokingly that he has "fat fingers". The zoom function takes some getting used to since most of us are used to interacting with our devices with one finger. But it remains one of the most accessible ways to magnify text on a smartphone and tablet. 

Mr Singh also showed how to use other functions such as "invert colours" to have a black background instead of the regular white one. For some visually impaired people, the contrast makes for easier viewing. 

But the function which got members most animated was the Voice Over. It allows text to be read out, allowing those with poor sight to have comfortable, easy and even cool access to their e-mails and instant messages among other things. 

Of course, the famous Siri was also demonstrated, displaying once again how Apple's voice activated intelligent personal assistant can be a life changing app for many with vision impairments. 

A big thank you to Mr Singh for so kindly sharing his knowledge and expertise with us, making a big effort to explain in as simple a way how to use the phones and tablets to our advantage. His patience has given MDS members a most enriching and educational afternoon. 

iPhone and iPad Tutorial

Apple's iPhone and iPad have changed the world. For the visually impaired, the biggest difference has been no less dramatic. 

Features like magnification and voice-to-text used to cost thousands in complex technological gadgets which are difficult to use. Now, they are cheap and intuitive to most users thanks to the iPhone and iPad. 

To help members learn how to make Apple's products work for those with fading vision, we will hold a tutorial with hands-on practice of iPhones and iPads. If you have an iPhone and/or iPad, please take it along. If not, don't worry, we will have devices to be shared. 

Tutor - Tech expert Gurmit Singh (not to be confused with the celebrity with the same name)

Date: April 12 (Sat)

Time: 2pm - 3.30pm

Venue: All For Eyes, #05-23, Tanglin Shopping Centre.

To ensure proper coaching, the class size is limited to 20. First come first served. MDS subscription fee of $20 for 2014-2015 will be collected at the door. 

Call Anne at 6238-7387 or send an e-mail to alleyes@singnet.com.sg to register.

First "printed" eye cells raise treatment hopes

An inkjet printer has been used to “print” cells from the eye for the first time, British scientists have said, in a striking demonstration of how technology could aid the search for a cure to blindness. The breakthrough is the first step towards using printer technology to create artificial tissue that might be used in complex retina repair procedures.

Scientists from the University of Cambridge printed two types of cells from the retina of rats. It is the latest application of bio-printing technology, which is being used by to create ever-more complex cellular structures, including organs, but this is the first time that mature central nervous system cells have been printed.

Click here to read more

Revolutionary lens implants

More reports of how implanted lens can help improve the vision of dry AMD patients. This new IOL-Revolution lenses have been introduced in the United Kingdom and seem to be making strong progress. 

Read this report to find out more how it has helped someone like Jeffrey Howell, 68 (below), a retired general manager of an engineering company.

This new lens should be an improvement of the previous IOL-VIP lens we posted on this blog five years ago. Read our previous report from 2008. 

Visually-impaired iPhone app

How about an iPhone app which allows the visually impaired to identify objects they encounter in their daily lives? Now you can have it with TapTapSee. Simply double tap the screen to take a photo of anything and hear the app speak the identification back to you.

Click on this link to find out more. 

Watch this video to learn how it works. 

Seeing-Aid Device from Israel

An interesting gadget from Israel could soon take the world by storm. A startup from the Middle Eastern country has come up with a gizmo which can help the visually handicapped "see". 

It is a gadget which is attached to a pair of glasses. The device can tell you what is in front of you, read aloud a book and even identify your family and friends. 

And it is only as expensive as a hearing aid. 

Check out this exciting story from Bloomberg. 

First bionic eye approved

The United States government has approved a bionic eye for the first time to help blind people. It is meant for those with retinitis pigmentosa, but could also be used to treat those with macular degeneration in future. 

Electrical stimulation is sent to the retina to induce vision. Some of the early patients testing the device said they could distinguish boundaries between objects and differentiate light from dark.

Some could read large letters, while for others, being able to match sock colors and detect street curbs were more important for helping them to live more independently.

There are other projects to come up with a bionic eye but this is the first one which has been officially approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Read here for a 2010 report on our blog on another bionic eye project.

Click here and here to read more about this device, which is called Argus II. 

Airline rejects request to bring guide dog on flight

Mr Kua Cheng Hock had given MDS members a talk in 2010 on assistive technology for the visually handicapped. Here is a story from The Straits Times on his continued efforts to push for wider acceptance of guide dogs in Singapore.

The Straits Times
Feb 18, 2013

By Hoe Pei Shan

Over the last eight years, blind businessman Kua Cheng Hock has brought his guide dog Kendra along with him on flights to over 10 countries. Last December, Tiger Airways became the first Singapore-based airline to refuse his request to bring his dog on board.

Mr Kua, 57, said he has not had issues bringing his specially-trained labrador on board other Singapore-run carriers. But when he called the airline a week before his departure date from Singapore to confirm his flight last December, he was told that guide dogs were not allowed on any international Tiger flight. 

More than two months after he was offered a full refund for the cost of his flight, Mr Kua said he has still not received it from the budget carrier. Singapore-based air carriers generally allow guide dogs for blind or visually impaired passengers on board all flights to provide assistance to their owners.

But according to Tiger's policy as published on its website, such animals are allowed only on domestic flights within Australia, and not on any of its international flights. Mr Kua, the first person in Singapore to own a guide dog, found this puzzling. 

"What if the flight originates from Australia, but the blind passenger wants to go to another country?" he asked. "Their policy doesn't make sense." When asked, Tiger Airways sent a response last week to The Straits Times saying that "service dogs are more commonly used in Australia".

Tiger said in its statement that it has also "so far not received requests from passengers to bring their service dogs on board Tiger Singapore flights", and that they would "definitely consider" any request made. Mr Kua acknowledged there are currently only three guide dogs in Singapore, but pointed out that international visitors also bring their guide dogs to the Republic. Singapore's Guide Dogs Association of the Blind had announced its aim last year to bring in one guide dog to Singapore each year.

Guide dogs are allowed in Changi Airport, but passengers who require their dogs to be brought on board a flight have to obtain the necessary clearance directly from the airline, said a Changi Airport Group spokesman. Permission to allow guide dogs on board most airlines hinges on some form of accreditation affirmation. SilkAir, for instance, requires verification that "the dog and its master must have undergone extensive training and are usually issued an identification card by the training centre".

In addition, the customer "must ensure that all government regulations and documentation requirements for the uplift, transit and disembarkation stations are complied with". Tiger's policy appears to stand apart from those of other Singapore-based carriers such as Singapore Airlines, SilkAir, and Scoot, which all allow guide dogs.

SIA and SilkAir permit guide dogs to accompany their owners in the passenger cabin in any class. Although it is not uncommon for carriers to limit the number of guide dogs per flight - Scoot allows only two guide dogs on board each aircraft - Tiger's budget carrier rival, Jetstar, does not impose any caps.

A Jetstar spokesman, when asked about the airline's policy, said: "Jetstar does not practise discrimination against passengers with special needs." Major airlines such as Cathay Pacific and British Airways accommodate guide dogs, but Malaysia-based AirAsia has a strict no-animals policy on board all flights.

hpeishan@sph.com.sg

New app to help visually impaired get around Singapore

Jan 4, 2013

By Janice Tai
The Straits Times

In two years, the visually impaired may be able to use an app to help them navigate their way around much of Singapore via disabled-friendly routes. Students and lecturers from Ngee Ann Polytechnic are developing a smartphone application that uses Global Positioning System technology to map out the shortest safe path for them.

It guides the user with audio instructions and alarm beeps - and even factors in the weather by proposing a sheltered route if it rains. The project, which received $118,000 in funding from the Tote Board, aims to help the visually impaired get around independently instead of having to rely on passers-by or guide dogs for help.

Navigation problems can lead to a muted social life for some visually handicapped individuals. But the group is in talks with bus companies to include its routes in the system so that visually impaired passengers will be alerted to the next stop where they can alight safely.

Yesterday, the group gave the media a sneak preview of how the system works. Visually impaired volunteers used the app to make their way to the nearest bus stop from the polytechnic. For now, only the area around Ngee Ann Polytechnic has been mapped out in detail. Mr Jason Setok, 33 - who lost his sight to glaucoma seven years ago - has been helping to test the app.

"Many of my peers either stay at home or frequent places nearby as there are many obstacles around that the able-bodied may not notice," he said. He had spent three months learning how to travel from his home in Yishun to the polytechnic in Clementi Road, where he works as an exhibition guide to raise awareness of the challenges that people with visual impairments face.

"To get to a new place, I have to stop about five or six passers-by for help and they may be rushing for time. But now there is a navigation system easily accessible on our phones that we can depend on."

jantai@sph.com.sg

Major scientific reports on AMD

At the link below you will find a briefing document by the AMD Alliance International of the major scientific presentations in the field of macular degeneration.

Click here to read more.

Fighting myopia, 1 eye drop a night

Nov 11, 2012
The Straits Times

By Alphonsus Chern
Photojournalist

Singapore researchers have found a way to put the brakes on myopia in children, and even improve the eyesight of a lucky few. Doctors say a simple eye drop could be the best solution to fighting short-sightedness, which afflicts eight in 10 people here by the time they are adults.

"We think we have found the answer to reducing the progression of myopia in children," said Professor Donald Tan, chairman of the Singapore Eye Research Institute (Seri), who led the latest study.

"There is reasonable evidence that reducing near-work activities such as reading and playing computer games may slow it down, but not by such a huge margin as the eye drops."

Seri has tried battling myopia on several fronts - using computer software to exercise the brain and an eye gel, for example - but nothing has proven as successful as the latest eye drops. They contain a very dilute solution of the chemical atropine, which has been proven to slow myopia, but can cause problems such as glare and the loss of near vision in higher concentrations.

"We were extremely pleased to find that the children had almost no side effects and the drug was absolutely safe," said Prof Tan of the latest study.

Singapore is the myopia capital of the world, where 7 per cent of five-year-olds are short-sighted and more than 60 per cent are myopic by the time they are in Primary 6. High myopia rates mean more individuals have severe myopia, said Dr Audrey Chia, an adjunct clinician investigator at Seri, adding that they are also at risk of developing potentially blinding eye conditions such as retinal holes, retinal detachment and even glaucoma.

With the new eye drops, myopia in an average child increased at only half the usual rate, so a child who might have had a short-sightedness level of 1,000 degrees in one eye might have a level of just 500, she added. Such eye drops generally do not work on adults as their myopia, if any, would be fully developed.

Myopia occurs when the eyeball grows longer than normal, making it unable to focus on distant objects, and atropine works by slowing this growth. Seri's study was the first in the world to fine-tune the dosage. At a 0.01 per cent concentration - 100 times lower than previously used - the solution worked well with no side effects.

"We feel we have finally arrived at an ideal therapy in 0.01 per cent atropine eye drops," said Prof Tan. "No other approach seems to be as effective and safe."

The five-year trial that ended last year involved 400 children, aged six to 12, who applied a single drop every night.

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) student Nikhil Daniel Angappan was 10 when he joined the study. At the time, he was moderately short-sighted, with 225 degrees in the left eye and 250 degrees in the right. Now 16, his short-sightedness has stopped at 150 degrees in his left eye and 175 degrees in his right.

"This really was a fantastic programme," said Nikhil, who likes to play rugby. "There was a reduction in myopia and I was still able to have an active lifestyle."

The eye drops are expected to be available to all children here by the middle of next year.At the same time, a further study involving up to 600 children will begin, said Prof Tan. This will fulfil drug registration requirements and test the new eye drop's performance in a real world setting.

Will computers make you blind?

As a child, your mother always said: "Don't sit so close to the TV, or you'll go blind!" But now almost everyone who works at a desk spends their entire day staring at a screen from distances that are most definitely not "mom-approved."

Do all those hours spent staring at your personal glowing portal to the digital world have an effect on your eyesight? Recent studies show that Mom might have known a thing or two after all. Eyestrain has also been linked with an increased risk of glaucoma.

Click here to read this wonderful article on how computers can strain your eyes and what you can do about it. No, the answer is not to stop using computers. We know that is impossible in today's world. :) 

Telescope implants available in US

Two years after a miniature telescope implant for end-stage macular degeneration sufferers was approved for use by the United States government, it is now more widely available across the US. 

To read about this implant works, click here to read our original post on this breakthrough device in 2010. 

For latest news on its growing availability in the US, click here to read more.