A rising issue worldwide and more prevalent in Asian countries comparatively to western countries, dry eye occurs in rates from 5% to 50%, but can be as high as 75% in some parts of the world.^[2]

"In this era of digitalization, especially since the COVID-19 lockdown, we see more patients with dry eyes due to various reasons, including increasing screen-time from using their mobile phone and laptop due to working from home, personal habits, the environment and health of the patient," says Consultant Ophthalmologist, Dr Calvin Lim from VISTA. "While Dry Eye is often thought of as an old person's disease, perhaps the most telling statistic from a survey done in 2015 showed that 76% of eye care providers reported an increase in dry eye symptoms among patients 18 to 34 years old^[1]. And that was five years ago, before Tik Tok, Netflix, online shopping, Facebook live, Pokemon Go and now online meetings and work from home!"

"Even more concerning is that a 2016 study showed a 6.6% rate of dry eye in pediatric patients from 7 to 12 years old.^[3] We see kids of all ages now having handphones, even toddlers on strollers have tablets mounted on. And now with the lockdown and increased dependence on mobile devices, entertainment and social shifting online, we can expect not just a shift but overall increase in Dry Eye in all age groups." adds Dr. Calvin.

Despite the increase in the number of dry eye patients, very little is known about the disease publicly. It is often linked to fatigue or "heatiness", among others. Much less is also known about what problems Dry eyes can actually cause and also how it impacts a patient.

"Redness caused by dry eyes is wrongly considered a lack of sleep and people end up taking a nap, which alleviates the symptom but not the root cause," Dr. Calvin explains. "Proper lifestyle changes and correct management including proper nutrition will help, but do be conscious of avoiding unconventional treatments."

Despite the Movement Control Order, VISTA continues to raise awareness of eye health and has conducted over 50 Webinars since April, reaching a total of over 250,000 viewers, including recent events with the Star, Sin Chew Daily and China Press, three major daily newspapers in Malaysia.

About VISTA Eye Specialist
 

Founded in 1999, VISTA is one of the largest Eye Specialists in Malaysia with 11 centres covering the Klang Valley, Penang and Johor Bahru.

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20200724/2866879-1