Visual impairment is one of the most disabling disabilities physically, emotionally, socially and economically, and plays a major role in determining a person’s quality of life.
Increasing visual impairment
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that approximately 12 million people in the United States age 40 and older suffer from vision impairment. This includes 1 million people who are blind, 3 million people with vision loss after correction, and 8 million people with vision loss due to uncorrected refractive error.
This number will double by 2050 due to the increasing epidemic of diabetes, other chronic diseases and rapid aging.
About 6.8 percent of children under the age of 18 in the United States suffer from eye and vision diseases, and 3 percent of them are blind or vision-impaired, defined as having difficulty seeing even with glasses or contact lenses.
Dr. Borja Salvador Cola
“World Vision Day”
In the coming years, an aging population and a higher prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes may exacerbate eye health problems. Low vision can be caused by a variety of causes, such as diabetes and trachoma, eye damage, or refractive error, cataracts, glaucoma, or age-related macular degeneration.
People of all ages are affected by vision loss, but people over the age of 50 are most affected. Women, rural communities and ethnic minorities are more affected by visual impairment than other groups and are less likely to access care.
To avoid this outcome, the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to support universal access to high-quality eye care services, as well as advocate for the four cornerstones of lifelong eye health: prevention, protection, conservation and priority.
According to the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB), approximately 350,000 eye injuries occur in the workplace each year. Of all cases of blindness, 90 percent are preventable or treatable if detected early. Therefore; Awareness plays an important role in preventing eye diseases and delaying their development.
Therefore; World Sight Day 2023, celebrated last week, creates a platform to emphasize awareness of eye health, increase public knowledge of its value and preventive measures, call for improved eye care services, and promote measures to prevent blindness and low vision. This “day” aims to promote collaboration between international organizations, national governments and local communities to reduce preventable blindness, provide vision care and strengthen the eye health system. This “Day” emphasizes the need for comprehensive policies and strategies to address the social and economic impacts of vision loss, helping to achieve the goals of eliminating avoidable blindness. By drawing attention to these problems.
On the occasion of “World Vision Health Day”, Dr. Borja Salvador Gulla, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Barrakar Eye Hospital, UAE, with over 17 years of experience in treating eye diseases, spoke to “Sehadak”. An essential pillar in our daily and working lives, and attention to eye health in the workplace is essential for eye safety, especially with the increasing use of electronic devices, good vision is not only a factor in increasing efficiency, but also contributes to improving safety and employee comfort, and focus on the following:
– Awareness and training on the importance of eye health promotes a positive work environment.
– Workshops and training courses strengthen awareness and promote healthy behaviors.
– Business owners should ensure that they provide high quality facilities and equipment such as safety glasses and screens with modern glare reduction technologies.
– A shared commitment to eye care provides a healthy and productive work environment.
Ultimately, eye health is a joint responsibility that falls on both employers and employees.
Dr. Gula added that vision health is an important part of health and safety standards within the work environment for business success and improving the performance of organizations. With increasing reliance on technology, many people are spending long hours in front of screens, causing vision problems and eye strain. Therefore, the following measures should be followed to support eye health:
– Lighting: Emphasis should be placed on providing adequate lighting to reduce eye and visual fatigue.
– Workspace: The screen should be at eye level or slightly lower within the appropriate area for the workspace.
– Rest periods: It is necessary to take breaks from time to time to rest the eyes.
– Optical correction: checking that the glasses or lenses used are correct.
– Safety measures: In dangerous environment, special safety measures should be used.
– Healthy lifestyle: follow a balanced diet and stop harmful habits, which will support eye health.
Vision screening in the workplace
“World Sight Day” adopted a slogan for eye care and maintaining their health and safety, “Love your eyes at work.” Dedicated to calling business leaders to understand the importance of protecting their vision in the workplace. Prioritize the eye health of workers everywhere.
The importance of vision screening in the workplace cannot be overstated. The goals of vision screening include detecting vision problems while they are still treatable, providing education, and (if necessary) referring the patient to an eye care professional for a comprehensive eye exam.
Importance of this exam:
– First: It ensures that workers have sufficient visibility to carry out their responsibilities safely and effectively, helping to maintain a safe and productive working environment. Accidents and errors can be avoided by early detection of vision disorders.
– Second: it improves the well-being of employees; Because untreated eye problems can cause discomfort, fatigue and reduced job satisfaction. Detecting diseases such as glaucoma or diabetes-related eye problems through regular screening can help prevent catastrophic vision loss.
– Third, and finally: it encourages employees to prioritize their eye health and get the treatment they need, which leads to an improvement in their general health, quality of life and productivity.
Electronic application for vision testing
The World Health Organization launched an electronic application called “WHOeyes”, which is available on iOS and Android mobile operating systems and is compatible with mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
The app is available in 6 UN languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish. The organization calls upon all users of these devices worldwide to download the app for free and benefit from the technology that checks visual acuity within a minute, in an easy way for everyone.
The system calls:
– Everyone should pledge to take a vision test and add their name to the millions of others doing the same.
– Every association or organization and every eye care professional undertakes to encourage all its members to undergo eye examinations.
– Every employer makes vision screening available to all its employees.
– Eye screening can increase awareness and increase demand for eye care services.
The organization hopes to reach 10 million people who will undergo a vision test on the next “World Sight Day”!
The 4 cornerstones of lifelong eye health: prevention, protection, conservation and priority
Founded in 1975, the International Institute for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) has a proud heritage of leading international efforts to prevent blindness. IAPP is the global voice of the eye care industry, working to end avoidable vision loss and provide access to eye care and rehabilitation services for all.
The agency (IAPB) offers 10 tips to care for your eyes, protect them and prevent blindness:
– Follow the 20/20/20 rule and give your eyes breaks and breaks from staring at the screen: When using a screen, look at something 20 feet away every 20 minutes to avoid eye strain and headaches.
– Spend some time outside: Children should spend at least two hours a day outside the house to rest their eyes. This helps their eyes develop in a healthy manner and helps them avoid developing nearsightedness.
– Wear sunglasses outdoors: Make sure your sunglasses offer UVA and UVB protection to prevent the sun’s rays from damaging your eyes.
– Wear glasses if you need them: You should wear your glasses so you can see clearly and your eyes don’t have to work so hard; This can lead to eye strain and headaches.
5- Check cosmetics to avoid eye infections: Check the expiration date of eye makeup and change your brushes regularly to prevent the accumulation of bacteria that can cause eye infections.
– Exercising regularly: Regular exercise can reduce your risk of developing diseases like diabetes or high blood pressure that can affect your eyesight.
– Follow a healthy diet: Eating a balanced diet ensures that you get the vitamins and minerals you need to maintain healthy eyes.
– Don’t smoke: Smoking increases the risk of serious eye diseases and permanent vision loss.
– Book an appointment for an eye exam before problems appear: An eye exam can detect eye conditions before they affect your vision, so even if you don’t think there’s anything wrong with your eyes, you should schedule an appointment. A regular eye exam should detect problems before she appears.
– Give priority to your eyes; You need them to last you a lifetime: Put reminders in your calendar for regular eye exams. Get your eyes checked every one to two years.
The International Information Network has a foreign worker examination service. Foreigners can book a medical examination to complete the residency transaction. Through this service, foreigners can also set up an appointment with a doctor. The service is to reschedule the date of medical examination and the center where the examination is conducted should be a government centre.
Examination of migrant workers
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Workers can use the Expatriate Worker Screening Service by accessing the website of the Ministry of Health located in Kuwait. This service requires providing necessary information about foreigners and those requesting this service, so we will explain how to use this service. The following are:
Open the Ministry of Health website from here Here.
Select a box that says “Electronic Services.”
Select a box that says Request an appointment.
Put the civil number in your place.
Email reference is in place.
Write the mobile number.
Put your name, gender and your sponsor’s name in the designated box.
Write the serial number of the civil card.
I accept all terms and conditions.
Select the box marked Send.
read more: Link to transfer passport and residence data from one passport to another in Kuwait.
Requirements for reservation of medical examination appointment for overseas workers
The Ministry of Health, located in Kuwait, has clarified the documents and papers required for successful screening of expatriate workers. Therefore, we will explain these papers and documents as follows:
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The application should be submitted on the Ministry’s website.
Preparation of visa including foreigner’s Aadhaar number.
Acceptance of the Terms and Conditions of Use of the Meeting Service.
Submit all documents related to the client, as well as to the sponsor.
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Inquire about medical screening for domestic workers and expatriates
After the expatriate has made the migrant worker selection, he needs to inquire about it, so to do this, we will explain some important steps to be followed below:
Open the Ministry of Health website from here Here.
Select the box that says Clinical Test Result.
Put the reference code in the appropriate place.
Select a box that says “Submit.”
Thus, all the information about the list of overseas workers will appear in front of you.
How do I get the results of the medical test?
The Ministry of Health of the Government of Kuwait sends the examination results to an approved electronic program called Effada launched by the Passport Department.
What are residency screening tests?
The foreigner undergoes a comprehensive medical examination, chest x-ray examination and tests for acquired immunity and tests for hepatitis C virus and syphilis.
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How long does the medical examination take?
The clinical examination takes several hours and may take more than a day.
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The first study of the skin burrowing microbiome (the microbiome is the sum of human or other organisms living on the skin or in the gut) reveals how sudden perturbations such as burrowing can trigger fundamental ecological change. Increases biodiversity, lays the foundation for the development of burrows. A model for understanding how communities respond to rapid environmental change.
From the perspective of the bacteria, eukaryotes, and other microscopic organisms that call the skin home, a puncture is as catastrophic and terrifying an event as a giant earthquake or meteorite strike, and this has been demonstrated in microbial analysis.
Self-engineering of the ecological landscape
In a study conducted by a team from Canada’s McGill University, researchers for the first time introduced science to an unexpected environment, a tattoo parlor. In this first characterization of the human borehole microbiome, the unique human cultural practice of the borehole serves as a model system to better understand how biological communities reassemble after environmental disturbances.
The piercing process usually starts by disinfecting the skin and removing the microbes from it, then creating a new environment for the piercing, which is different from previously unpierced skin, and acts as a “clean slate” for colonization of new microbes. Social.
Charles Shaw, a doctoral student in biology who led the study, said in a press release from the university. Piercing the skin also represents an accidental act. “From Self-Engineering to Environmental Landscape in Human Skin.”
From October 2019 to March 2020, researchers recruited 28 people who had their ears pierced at a specific location in Montreal. Then, skin swab samples were collected before the participants got their ears pierced and several times during the two weeks after the piercings.
A sudden event like ear piercing can drastically alter the skin microbiome (Shutterstock).
Understanding the biological effects of environmental phenomena
The results of the study, published in the journal Royal Society B, highlight how a sudden event like piercing can radically change the skin microbiome. Compared to unpunctured control cases, the puncture site showed an increase in the number of unique DNA sequences and species, indicating an increasingly diverse and ecologically complex microbiome at the puncture site, dominated by two opposite types of bacteria.
With this new understanding of the microbe that penetrates the skin, the study lays the groundwork for further research into the prevention and control of other types of piercing, tattoo microbe and skin infections, says Xu.
Looking beyond the human body, Shaw’s supervisor Professor Rowan Barrett said such studies could help understand the biological consequences of large-scale catastrophic environmental events.
“The hole represents a good model that can be followed to better understand the general processes associated with community assembly after environmental change,” he adds.
Did you know that certain foods can cause anxiety and stress? While caffeine and sugar are known to affect our moods, many unexpected factors can exacerbate these feelings. In this report, we’ll critically examine 10 food triggers, explain why this effect exists, and suggest alternatives. Healthy to help you maintain a balanced and calm state of mind, according to the website “Onegreenplanet”.
1. Processed foods
It often contains Processed foods High amounts of refined carbohydrates, unhealthy fats and additives can cause your blood sugar to spike and crash, causing mood swings and increased anxiety. Choose whole, unprocessed foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
2. Artificial sweeteners
Artificial sweeteners like aspartame and sucralose have been linked to increased anxiety symptoms.Choose natural sweeteners like honey or enjoy the sweetness of natural fruit.
3. Fried foods
Fried foods are often high in unhealthy trans fats, which contribute to inflammation in the body and affect brain health. Instead, opt for baked or grilled alternatives for a healthier option.
4. High fructose corn syrup
High-fructose corn syrup, commonly found in sugary drinks and processed snacks, can increase inflammation and oxidative stress, which can worsen anxiety symptoms. Choose water, herbal teas, or homemade fruit juices instead.
5. Too much salt
Consuming too much salt can upset the balance of electrolytes in the body, leading to dehydration and stress. Instead use herbs, spices or citrus juices to enhance the flavor of your food.
Fast food is usually high in unhealthy fats, sodium and additives. These substances can negatively affect mood and contribute to feelings of anxiety. Choose home-cooked meals using fresh ingredients whenever possible.
7. Dairy products
Some individuals may be sensitive to dairy products, which can cause digestive problems and inflammation, which can affect mood and increase anxiety. Consider alternatives such as almond milk, coconut milk, or dairy-free yogurt.
8. Refined grains
Refined grains such as white bread, white rice, and pasta have a high glycemic index, causing rapid rises and falls in blood sugar levels. This can contribute to mood swings and feelings of anxiety. Choose quinoa, brown rice, and whole grains. Wheat bread instead.
9. Red meat
Consuming high amounts of red meat has been linked to higher levels of anxiety and depression. Try to include lean protein sources like fish, chicken or legumes in your diet.
10. Artificial food coloring
Artificial food coloring, commonly found in processed snacks and beverages, has been linked to hyperactivity and increased anxiety in some individuals, especially children. Choose natural food colors or snacks without artificial colors.
