Excessive use of electronic devices can cause dry eyes, a Taipei-based traditional Chinese medicine practitioner said, adding that traditional medicine can supplement Western medicine’s treatment for the disorder.
Feelings of dryness and irritation in the eye might be caused by dry eyes and not be merely fatigue, Tai Yu-hsuan (戴毓萱), an internist of traditional Chinese medicine at Taipei City Hospital’s Kunming Branch, said in a news release on Sept. 22.
If people experience discomfort in their eyes with foreign body sensation, pain, itchiness, heat, redness and hypersensitivity to light, they are advised to make an appointment with their eye doctor, she said.
Photo: Bloomberg
According to the traditional Chinese theory of medicine, dry eyes could indicate another ailment affecting the spleen, lungs, liver or kidneys, meaning practitioners might use treatments that improve the patient’s health as a whole, Tsai said.
Long-time users of contact lenses, office workers exposed to excessive air-conditioning and screen time, professional drivers, and people with diabetes, glaucoma or recent lasik surgery are at heightened risks of dry eyes, she said.
People affected by stress could also be vulnerable to the disorder, Tai said.
Patients undergoing a conventional treatment for dry eyes are encouraged to improve their constitution by changing their diet to include more water consumption, fish oils, deep-sea fish, carrots, spinach and broccoli, she said.
These foods are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and anthocyanidins, Tai said.
Taking a 20-second rest for every 20 minutes of screen use, looking at objects about 6m to 7m away, or simply closing eyes and avoiding heavily seasoned or deep-fried food could help with the condition, she said.
Keeping the workplace moisturized and not exposing ones eyes directly to air-conditioners and fans would also help reduce the risks of developing dry eyes, Tai said, adding that unnecessary use of contact lenses should be avoided.
Massage therapy or acupuncture targeting the pressure points around the eye can help treat the condition, she added.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition