The Singaporean lifestyle dries up our eyes   by Eveline Gan     Singaporeans love high-tech gadgets, air-conditioning, hanging out at the malls and travelling. Unfortunately, these are also the very things that can easily cause our eyes to dry up, warned cornea specialist Dr Lee Sao Bing.   "The modern lifestyle that most Singaporeans have can easily cause dry eyes," said Dr Lee, medical director of Shinagawa Lasik Centre.   "This is especially the case for young professionals who work in an air-conditioned room in front of the computer for many hours. And when they are not in the office, many will still stare into their handheld devices for hours."   The dry eye condition is commonly characterised by a gritty sensation in the eyes, blurred vision and eye fatigue. In severe cases, warned Dr Lee, the eyes can become so dry that skin cells on the cornea may flake off, leaving "a wound" in the cornea.   "When the cornea is devoid of the first layer of cells, it has a higher chance of getting an infection. Vision can be permanently affected if the infection is a severe one," he added.   While there are no official statistics on the prevalence of dry eyes here, Dr Lee reckoned that everyone would experience varying degrees of the condition from time to time.       Stop staring at your computer screen   A healthy tear production is required to keep our eyes moist, said Raymund Song, senior professional service manager of Bausch+Lomb. However, the environment and lifestyle factors, such as those mentioned above, can alter the quality and the quantity of tears.   Among the various factors, the eye experts said that spending long hours doing near work - staring at the computer screens, watching flickering images at close range on a tiny screen, et cetera - is probably the main culprit for dry eyes.   Song explained: "When we're doing near work, there is a tendency for our eyes to blink less. This results in tears evaporating away, which causes our eyes to feel dry."   Age is another factor - the older we get, the less tears we produce and drier our eyes become.       Lubricating your eyes   Dr Lee advises Singaporeans to start "moisturising" their eyes whenever their eyes are red or start feeling tired, scratchy, or itchy.   "Many people feel that using lubricant eye drops is a 'treatment'. This is a misconception. After all, many people also use moisturiser on their hands and face daily. You should treat your eyes like your skin," he said.   Tips to keep your eyes well-lubricated According to Raymund Song, the pH of healthy tears lies within the range of 7.3 to 7.7. Pure water has a pH of 7. Maintaining a healthy tear production can help keep dry eyes at bay.   - Have a balance diet and keep yourself well-hydrated.   - Seek medical advice from a doctor to get to the root of your dry eye problem.   - If you wear make-up, avoid having them enter your eyes. Certain oil-based cosmetics can irritate the eye, especially if you are wearing contact lenses.   - Contact lens wearers should clean their lenses properly with an appropriate lens care solution, and follow the recommended wearing hours advised by their optometrist.   - Keep those blasts of air - from the fan, air-conditioning - away from your eyes.   - Don't forget to blink. Take eye breaks from long periods of reading or working on the computer.               This article was featured in Today July 26, 2011. http://www.todayonline.com/Health/EDC110726-0000016/Give-your-eyes-a-break