Reporting on the State of Connecticut’s Summary of COVID-19 cases, deaths, and tests.
The Health District’s efforts are focusing on the response to last week’s storm and the town’s recovery efforts.
A complete listing of all COVID-19 cases and analyses by age, hospitalizations, deaths, towns and county is reported by the Connecticut State Department of Health. This information can be found by following the link below:
https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Coronavirus/CTDPHCOVID19summary8192020.pdf
Total Reported
To Date Change from Probable
Yesterday Cases
Local Results
Westport Residents COVID-19 Positive Reported to the State 325 +1 15
Weston Residents COVID-19 Positive Reported to the State 76 +1 3
All In Favor Of Good Health Say “EYES”
As children and parents are gearing up for school, the WWHD is reminding residents that healthy vision is critical to academic and social success. As a child grows, an untreated eye disease or condition becomes more difficult to correct. These can worsen and lead to other serious problems as well as affect reading ability, focus, classroom behavior, and social adjustment in school. Vision problems that can affect children include Amblyopia, (“lazy eye”), Strabismus, (“crossed eyes”), and the most common forms of refractive error: myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism. Children’s Eye Health & Safety Awareness Month highlights the importance of taking care of your eyes for a lifetime of healthy vision.
With many schools and colleges adopting a hybrid learning approach, time spent on computers and screens is expected to be higher than ever. This can increase eye fatigue. Lack of sleep, prolonged computer use and long hours studying make for tired eyes that are dry, scratchy and achy. Prolonged computer use contributes to eye fatigue because you blink less frequently. Less blinking significantly reduces lubrication in the eye making it feel tired, scratchy and “dry” as a result. Also, eyes are not designed for prolonged focus on a single object, such as the computer. The American Academy of Ophthalmology has a remedy. Place a note on the computer screen as a reminder to blink and to look away from the screen and focus on objects in the distance. Looking out a window (20 – 20 – 20 rule: for every 20 minutes of computer work, look away for 20 seconds, and focus on a scene or object at least 20 feet away) is a good break for the eyes. The key is to give your eyes a rest.
Health care providers urge parents to get the facts. When is the right time to have a child’s eyes checked? Is too much screen time actually damaging their eyes? Do kids need to wear sunglasses? There are a lot of myths and misinformation out there about children’s eye health.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology debunks seven common myths about children’s eye health:
Myth: Pink eye only happens in young children. While young kids are known for getting pink eye, due to close contact in day care centers, so can teenagers, college students, and adults — especially those who don’t clean their contacts properly. The best way to keep pink eye from spreading is to practice good hygiene, including washing your hands, not touching your eyes, and using clean towels and other products around the face.
Myth: Antibiotics are necessary to cure your child’s pink eye. Antibiotics are rarely necessary to treat pink eye. There are three types of pink eye: viral, bacterial, and allergic conjunctivitis. Most cases are caused by viral infections or allergies and do not respond to antibiotics. Antibiotics may be prescribed for bacterial conjunctivitis depending on severity. Mild cases of bacterial conjunctivitis usually resolve on their own within 7 to 14 days without treatment.
Myth: Sun is bad for your eyes. While it’s true that long-term exposure to the sun without proper protection can increase the risk of eye disease, some studies suggest that sun exposure is necessary for normal visual development. Children who have less sun exposure seem to be at higher risk for developing nearsightedness. Just make sure they’re protected with UV blocking sunglasses and sunscreen.
Myth: Blue light from screens is damaging children’s vision. Contrary to what you may be reading on the internet, blue light is not blinding you or your screen-obsessed kids. While it is true that nearsightedness is becoming more common, blue light isn’t the culprit. In fact, we are exposed to much more blue light naturally from the sun than we are from our screens. The important thing to remember is to take frequent breaks. The Academy recommends a 20-20-20 rule: look at an object at least 20 feet away every 20 minutes for at least 20 seconds.
Myth: Vision loss only happens to adults. The eyes of a child with lazy eye may look normal, but this eye condition can steal sight if not treated. Amblyopia is when vision in one of the child’s eyes is reduced because the eye and brain are not working together properly. Crossed eyes is another eye condition that can cause vision loss in a child. Strabismus is when the eyes do not line up in the same direction when focusing on an object.
Myth: All farsighted children need glasses. Most children are farsighted early in life. It’s actually normal. It doesn’t necessarily mean your child needs glasses because they use their focusing muscles to provide clear vision for both distance and near vision. Children do need glasses when their farsightedness blurs their vision or leads to strabismus. They will also need glasses if they are significantly more farsighted in one eye compared with the other, a condition that puts them at risk of developing amblyopia.
Myth: There is no difference between a vision screening and a vision exam. While it’s true that your child’s eyes should be checked regularly, a less invasive vision screening by a pediatrician, family doctor, ophthalmologist, optometrist, or person trained in vision assessment of preschool children, is adequate for most children. If the screening detects a problem, the child may need to see an ophthalmologist or other eye care professional. A comprehensive exam involves the use of eye drops to dilate the pupil, enabling a more thorough investigation of the overall health of the eye and visual system.
For more information about taking care of your eyes and protecting your vision, visit https://www.aao.org/eye-health