Savannah Health C O R O NAV I RU S
ALL EYES LIFE IS RETURNING to normal, which includes heading back into the office, and Dr. William Pearce, a board-certified ophthalmologist at the Georgia Eye Institute, urges us to take some lessons from quarantine. “We know from clinical trials that increased exposure to near tasks increases myopia — or near-sightedness,” Pearce says. These are tasks that can be completed at an arm’s length, Pearce says, such as working from a computer. Although mostly affecting kids and adults in offices, it’s not a quarantine-only problem. To prevent myopia, Pearce advises limiting screen time with the 20-2020 rule. “Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away,” he says. According to Pearce, the pandemic deterred a lot of people from going to the doctor — even for routine eye exams. “This can make treatments more difficult,” Pearce says,“and even lead to lasting damage.” When re-entering the world this summer, Pearce encourages picking up some ultraviolet light-blocking sunglasses and outfitting them with those blue-light-filter lenses. —PERRIN SMITH
S22
SAVANNAHMAGAZINE.COM
Onwards and Upwards
Dr. Yulianty Kusuma explains why it’s still important for you to get your vaccine Written by JAY LANKAU
A YEAR AND SOME CHANGE into the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re learning how to adapt. Working from home, social distancing, maskwearing: these things have more or less become a part of life. Now, with more than 35 percent of the U.S. population fully vaccinated, there appears to be a light at the end of a very long tunnel. Still, you might be wondering why exactly it’s so important to get “the jab,” and what you should expect. According to Dr. Yulianty Kusuma of Internal Medicine of Savannah, a person is not considered “fully vaccinated” until two weeks after the second dose of a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or two weeks after the initial dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. #9. GET VACCINATED TO PROTECT NOT ONLY YOURSELF BUT ALSO THOSE AROUND YOU.