Written by Eef van der Worp, published in his Eef@online series at Linkedin. Hindsight is 20/20 represents a saying in English that means "It's easy to know the right thing to do after something has happened, but it's hard to predict the future." The year 2020 is the year of clarity, but who could have seen what would be happening in 2020 is, in hindsight, is a true visionary. With summer approaching, life is starting to go back to ‘normal’, and in my part of the world the pandemic for the moment over its peak, this marks the final column in this Eef@online series. This started exactly th ..read more

Written by Eef van der Worp, published in his Eef@online series at Linkedin. The origin of the word ‘quarantine’ comes from the Italian ‘Forty Days’ (quaranta giorni). In the Netherlands the official lockdown measures started March 15th, which means we have passed the 50-day mark (today is day 55 of the lockdown measures to be exact). The ‘40 days’ comes from the plague epidemic in the 14th century. Ships in the harbours had to be in ‘quarantine’ (a medical term) for 40 days – after which it was safe to leave the ship and the sailors could mingle amongst the population. Back to the c ..read more

Mouth protection for spectacle wearers: This is how you wear a mask without the spectacles fogging up: If you wear glasses, you know this challenge from the winter. At the time of the Corona pandemic, you have to cope with it even in the warmer months. As the face mask ensures that you don't infect other people, it also means that you may not be able to see because your glasses are fogged. Because despite the face mask it is easy to prevent the glasses from fogging up. One possibility is to fold it up before wearing the mask. But you will sacrifice an area of the mask to reduce fogging ..read more

Written by Eef van der Worp, published in his Eef@online series at Linkedin Here in my household, I did a comprehensive survey amongst contact lens wearers. It appears that 50% of respondents reported ‘significantly less contact lens wear’ during quarantine times, the other 50% wears lenses as usual. It may not be fully representative, with an n=2. But it is something to consider that part-time lens wear may be more of a thing now than in normal times. Disinfect. In Fact. Lens wearers should be aware of the disinfection method used if lenses are worn occasionally. For instance, peroxide sy ..read more

Written by Eef van der Worp, published in his Eef@online series at Linkedin. Vision is a beautiful thing. It sounds complex, how our optical system works. And it is. The first part is pretty easy to understand: in an ideal world the focal point of the eye is positioned where the retina is. If the focal point is slightly behind the retina, it’s called hyperopia and if it is in front – its myopia. It gets slightly more complex when dealing with astigmatism. Because one meridian of the optical system of the eye is different from the other meridian – typically 90 degrees apart – the two ..read more

Written by Eef van der Worp, published in his Eef@online series at Linkedin What day this is? This is I-lost-count-of-the-quarantine-day. But we are somewhere in week four of home-schooling. The idea that my kids get on their bikes to their respective schools is a distant memory by now. The teens have locked themselves up in their rooms for the remainder of the day. I have to say, the way they respond to this crisis is impressive. They work; they work hard – and stay up to speed with what the schools dictate. Big thumbs up to the schools as well. This is a Guinness-book ‘turning-physical-s ..read more

Written by Eef van der Worp, published in his Eef@online series at Linkedin. Hereditary We were just faced with a significant extension of the Corona-measures in our part of the world, which means we are spending way more time together as a family coming weeks. Let’s take the time to combine ‘family’ and ‘extension’ here. ‘Extension’ – quite literally – refers to myopia: axial myopia per definition is just that: an eye length above the norm and too long for the refractive power of the eye’s optical system. Parental Monitoring In China, of all places the cradle of the alarming virus t ..read more

Written by Eef van der Worp, published in his Eef@online series at Linkedin Digital Pandemic There is a lot of information out there and we have to be careful not to end up in a digital pandemic. A pandemic includes a disease that is new to the population, something that infects people and causes symptoms – and something that easily spreads. It appears that some of this is happening online in the wake of the real pandemic. In that ‘digital market’ we have to be careful about ‘what to buy’: how reliable is it? A Spanish group started the website ‘Maldito Bulo’ – which easily translates into ..read more

Written by Eef van der Worp, published in his Eef@online series at Linkedin What has social detachment to do with retinal detachment? At first sight (no pun intended) nothing, but if you look closer, these two can actually be connected in this corona-reality. Our government has summoned citizens to practice social distancing, and to keep 1.5-meter distance. Literally. And in the Netherlands you are not allowed to be together with more than three people (except households) at the same time, at the risk of a fine of €400. This even counts for birthdays and other parties. We have to get use ..read more

Written by Eef van der Worp, published in his Eef@online series at Linkedin These are special times. Not only is there fear, worry and uncertainty, but life has become somewhat more challenging too when it comes to our voluntary or involuntary quarantine (depending on where you live), and it can take its toll. I am used to working from home, so that doesn’t change too much. But with the kids at home – things are surely different. Although not the biggest of our problems right now, this brings up a new phenomenon: how to stay healthy in a time of a (partial) lockdown: the potential of an ..read more