Modern technology requires us to stare at screens for work, entertainment, and nearly everything in between, often for hours each day.
According to statistics, adults spend over 13 hours with screens daily, while teens spend just over eight hours and children just over five.
Much of this comes from using our smartphones, but digital pads, watches, and screens on other devices, as well as TV, are abundant and hard to escape.
If you’re trying to avoid the possible consequences of eyestrain and other vision problems from this digital dependence at work, let’s review some steps you can take to stay optically safe.
McKinney, Texas, residents trying to keep their eyes safe in a growing digital world can rely on help from Drs. Hena Khaja, Soha Rafi, and the experienced medical staff at Texas Eye Doctors.
Eyestrain is the intense use of your vision to focus on something over an extended time. It is often referred to as eye fatigue. Often, people dealing with eyestrain experience a variety of symptoms, such as:
It can also make it harder to keep your eyes open.
While digital screens are a common culprit of eyestrain (digital eyestrain), reading and long-distance driving can also cause it. Eyestrain can be acute or chronic, and acute issues are very common, with an estimated two out of three people struggling with some form of it.
Much of what we understand about eyestrain, especially the digital variety, concerns how blue light affects it.
This color of light comes from several sources, including the sun, light bulbs, and digital devices, and while research shows this color range is essential for eye health, further work is determining whether or not too much exposure can lead to retinal damage.
While researchers don’t agree on the overall negative effects of blue light on the eyes, its effects on sleep are well documented. Exposure to this hue in the evening in particular is shown to affect melatonin levels and shift the circadian rhythm.
When dealing with the symptoms of eyestrain, here’s what you can do to reduce the impact it has on your vision:
To break up the time you stare at a screen, try focusing on something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds, then focus on something else after 20 minutes. This can be useful at work.
Balancing light levels prevents it from being too bright or too dim. So, dim the lights while watching TV and check the brightness levels of the screens you’re watching.
Keep digital devices about an arm’s length away from your eyes and view things at or just below eye level. When holding a device in your hands, be sure to read below eye level, and enlarge text as necessary to improve reading comfort.
Hyperfocus that leads to eye strain can cause dry eyes due to blinking less and becoming irritated. Eye drops can be very useful when this symptom arises, as well as blinking more frequently.
If our team suggests specialized eyewear, we can help you find an option that suits your needs. If you already wear glasses, the lenses can be given a specialized coating.
Pollutants and dry air also affect vision. During the winter, consider a humidifier to help moisten the air. During the summer, if you have fans in your workroom, keep them from blowing into your eyes.
Getting through the day is hard enough without worrying about eye strain, so these steps can help reduce your chances of dealing with it. For other ways to protect your eyes, make an appointment with the Texas Eye Doctors team today.
