Ways to Protect Yourself From Eyestrain

These days, it is not just those in an IT profession that are exposed to worrying amounts of screen time. Be it mobile phones or computer screens. Most people are on some sort of technological device for a significant number of hours each day. According to a study by the DataReportal, an average American consumes 7 hours and 4 minutes of screen time every single day.

Admittedly, in order to live with the times, almost everyone can't cut screen time completely. Using screens is the way people stay connected for work, personal relationships, or to the world at large.

People get their daily news through screens, appointments are made through websites, and students write and submit their assignments through online portals; it is practically impossible to avoid screen time entirely.

As a result, according to multiple reports and studies, problems resulting from eye strain are on the rise. Vision issues such as myopia are much more common now than they used to be. Digital Eye Strain, also referred to as computer vision syndrome is caused by excessive exposure to digital screens and is getting worryingly common.

There are many ways to ensure that despite the amount of screen time a person may need to be exposed to daily, they can avoid eye strain and save themselves from more serious eye conditions down the line.

Understanding Eyestrain

Any eye and vision issue that occurs due to prolonged use of any digital device with a screen falls under the umbrella of digital eye strain. Symptoms of compromised eye health include:

• General discomfort in the eyes
• Dryness in the eye
• Blurry vision
• Headaches
• Fatigue in the eye

Serious cases of eye strain can even cause neck and shoulder pain. Understanding the symptoms and being vigilant about them is a good start to keeping vision problems at bay. When there is enough awareness of the symptoms, action is taken quicker should any of them occur.

Preventative Measures Against Eyestrain

Creating a healthier work (or study) environment is essential to preventing eye strain. Eye checkups also need to be regularly scheduled, especially for those that already use glasses or corrective lenses. Here are other ways for a person to ensure their eyes are well taken care of when expecting prolonged exposure to digital screens.

Taking Care Of Lighting

Adequate lighting may be one of the most vital factors in ensuring good eye health. Warm light is best for the eyes, and this includes natural lighting and incandescent and LED light bulbs.

One should ensure the workspace is exposed to sufficient amounts of light spread out. While setting up the workspace, they also need to make sure that it receives a good amount of natural light during the day. However, direct natural light contains UV rays that are also harmful. Luckily, windows usually block and filter the UV rays from the sunlight, making it the ideal lighting.

Ultraviolet (UV) light is generally the most harmful kind of light for eye health. In addition to being present in unfiltered natural light, they are also given off by fluorescent tube lighting and should be avoided. If a work environment uses fluorescent tube lighting, one should gear up with protective eyewear.

Computers, smartphones, tablets, and TV screens produce blue light. This is a form of cool light that emits high amounts of energy and is reportedly harmful to the eyes. While certain reports about blue light leading to blindness are erring in falsehood, long-term exposure is more than likely to result in computer vision syndrome. It can even be the cause of disrupted sleep.

Some tips to ensure good lighting are:

• For tasks like light writing and reading, one can use directed lights. These include lamps.
• During daylight hours, one can easily use natural light in the work area.
• One should avoid intensely bright bulbs.
• A person should light up areas of work well using multiple, well-distributed light sources. One should place them in such a manner that they do not produce glare.

Lighting is one of the most important factors for good eye health, and ensuring good lighting goes a long way in preventing eye strain.

The 20/20/20 Rule

The eyes are less likely to blink when focusing on screens as they’re intensely concentrating. This is a major contributor to eye problems such as dry eye and general eye strain.

The 20/20/20 rule offers a good solution to this problem. For every 20 minutes of screen time, find a point of focus 20 feet away and look at it for 20 seconds. The longer the breaks are taken away from the screen, the better for the eyes.

Regular Eye Checkups

For those who consider themselves to be faced with a greater risk of developing eye problems, such as those who have jobs requiring lots of screen time, regular eye checkups are essential. This is even more important for those that already use glasses or corrective lenses.

It is not uncommon for the eye power to change, even by some small amount. It may be hard to notice the change, but it can occur with a greater likelihood for those exposed to greater screen time. If the eye power changes, it can exacerbate the symptoms of eye strain, leading to severe headaches and even nausea.

Eyewear in Los Angeles has several options for greater protection against eye strain. Eyeglasses in Los Angeles come in options such as blue-blocking lenses and office/progressive lenses. These are developed to counter the harmful effects of screen time on the eyes.

Be it luxury eyewear brands in Los Angeles, designer eyewear in Los Angeles, or any good eyeglasses store; one can explore options after discussing with a doctor what might be the best choice of protective eyewear. There are endless options for simple or luxury glasses in Los Angeles.

Avoiding screens in this day and age is a near-impossible task, but taking breaks, choosing the right lighting, and regular eye checkups will go a long way in protecting the eyes from problems, regardless of the amount of screen time.