During the pandemic, many of us have been forced to make many changes to our daily lifestyle. We find ourselves spending more time in front of our digital screens at home, for work, studies or leisure. Whether you are binge-watching all your favorite shows or catching up on your classes online, increased exposure to digital screens may lead to your eyes experiencing digital eye strain.

You may be wondering, what is computer vision syndrome? Computer vision syndrome, also known as computer vision syndrome, is a group of vision-related problems that occurs after prolonged exposure to digital screens from your digital devices such as smartphone or computer. This may be caused by many different factors, such as:

  • Staring too close at the screen.
  • Poor lighting when using digital devices.
  • Hunched or improper seating posture.
  • Glare from digital screens.
  • Uncorrected vision problems.
  • A combination of some or all of these factors.

Thus, you may be experiencing eyestrain, dry eyes, headaches, blurry vision, neck and shoulder pain, or even a combination of those symptoms after using your digital devices. While most symptoms are only temporary and will abate after rest, you may continue to experience continued deterioration of your vision. If left unchecked, these symptoms may worsen with future use of your digital devices. Therefore, it is important to visit your eye doctor or eye care professionals to seek medical advice if these symptoms persist.

Besides that, you can also take preventative measures to ensure that you can reduce or even prevent digital eye strain symptoms from occurring. This includes adjusting the way you use your digital devices and taking more breaks in order not to overwork your eyes.

Firstly, you can adjust your monitor if you are using your personal computer so that your eyes are looking downward around 15 to 20 degrees as measured from the center of the screen. It also should be a comfortable distance away from your eyes, ideally 50 to 70 cm from your eyes. Also, you also have to position your screen to avoid any glare from overhead lighting or the windows. It would be ideal to use drapes or blinds on windows and opt for bulbs of lower wattage for lighting. Do not use digital devices in complete darkness as it would harm your vision. 

Using mobile phone in the dark

Your seating position should also be adjusted if needed, where your chair height should be adjusted so that your feet are able to rest flat on the floor. Your chair should be comfortably padded to ensure that you feel more relaxed. When typing, your arms should be used to provide support when typing and resting your wrists on the keyboard while typing should be avoided. Also, blink frequently when using digital devices as blinking keeps the surface of your eyes moist.

Lastly, you should take short breaks often to reduce the duration spent on your digital screens. For reference, the 20-20-20 rule is often used, where you should take a break for 20 seconds by looking at an object 20 feet away every 20 minutes. This gives your eyes a short relief and a chance to refocus after staring at digital screens for so long.

The type of eyewear used is also important, as eyewear or contact lenses with blue light protection would be able to filter out harmful blue light emitted from digital screens, reducing the risk of computer vision syndrome developing in your eyes. Check out our range of eyeglasses and blue ray protection lenses at our retail outlets and our online store here: https://www.focus-point.com/ 

 

 

Source:

https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/computer-vision-syndrome?sso=y

https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/tips-for-maintaining-eye-health-amid-work-from-home-7339460/