Managing Screen Time for Healthy Eyes
In today’s digital age, our lives are filled with technology. From work to leisure, we find ourselves immersed in the glow of screens. While the digital world can bring convenience, it also poses a challenge to our eye health. This blog explores the necessary action for managing screen time for healthy eyes.
The 20-20-20 Rule
Embrace the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, gaze at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This practice alleviates eye strain during prolonged screen time, maintaining a healthy balance for your eyes. The 20-20-20 rule is a simple and effective way to promote better eye health and comfort, particularly for individuals who spend extended periods working on computers or engaging with digital devices. Regular breaks help prevent symptoms like dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches, and discomfort associated with digital eye strain.
Blue Light
Screens have become an integral part of our daily lives. Understanding the nature of blue light is crucial for maintaining a balance in the digital world and protecting our visual well-being. Exposure to natural sunlight helps regulate our sleep-wake cycle and enhances overall well-being. However, the artificial blue light emitted by screens, particularly in the evening, can disrupt our sleep patterns. Prolonged exposure to screens before bedtime may interfere with the production of melatonin, the hormone responsible for sleep.
Some blue light-blocking solutions include glasses specially designed to filter out a portion of the potentially disruptive blue light emitted by screens. These glasses are designed to reduce eye strain and help maintain the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. Furthermore, applying screen filters or using software applications that adjust the colour temperature of your screen toward the warmer end of the spectrum can minimise the impact of blue light. This can be particularly beneficial during the evening when exposure to blue light should be reduced. Finally, adding the night mode feature that most devices now have, reduces blue light emissions during the evening hours. It is also important to take regular breaks from your devices, or coming off them altogether in the evening, but especially before trying to sleep.
Blinking
When screen time is high, blinking often takes a back seat. Yet, it’s a crucial aspect for eye health. Staring at screens reduces blink rates, leading to dry eyes and discomfort. This simple yet essential act serves several vital functions, including the distribution of tears across the eye surface, moisture retention to prevent dryness, removal of irritants, and the prevention of tear evaporation. Blinking also contributes to the protection against infections, as tears contain antibacterial enzymes. Moreover, it aids in maintaining eye comfort, regulating light exposure, and improving visual clarity by briefly interrupting visual input. For these reasons, regular and conscious blinking is integral to preventing eye strain, discomfort, and promoting the overall well-being of the eyes.
We bet you are focussing on your blinking while reading this!!