Help for tired, Dry eyes
In this new norm of social isolation, people are turning to their smartphones, tablets and computers more than ever.
If you’re anything like me, then your days are spent ping-ponging back and forth between the refrigerator and your desktop.
Americans spend an average of 6 and a half hours a day accessing the internet on screens according to a study from Cooper Vision. That’s half of your waking hours spent playing video games, working on a PC or tablet, or simply scrolling through your smartphone.
Working at home and self-isolating might mean that your screen time will double or even triple. That makes for red, tired, and over-stressed eyes. So, here are some helpful tips to maintain healthy eyes while you soak in more screen time.
Adjust Your Screen Settings
One way to improve your eye health is by adjusting your screen settings. Go into the control panel of your laptop or desktop and adjust the brightness and color settings.
You want the brightness of the screen to match the brightness of your room. It shouldn’t be too bright or too dark.
Contrast is better for your eyes. So, make sure that the text is dark, and the background is light. You can also adjust the size of your text so that it’s larger than your normal vision size.
This makes it easier to read from your computer during those long stints of working from home.
When it comes to color temperature you should opt for warmer, yellowish color settings when the room is dark. You should go for a cool, blue tint when the room is well lit during the day.
Your smartphone might even have a setting for eye comfort. This adjusts the ambient lighting of your phone. It’s best to warm the color temperature of your screen during the nighttime by switching off the blue light.
Related: Why you should turn off your phone’s blue light
Soothe Your Eyes at Night
The allure of using screens is just too powerful while we’re awake. So, you should make the most of your time at night. It’s important to get a good night’s sleep to reduce the strain on your eyes. If you wear contact lenses, be sure to remove them before bed.
Your tears wash over your eye continuously in the night, ridding them of mucous and dirt. That’s why you wake up with those nasty eye boogies. Your eyes were self-cleaning in the night.
You can also use a soothing eye gel to reduce some of the effects of the day’s screen time. Systane eye gel drops are perfect for turning back the clock on your eye health at night. These aren’t just regular eye drops that give you temporary relief.
It’s a gel that forms a protective layer over your corneas, restoring and leaving them fully refreshed. You can find Systane eye gel drops in the pharmacy or simply get it delivered to your door through Amazon.
You can also follow some of our best tips for getting rid of bags and nasty dark circles.
Break the Stare
People don’t blink as much when they stare at screens all day and tend to take fewer breaks when working from home. When you become deeply engrossed in your screen activities, the eyes are put under continuous strain. It causes a condition called Computer Vision Syndrome or CVS.
CVS leads to blurry vision, headaches, and itchy, dry eyes. That’s why it’s important to go with the 20-20-20 rule. It’s easy to do and helps reduce the dry, itchy, eye strain that comes from staring at screens for too long.
Ophthalmologists suggest that you should look away from the screen for 20 seconds every 20 minutes. It helps to pick a point 20 feet away from you and stare at it. You can set a timer on your smartphone or turn it into a game. Maybe you can throw in 20 push-ups or sit-ups just to make it interesting.
A Day Off for your Eyes
As difficult as it may sound, the best step you can take to improve your eye health is to take some time away from screens. Give your eyes a rest for a day and just do some exercise or meditations.
If you ignore the urge to check your smartphone, you’ll greatly improve the way your eyes feel long-term.
That’s not all. You’ll also increase your chances of forming deep and lasting connections with the people around you. That’s because you’re more present and mindful of the moment. Without those little micro-distractions, you can focus on yourself and others around you.
Related: 10 guys with blue eyes from TV & movies
Change Activities Often
Here’s one that’s like the 20-20-20 rule. You can improve the condition of your eyes by changing up the daily routine. Now that people are working from home and/or spending more time behind closed doors, it’s important to find creative ways to cure boredom.
Even staring at a screen all day is bound to get old. So, try to add some good old-fashioned randomness to your day. If you normally check your emails while you eat breakfast, try to organize your thoughts mentally instead.
Every few hours, take a break from the screen and do some light exercise. Laugh at yourself while you try some new TikTok dances or try to do some challenging yoga poses. The goal is to avoid the routine, the routine of staring at the screen all day. By changing activities often, you give yourself time to rest your eyes.
Summing it Up
People are using computers, games, and smart phones more these days and it’s bound to take a toll on your eye health. In fact, a study by The Vision Council in America found that nearly 70% of adults experience some form of digital eye strain due to prolonged use of electronic devices.
You can give your eyes a rest by soothing them at night. Be sure to get a good night’s sleep and if your eyes feel especially dry, then try some soothing eye drops.
Another way to restore your eyes is by taking a day off from screens. Yep, a digital detox for your eyes. It might be difficult, but you can start with just a few hours a day.
Take a few moments while you’re working on the computer to adjust your settings. Go for contrast when it comes to reading text passages. Dark text on light backgrounds is best. And adjust your visual settings for the time of day – warm colors at night and cool colors during the day.
Lastly, take small breaks and break the stare whenever you can. Eyecare specialists recommend doing so every 20 minutes. You can make this easier by setting reminders or just changing up your regular routine.
Have you been suffering from screen overload? What are some creative ways you can think of to cut back on screen time and refresh your tired eyes? We’d love to hear your ideas.
