Digital Eye Strain: Protecting Your Vision in the Screen Age
As we spend more time than ever looking at screens averaging nearly seven hours a day our eyes are paying the price Digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome is no longer just a workplace nuisance it is a medical condition affecting nearly 2 out of 3 adults unlike reading a printed book digital screens require your eyes to constantly refocus on flickering pixels leading to muscle fatigue and neurological stress.
Why screens are harder on your eyes
The blink gap
Flicker and glare
Blue light intensity
Dermatologists and ophthalmologists recommend the simplest free medical intervention for your eyes.
Every 20 minutes: set a timer
Look 20 feet away: find a distant object or lookout a window.
For 20 seconds: this allows the ciliary muscles inside your eye to fully relax from their near focus tension.
Your eyes were not evolved to stare at a single point for eight hours a day. Digital eye strain can lead to chronic headaches neckpain and blurred vision, but it is largely preventable by practising active blinking, following the 20-20-20 rule and adjusting your ergonomics. You can protect your most valuable sensory asset in a digital world.
Definitely,this is the need of an hour and we have protective eyewear also that we can wear to prevent our eyes from harmful radiations from the laptop.
The 20-20-20 rule is the gold standard for preventing ciliary muscle fatigue from continuous focussing since it is straightforward, supported by research, and efficient. Incorporate blue light filters for nighttime use and active blinking to close the gap (we blink 66% less on screens).
Nice information. i never knew about 20-20-20 rule. Now a days digital eye strain is a major problem due to increased screen time for both for working and learning also, Which may leads to sleep disruption and mental health strain. layer 20-20-20 rule with blue light glasses will be helpful. Thank you for the Insightful information.
I recently had to take class for school students regarding the same and when I taught them these eye exercises they told me that this would be a life saver as they are using phones for a long amount of time to study as well as to play games and often feel dryness and itching. During the yoga session or exercise session for students this plan should also be included as it is the need of the hour.