Do screens make your eyesight worse?
Digital eye strain is more common today than ever, due to the growing numbers of household screens and the frequency of use in our everyday lives. While not everyone spends all day and everyday looking at a computer screen, some people do use smartphones and other blue light emitting devices. The good news is that digital eye strain is not a long term problem. There is no evidence that strain makes your eyesight worse in the long run, but it does cause extreme discomfort and makes getting through a work day difficult. So how can we protect our eyes and reduce the daily strain that screens inflict on us?
Ensure that your room is lit correctly.
This may sound counterintuitive, but less light in your room is actually better for your eyes when it comes to working on screens. Offices shouldn’t be too bright, so where possible close your curtains and reduce your use of fluorescent lighting. Use lower voltage bulbs and make sure your ambient lighting is about half as bright as the average office.
Have regular eye exams.
Regular eye exams help you keep your eye health in check and ensure your problems aren’t worse than the normal, typical digital eye strain. It also gives you a great opportunity to talk to an expert about your habits and eye health.
Take a break.
Adopting the 20-20-20 rule throughout the day is a simple and effective tactic. 20 minutes of screen time, broken up with 20 second breaks, with eyes focused on something other than the screen that is at least 20 feet away from the screen. Schedule longer breaks if need be and don’t be a slave to your screen. Take time for lunch, coffee, a walk, anything to make you come back feeling refreshed, which your eyes will thank you for!
Wear screen glasses.
Blue light blocking glasses are an excellent way to help protect your eyes. Of all of the colours that make up light, from sunlight to screen light, blue has the shortest wavelength and as a result, is the closest in frequency to UV light, which we know is harmful. Blue light occurs naturally in sunlight but also in LED and through our screens, so our exposure to it is inescapable.
Reduce glare and use high-resolution screens.
Glare on your computer screen can cause eye strain as it stops your eyes adjusting as easily as they should to the content that you’re trying to focus on. Use an anti-glare matte screen where possible or use anti glare coating on your glasses. A high resolution screen can also help reduce the impact of glare on your eyes. Higher resolutions make images on screen to appear sharper and more lifelike, meaning that your eyes don’t have to work as hard to make sense of and piece together the pixels in front of you.
Use these tips to make your work day that little bit easier and remember to be kind to your eyes!
