Relax your eyes
Whether you’re a student, a socialite, or the 9 to 5 go-getter, modern life can be taxing to your eyes.
It’s the 21st century, and everything has become digital and fast paced. No matter what our age, we have all become dependent on screens, and most of us live the majority of the day indoors. Despite making everything fast and convenient, modern life has changed so rapidly that our bodies have yet to catch up with this way of living. What are we subjecting our eyes to on a daily basis?
We have students having to study more intensively than the previous generation every year
9 to 5 jobs are demanding 8 uninterrupted hours of PC work
In between driving, your workplace, and coming home at night, your eyes are constantly battling with different ambient lights
Even after a full day of work in the office, we all come home to “relax” over TV, virtual games and ebooks
No wonder you’re coming home to headaches, fatigue and eyestrain!
Modern technology and eyesight
According to a 2018 study, the average American adult spends 11 hours a day across media devices, and the average teenager spends 9. Considering that most modern tech makes use of font sizes ranging from 2mm (phones) to 4mm (PCs), it’s incredible how we expect our eyes to keep up with these visual demands. Just a 0.25 spectacle script can cause enough haze to hinder comfortable vision when using a smartphone. Even with “20/20” eyesight, the human eye just wasn’t designed to put up with such long hours of detail orientated vision.
artificial light and light sensitivity
On top of this intensive visual demand, we’re making our eyes constantly adjust to different levels of artificial light throughout the day. How many of us drive just before sunrise to get to a harshly (or badly) lit office room, then work on PCs that are backlit by windows and overhead fluorescent lights, only to drive home at sunset to an artificially lit home and watch Netflix on the TV while checking Facebook on our phones? Then on the weekend we go out for the first time in a week, only to be blinded by the sun we never get to see on a weekday.
While some may feel inspired to change their habits from this insight, others may feel that corrective measures need to take place to continue this modern lifestyle with more comfort.
corrective glasses to relax your eyes
To keep with the visual demands of technology, the initial step would be to check if you have a spectacle prescription. Even a mild 0.25 spectacle script can be a hindrance when you’re looking at a 2mm type font on your phone.
Next would be to consider different levels of anti-glare filters. There are a broad spectrum of function specific anti-glare filters that can help reduce your strain when accommodating different artificial lights. Blue light filters help to banish the high energy blue light emitted from your screens which in turn will help relax your eyes. An additional option to consider with sun sensitivity would be light-reactive lenses which intelligently turn darker in the sun and back to clear indoors.
additional factors to consider
Take a 15min break per every hour on any kind of device. If you’re working, go ahead and stretch your legs, make a cup of coffee, or check out the view from the building window. DO NOT replace your device with another one. Checking your phone’s whatsapp during this break is defeating the purpose!
If your eyes are burning towards the end of the day, close your eyes for 1 full minute and gently massage your eyelids. This will release more oil into the tear layer, helping to re-wet your dry eyes.
When possible, change your lighting to decrease reflections off your device, and increase illumination where needed. This will prevent further unnecessary eyestrain due to non-ergonomic lighting.
Activate the blue light filter on your devices (where available) to provide an automatically soothing effect on your eyes.
Remember that you only get one pair of eyes your whole life! A regular check up will help maintain your clarity for a lifetime.
Sources:
https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/article/2018/time-flies-us-adults-now-spend-nearly-half-a-day-interacting-with-media/
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/research/census_researchreport.pdf
https://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/caring-for-your-vision/protecting-your-vision/computer-vision-syndrome