In the age of technology, we spend a lot of time in front of a screen, from our phone to our computer to our television. While we may enjoy being in front of our devices, it may cause damage to our bodies, especially our eyes, when we are in front of them for long periods of time. If you are worried about your eye health, especially if you are in front of gadgets all of the time, here are a few ways you can go about improving it.
Blinking
This may seem like an act that you do involuntarily, but when you are staring at a screen, your eyes are focused on what is happening in front of you and aren’t closing as often. Not blinking for long stretches of time causes your eyes to become dry and may result in blurriness. Remind yourself to blink every once and a while, and consider looking away from the computer for larger amounts of time so that way your eyes don’t strain.
Take Breaks
Speaking of looking away from the computer, consider getting up and doing something else for a while. There is a universal idea to this called the “20-20-20” rule. After every 20 minutes in front of a computer, get up and walk 20 feet away from the computer and stay there for 20 minutes before returning. Obviously, you don’t need to be as thorough as that, but the occasional break will allow your eyes (and even your mind) to take a quick breather.
Get An Eye Exam
It is very important to get a checkup done by your optometrist as often as you can. They will let you know how your eyes are health-wise and what you will need to do to keep them from getting worse. If you wear glasses, it may be good to ask your doctor about getting a blue-light filter for your next pair, since blue light is what causes a lot of the harm to eyes when using technology.
Adjust Settings On Devices
If you are really stubborn about moving away from your device, you could make your life a lot easier by changing the way that you look at it. Adjust the light levels so that it matches the lighting in the room, that way it isn’t too bright or too dark. Use darker backgrounds on your screen so it is easy on the eyes. Change the size of the text and font on your computer so its easier to read. Even turning away from your computer and cleaning your screen could go a long way to helping your eyesight out.
