A Spotlight on Digital Eye Strain
Spring is a great time to get outside, but don’t let all the play make you too tired to remember eye safety at work!
When your job is in a manufacturing setting, you have to worry about potential debris, chemicals and flying objects like metal, wood and glass. Safety glasses and goggles are the top safety tool to protect your eyes. In a healthcare setting, face shields can protect your eyes from chemicals and bodily fluids.
But when you work in front of a computer all day (like so many of us do!), it’s a different kind of eye damage you have to be on the lookout for. With more remote learning and remote working happening than ever before, at Center For Sight, we believe it’s the ideal time to spotlight a growing problem; digital eye strain.
Protect Your Eyes in the Digital Age
Keeping your eyes safe at work (and play) includes at your desktop and on your smartphone. According to The Vision Council, over 60% of Americans report symptoms of digital eye strain, which may include blurriness, redness, fatigue, dry eye, headache and neck and shoulder stress. There are steps you can take to reduce the risk of digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome (CVS).
- Follow the “20-20-20 rule”—take a 20-second break from the screen every 20 minutes and look at an object 20 feet away.
- Use proper lighting; one way is to reduce overhead lighting to eliminate screen glare.
- Adjust computer display settings: increase text size and contrast for comfort, and adjust the brightness of the display, so it’s close to the same brightness of your surroundings.
- Position your screen approximately 30 inches away—about an arm’s distance—from eye level for proper viewing distance when at a computer.
- Blink more often.
- Take a few five-minute mini-breaks throughout the day.
- Talk to your Center For Sight doctor about getting computer glasses; usually these are lenses with anti-reflective (AR) coating which reduces glare.
One of the most important things you can do to combat computer vision problems is to have a routine comprehensive eye exam at Center For Sight. If you experience persistent blurred vision and/or are tired of the hassles of glasses and contacts, you may be eligible for LASIK, which can correct refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
A comprehensive eye exam will also find any dry eye issues, which often go hand in hand with digital eye strain. At Center For Sight, our advanced dry eye treatments administered by our dry eye specialists are among the best in the country.
At Center For Sight, we want your vision and your life to be 20/HAPPY. We are at the forefront of research and development in comprehensive eye care, including prevention and treatment. Schedule an appointment today for a free consultation if you have any questions about keeping your eyes safe at work.
