The past few years have been about staying safe at home, home-schooling, and working from home.
Our dependency on digital screens for everything from work, learning, and entertainment has gone up 10-fold.
While this seems to be a problem even before the pandemic, as an eye specialist working through the pandemic, there are more and more cases of acute problems in the eye directly associated with increased screen time.
How does screen time affect our eyes?
- Dry eye-related problems
Our eyes are covered by a tear film. This tear film is balanced in a way to protect the outer layers of the eye, maintain transparency of the front part of the eye and keep the eye comfortable and sight clear. With every blink, we replenish the tear film while some tears drain into the tear ducts which in turn drain into the nose and then throat.
When we look at screens, we tend to stare and forget to blink, this causes the tear film to evaporate and causes an imbalance.
As a response the tear glands send more ears into the eye, so remember tearing and watering may be a sign of dryness.
If this goes on and extreme dryness continues, the normal oil glands which are on our lid margins start getting inflamed and damaged, which may lead to painful swellings on the lid or styles.
In addition, adults and kids both may complain of redness, pain, burning, the feeling of sand in the eyes, and blurring along with headache and strain.
- Progression of spectacle number in children
Increased near vision has been associated with an increase in minus in children and progression of myopia/short-sightedness.
- Blue light radiation
Digital screens emit all kinds of light however the one in focus is the Blue light. The trend these days is to make blue light-blocking glasses and it has been noticed that patients do in fact feel lesser glare and less tired when using these glasses with a bright screen all day however scientifically the evidence is still debatable.
In addition to the eyes, excessive screen time can have an effect on sleep, neck, and back positioning and it is important to limit screen activity where possible. It is also important to sit in a well-lit room with a good ergonomically designed chair.
For reducing the effects of excess screen time here are some useful tips that can help.
- 20-20-20 rule Take a break every 20 minutes where you can look as far as possible or at least 20 feet, for 20 seconds. Blink your eyes 20 times.
These blinks should be gentle and not squeezing the eye.
- Keeping blinking while working on the screen, I call it pigeon blinks, gentle and slow, 10-12 blinks per minute.
- Take a 10-minute break every hour, and look out of a window as far as possible.
- Drink plenty of water, dehydration can also contribute to dry eyes.
- Move away any wind draft such as an AC vent or fan away from your face and eyes. Windy conditions evaporate the eye tear film faster.
- Ensure a good content of Omega 3 fatty acids such as salmon oil or flax seed in the diet, these help to keep the oil glands / Meibomian glands in the lid healthy.
- Use a good quality preservative-free lubricating eye drop.
- Consult an eye specialist doctor if any problems persist instead of buying drops from a pharmacy. Dry eye can be mild to severe and can cause serious complications, take it seriously.
- The farther the screen from your eyes and the larger, the less strain you may feel, so movies and videos are better watched on a TV rather than on a mobile phone or tab.
- Never use a bright screen in a dark room it can cause a permanent burn in the delicate membrane in the back of the eye called the retina.
- Prevention is better than cure, balance screen use with non-screen-based activities, get regular eye check-ups with a qualified ophthalmologist/ eye surgeon and stay healthy.
Dr. Samita Moolani Katara
MBBS, DO, DNB, FACS
Consulting Ophthalmologist
Moolani’s Eye Care Centre, Camp Pune
