8 Surefire Ways to Reduce Your Digital Eye Strain

by: Aaron Barriga

Are you struggling with dry eyes or blurry vision? Have a headache that’s not letting up?

The impact of technology may not always be positive as these are symptoms of eye strain. A person naturally blinks 18 times per minute but staring at a screen leads to a decreased amount of blinking which reduces the amount of moisture in your eyes and the production of tears.

Your eyes get tired in the same way as any other muscles in your body and for this purpose, your eyes have the strongest muscles in your whole body. Despite the strength of our eye muscles, they do become tired due to fixation on glaring screens such as computers, phones and television for several hours at a stretch.

The direct effects of digital eye strain are experienced by 63% of GenXers and 68% of millennials due to their increasing usage of electronic devices.

Here are 8 Ways You Can Get Some Eye Strain Relief:

Exercise Your Eyes

Working on digital screens leads to less blinking of your eyes which is important to keep them moist and hydrated. Follow the greatly renowned 20-20-20 rule whereby you should look at something 20 kilometers away every 20 minutes for about 20 seconds. Looking far away relaxes the muscle that your eye uses to focus, reduces the fatigue and reduces the chances of your eyes focusing ability of becoming “locked”.

Take Good Care of Your Contact Lens

Wash your hands before using your contact lenses. Keep your lens case clean and make sure that you do not exceed their recommended usage. You can also opt to have LASIK eye surgery done if you don’t want to deal with the hassles of using contact lenses.

Take Regular Breaks and Wash Your Eyes

Make sure to keep on blinking your eyes in between your work sessions and take regular breaks as well. Simply splashing your eyes with cold water can help soothe them. The cold water increases the amount of blood circulation as well as reducing the amount of pain in the muscles surrounding your eyes. A warm compress also works just as well.

Adjust the Display of Your Screen

Properly adjusting the display settings of your computer can give you some much needed eye strain relief. Here are some beneficial adjustments that you can make:

Brightness: Adjust the brightness of the display so that it is the same as the brightness of your workplace.

Size of the Text: Adjust the size of the text particularly when your read or write long documents.

Position your screen properly as it should be kept about 20 to 24 inches away from your eyes and the screen’s center must be at about 10 to 15 degrees below eye level.

Follow a Proper Eye Diet

Follow a diet that contains a lot of minerals and vitamins to maintain your overall eye health. Include fruits and vegetables that have vitamins A, C and E with a B complex as they will help in reducing your eye strain and improving your overall eye health

Take Regular Eye Exams

Make sure to get a comprehensive eye exam done twice a year as this will help to control your vision problems. If you don’t want to deal with the hassles of eye exams, you can ask your doctor about LASIK eye surgery.

Keep Blinking

Don’t forget to blink when staring at computer screens as this is bound to cause irritation, dry eyes and red eyes. It has been discovered that we tend to blink 2 times less than normal when staring at the blue screens of our phones and laptops.

Use Proper Lighting and Avoid Glares

Extremely bright natural light pouring indoors or harsher interior lighting from indoors can strain your eyes. Your lighting should ideally be half as bright as is usually found in most offices.

Author Bio:

Aaron Barriga is the online marketing manager for Insight Vision Center, an Ophthalmology Center in California. With a knack for understanding medical procedures, and an interest in eye and vision health, Aaron loves to share what he knows and what he learns. He blogs to inform readers about the latest eye care technology and other topics related to eye care, especially LASIK. Aaron loves collecting coasters from the different bars and restaurants he visits during his travels.