Do screens risk eyes…?

# keniaeye # screen time #computer vision syndrome # blue light harm #dry eyes #work from home # online school # Covid 19

A lot is said digital screen usage is harmful to the eyes. World is going digital, schools are going digital, the future is digital so are we harming ourselves.

Anything used beyond limit is harmful. Even standing for hours our legs will ache so relentless unabated usage of screen is common sense will affect eyes.

Our eyes were meant for watching and searching things around instead of sustained focus on one object. Sustained focus causes the accommodating muscles to fatigue and the lack of eye blinking result in dry eyes. Blue light emanating from the devices and lighting in the room is meagre to cause retina damage like macular damage. Blue light is absorbed by the eye structures like cornea and natural lens in the eye, and macular yellow pigment absorb this short wavelength blue light before harmful amount reaches the photoreceptors in the retina and damage it.

Ideally every twenty minutes of screen usage a break of twenty seconds and eyes should focus at a distance to break the sustained near focus and give muscles a chance to relax. Frequent voluntary blinking of the eyes is needed every twenty minutes by doing so the oil glands in the lids purge out oil to lubricate eyes.

Adjusting the contrast and brightness on the digital device is important. Proper shadowless lighting on the device is important to avoid glare and shadows on the screen. Using anti glare screen or antireflecting glass coating does not make much difference. Nor do blue blocking glasses contribute much to eye protection as no human studies have proved that.

Outdoor activity of two hours per day is important as sunlight exposure and vitamin-D has been linked with eye protection and in children it also protects from spectacle numbers increase.

Screen time should be restricted for children especially as sustained near work on screen causes increase in spectacle numbers. Children below two years should not be exposed to mobile phone and age between two and five years should ideally use screen less then two hours. Adults should restrict screen time at least one hour before sleeping as the blue light from devices interfere with sleep and causes sleep disturbances.

Screen usage if intelligently used with 20–20–20 rule with frequent blinking, frequent lubrications of the eye with artificial tears and restrict the screen usage below five hours per day for adults are the key to protect our eyes in these digital times.