As summer approaches, the days are longer and there are more opportunities for leisure time, which generally results in watching more television, scrolling social media for longer periods, or working longer remote hours from a screen.
But with all these increased hours of screen time there may come a somewhat more serious worry: blue light eye damage. Blue light is something we are all exposed to in sunlight, but the artificial blue light emitted from screens and other digital devices is now being investigated in a serious way for how much it contributes to digital eye strain and long-term eye health damages.
As we assess the effects of screen time on our eyes and vision, we must be aware to reduce screen time in the summer.
The Blue Light Challenge
Blue light is a high-energy visible light that can penetrate deeply inside the eye and possibly damage the retina. While the cornea and lens block UV rays from reaching the back of the eye, with blue light, that is not the case, since it can penetrate the back of the eye.
Excessive blue light from digital devices can increase stress to the retina, leading to discomfort, dry eyes, and, over time, even an increased risk of macular degeneration.
In the summer, many people spend more time inside to avoid the heat, which often means more time on phones, tablets, and laptops compared to the rest of the year. This seasonal trend can exacerbate the effects of screen time on eyes, leading to increased exposure and a more substantial method to computer vision syndrome.
Understanding Digital Eye Strain
Digital eye strain, or computer vision syndrome, is a group of symptoms associated with prolonged viewing of digital screens. The symptoms include blurred vision, headache, dry eyes, neck, and shoulder pain. During summer months, these symptoms can be aggravated by bright lights due to glare from the bright surroundings or, for those with air conditioning, dry air.
Kids and teens are particularly vulnerable. With school out and more gaming or video streaming their blue light eye damage is higher than usual. Adults working from home or enjoying more digital hobbies are also susceptible to experiencing digital eye strain due to cumulative time spent on screens.
Solutions: Protect Your Eyes in the Summer
To counteract these problems, consider having the following habits in your daily life:
Use the 20-20-20 Rule
One of the easiest and least expensive ways to alleviate the effects of screen time on the eyes is to practice the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This process will allow your eyes to reset and re-accommodate and alleviate the strain of focusing on digital screens for lengthy periods.
Consistently applying one of the many 20-20-20 practices could alleviate digital eye strain in the long run and lessen any potential symptoms of computer vision syndrome, which include headaches, blurred vision, and dry eyes.
Change Screen settings for comfort
Lowering brightness, increasing text size, and activating night or blue light filters can make a huge difference to eye comfort. These adjustments will help decrease the amount of artificial blue light, which will assist in warding off blue light eye damage during long periods of screen time.
Additionally, during brighter ambient light, especially in the summer months, changing the settings to optimize screen resistance may help to the ability to squint or diminish the competence of constant eye accommodation which sustains overall visual comfort long term while utilizing electronic devices.
Wear Protective Blue Light Glasses
Purchasing blue light glasses is an investment that is both fashionable and an easy way to keep your sight healthy. These glasses are specifically designed to block and filter the high-energy blue wavelengths from screens which greatly contribute to digital eye strain, and plausibly blue light eye damage.
Regular wear can reduce daylight discomfort, protect your sleep by reducing melatonin inhibition, and promote future healthier sight. In heavily-screen-situated cities like NYC, where screens reign late into the night, blue light glasses are a popular lifestyle choice for busy professionals, as well as students.
Blink More Often, Exercise Your Eyes, and Drink Lots of Water
One of the challenges of being in climate-controlled environments, like air conditioning in the summer, is that your eyes can dry out really fast. Add in hours of eye exposure and you can end up with some serious irritation.
Making a conscious effort to blink more infrequently will help distribute moisture across your eye surface to reduce dryness and irritation. Obviously, hydrating your body is also crucial for producing tears, but it is also important for overall ocular health. Incorporate these simple habits into your day, to minimize computer vision syndrome discomfort and create effective visual function all day long.
Conclusion
With so much screen time occurring in the summer months, understanding and preventing the effects of screen time on your eyes is crucial. While digital eye strain, computer vision syndrome, and blue light eye damage are all unfortunate outcomes of excessive screen use, there are preventative measures you can take to ensure your eye health.
Consider some of the preventive tools that blue light glasses NYC product experts recommend, developing new healthy screen habits, and starting your eye health in another hot summer. Your vision is worth it, and your future eyes will appreciate it!
Have any questions or need to book an appointment? Get in touch with Elite Eye Care – your vision deserves expert care. Contact us now!