The Modern Pain In The Eye: What High-Tech Does To You

By Peppertan

I spy with my little eye something beginning with S. Don’t look any further, it’s a screen, and you are looking right at it. Screens are great, especially as they are part of your everyday social exchange and work, whether it’s on a smartphone, a tablet or your work laptop and computer. Unfortunately screens have also a dangerous impact on your health, and chances are, you may not even have noticed it.

What Does A Screen Do To You

You have all heard that sitting too close to a screen can hurt your eyes. It is a little more complicated that this. Sitting in front of a screen all day is a cause of eye fatigue because you are naturally forced to blink less. Consequently, your eyes get dry and therefore they will start to become a nuisance by causing blurred vision, giving a burning impression, or transforming you into an albino rabbit with bright red eyes all day long. While the damages are not permanent, it goes without saying that if you can’t rest your eyes, every day will be the same to you. Additionally, you could be suffering in the long term from Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), which lead to discomfort in your eyes, and headaches.

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How Do You Know If You Are Affected

The continuity of discomfort can become unnoticed and fall into a daily routine. For some, it’s the daily aspirin against headaches, for example. You need to be very attentive to the signs that your body are giving away. Computer screens are tightly connected to dry eye syndrome, which cause vision fatigue and means that your brain will need more time to adjust to your surroundings. While it sounds silly, a tenth of a second difference to analyze what your eyes see is what can destroy your life when you are in a car. Additionally, inhabitants from the southern parts of the States are likely to see the hot climate adding to their dry eye fatigue. Cases of blurred visions are more frequent there. On the other side, shortsightedness can easily be confused with eye fatigue, especially in dry climates. Consequently, if you live in Arizona, California, Texas, or New Mexico and are experiencing troubles when working a screen, you should get your eyes thoroughly checked, at the local eye center mesa for example, to be on the safe side.

How Can You Support Your Eyes

Whether you need glasses or not, working with screens is damaging to your health. Health and safety regulations advise on regular breaks, every 20 minutes, from the screen, which is something that sounds almost impossible in an office job. Don’t worry; you can still set your day-to-day routine around your eyes health. For a start, make sure that no sunlight hits the screen as you work and cause screen reflection, as the effort that your eyes make to adjust will cause fatigue and headaches. An anti-glare filter for your screen should sort you out. This is also a cost that lies with your employer as it is part of H&S regulations. When it comes to take regular breaks, sometimes making a cup of tea is all it takes to look away from the screen. Even in a busy workplace, this is something that you should always have time for. Make sure to look away from the screen for a few minutes at least twice in every hour.

Have a regular break from the screen