Care for Your Eyes in Four Smart Ways
How many hours do you use digital devices during the day? You may spend most of your time on a computer at work. However, do you often watch something with your smartphone when taking a break or even when in bed? Studies on smartphone addiction show that people view smartphone screens for an average of three hours a day, and half of them feel anxious without their smartphones. Such excessive use of digital devices is threatening the health of our eyes. If you feel your eyes are sore and dry, you need to follow today’s smart tips to care for your eyes.
Be careful not to suffer from dry eyes, which make your eyes dry and sore
As people use digital devices more, some illnesses have increased. One prominent condition is dry eyes.
In fact, 55% of smartphone users know that their eyes feel more uncomfortable when they watch their smartphone screens for longer periods of time. When people watch smartphone screens, computers, tablets, and TVs, they tend to blink their eyes less frequently than usual. Therefore, they feel that their eyes become dry quickly even if they watch the screens for only 10 or 20 minutes.
Also, as our retina is vulnerable to blue light, long-term exposure to this light may harm our retina cells. Hence, the blue light from digital devices may cause harmful effects. However, this has not yet been proven by a clinical trial.
The healthy habits that can protect our eyes
1. Blink frequently
If you blink your eyes frequently, it can help keep your eyes moist and reduce dryness or irritation. When you watch smartphones, computer screens, or TVs, the frequency of your blinking decreases by about half. That means that the moisture in your eyes evaporates. Blinking your eyes as often as 10 to 20 times per minute can help keep your eyes moist and comfortable.
2. Get proper rest
Rest is good for your eyes. When you use smartphones or computers, please watch the screens for as briefly as possible. If you have to use digital devices for a long time, you need to take a 20-second break every 20 minutes. Watching a distant place or moving your eyes with your eyes closed is helpful in reducing eye fatigue. If your eyes feel constantly uncomfortable, you need to refrain from using digital devices and let your eyes rest.
3. Proper digital environment and posture
If the screen of a digital device is too bright or dim, your eyes grow more and more tired, and it becomes hard to maintain focus. You need to adjust the brightness and contrast of the screen to the brightness of your surroundings. By doing so, you can reduce eye fatigue, decrease the burden on your eyes, and prevent the feeling of discomfort caused by the dazzling light of the screen. Another way to relieve eye strain is to increase the font size of your screen. If the font is too small, you may unconsciously get closer to the screen.
That is not good! The screen should be 40-50 cm away from your eyes, and the centre of the screen should be 10-15 cm below your eye level. In addition, it is important to maintain indoor humidity at around 50-60% and to keep indoor air pleasant with frequent ventilation.
4. Regular eye examinations
Having regular eye check-ups is a good way to keep your eyes healthy. You need to diagnose your eye problems early, if you have any, by taking a sight test along with a comprehensive eye examination. For example, the health conditions of the corneas, eye lenses, retinas, and optic nerves need to be examined. If you watch the screen of smartphones or computers for hours every day, you are at great risk of experiencing what is called “digital eye strain”. I recommend that you see an eye doctor regularly. When necessary, a proper prescription can treat the strain effectively.
Nutrients good for eye health
1. Vitamin A and beta-carotene
Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for good vision. Beta-carotene plays the role of an antioxidant and is a precursor of vitamin A. It is effective in preventing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. When vitamin A is deficient, it can lead to night blindness, which means that your eyes adapt slowly to darkness. Food sources of vitamin A include eggs, fish oil, and animal liver, whilst beta-carotene is abundant in carrots, kale, spinach, tomatoes, squashes, sweet potatoes, and apricots. For smokers, taking beta-carotene as a supplement can increase the risk of developing lung cancer, so please be careful.
2. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin and is effective in protecting cells with its strong antioxidant properties. Vegetable oils, such as corn oil, olive oil, and soybean oil as well as nuts, including sunflower seeds, walnuts, almonds, and peanuts, have it in abundance.
3. Zinc
Zinc is one of the minerals that play an important role in retina health. It is an essential nutrient for eye metabolism. It works as an antioxidant, staves off age-related macular degeneration and cataracts, and strengthens immune function. Zinc is found in abundance in seafood, such as oysters and lobster; meats, including pork, chicken, and beef; and beans.
4. Anthocyanin
Blueberries, which are a powerful antioxidant and are rich in anthocyanin, are a superfood that is good for eyes. Purple-coloured fruits and vegetables such as blueberries and aubergines are rich in anthocyanin. Its excellent antioxidant qualities help protect retinas.
5. Lutein
Lutein has a filtering function that filters light, particularly blue light, entering our eyes and works as an antioxidant. Along with Vitamins C and E, zinc, and copper, it has been proven, through clinical trials to slow down the progress of age-related macular degeneration. However, as it is not produced in the eyes, you need to eat food with plenty of lutein to supplement it. Lutein is abundant in green vegetables such as spinach, broccoli, and kale as well as in corn, squashes, and citrus fruits.
As time passes, our bodies become more and more comfortable, but our precious eyes become busier and busier. Therefore you should not forget that protecting the health of your eyes is an important part of raising the quality of your life. Why don’t you use the tips that I provided today to protect the health of your eyes, which are under a lot of strain from digital devices?