An average American worker spends about 7 hours/day on the computer, either in the office or working from home. But did you know if you spend more than 2 hours/day in front of a computer, you have a 90% chance of developing computer vision syndrome? What is this syndrome? How is this going to affect your eyes? Well, it is a collective group of syndromes experienced about the use of computers. Nearly 60 million people suffer from this syndrome globally, eventually resulting in reduced productivity at work and reduced computer worker quality of life. Also known as digital eye strain, its symptoms include blurred or double vision, dry or red eyes, eye irritation, headaches, neck and back pain.
As per American Ophthalmometric Association, it is recommended to follow 20:20:20, i.e., take 20 seconds to break to view something 20 feet away for every 20 minutes. You can easily overcome this if you take a few precautions. At your workstation, your computer screen should be 15°-20° below the eye level, with proper lighting while working, and the system should have an anti-glare screen to avoid overstraining. Also, take rest breaks in between. Use natural tear drops easily available in the market whenever your eyes are irritated.
Few exercises that can help:
- PALMING – Sit comfortably. Rub your palms together and create a bit of warmth. Cup hands and slightly press them over closed eyes. Relax for a few minutes like this.
- BLINKING – Try to blink once every 4 seconds. This helps keep your eyes lubricated.
- EYE-ROLLING – Close your eyes and roll eyes in circular motions. Do 10 repetitions.
- VISUAL SCREENING – Take a break, sit back and observe the room you are in. begin to outline every single thing in the room. Do this for 1-2 minutes and then start working again.
- FOCUSING – Take a visual break! Look few feet away for a few seconds before returning to that spreadsheet.
- GLANCING – Close your eyes, glance upwards, and after a few seconds, glance downwards. Open your eyes. Repeat the same 10 times.
- FOCUSING EXERCISE – Improve eye flexibility. Start with 2 deep breaths. Sit with feet shoulder-width apart. Breathe normally throughout the exercise. For example, hold your thumb 6 inches away from the eyes, directly in front of the nose. Gaze at the thumb and take a deep breath, then focus on a distant object at least 10 feet away and take a deep breath. Change focus with every breath. Do 8 repetitions.
- FIGURE OF 8 – Increase eye flexibility. Take 2 deep breaths. Sit with feet shoulder-width apart with hands-on sides. Imagine a figure of 8 lying horizontally at about a 10-feet distance (just like the sign of infinity). Trace that figure, first in clockwise and then anticlockwise direction. Continue taking deep breaths with each round and blink whenever required. Do 10 repetitions.
By taking a bit of care and by following some simple tips, you can save your vision. Work is important, but if you take care of it today, you will cherish this world's beauty longer tomorrow.
