Living in the modern age, it’s hard to avoid eye contact with your phone, laptop or tablet most of the day. Relying on our LCD-screened electronics as we do, we don’t often think about the consequences of all that late-night squinting and staring. You can trust the eye doctors here at Integrity Eye Associates when we tell you it’s not ideal for your eyesight!
In the interest of preserving your vision and reducing the symptoms of eye strain induced by computers, here are some steps you can follow to increase your productivity, while you maintain your optimal optical health:
See an Optometrist At least Once a Year
We can’t stress how much you and your eyes benefit from an annual visit to an eye doctor. When we administer an eye vision examination to our patients, we do so looking for signs of computer eye strain. As the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health tells us, everyone who utilizes a computer or laptop should regularly assess the state of their vision.
Brighten Up the Workplace and Interior
Counterintuitive though it may seem at first, too much light can be a problem for your eyes, too. When interior lighting veers on the harsher side, your eyes can suffer before you even realize it. One of your best bets may be eliminating fluorescent lights hanging above you as you work. If you can acquire floor lamps or other forms of indirect illumination, your vision will be safer for it.
Ponder Upgrading Your Monitor or Display
As optical professionals and technological enthusiasts, we cannot emphasize enough that you should replace your own tube-styled, CRT monitors immediately. Relics of the tech age before the smartphone and mobile laptop, cathode ray tubes strain your eyes like no other display still in circulation. In selecting a newer display, you should look for resolutions at or above 720p or 1080p. Your average LCD, LED, and handheld device tends to offer as much these days.
Look Around a Bit During the Workday
Our optometrists here at Integrity Eye Associates could not dispense simpler wisdom, but it is this—look away from your screen now and then. As a general rule, try to do this once every twenty minutes, spending 10-15 seconds focusing, then glimpsing elsewhere. Between that and a healthy amount of work breaks, you’ll keep your eyesight happy and functional 24/7.