For some jobs, we have to look at computer screens all day. As business owners, we’re probably looking at them for even longer than the average person. So, it’s certainly possible that eye vision is getting hurt as a result.
What is Computer Vision Syndrome
Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is a common condition that can occur due to prolonged use of computers or digital devices. A range of eye problems can surface, such as:
- Dryness
- Itchiness
- Redness of the eyes
- Blurred vision
- Headaches
- Backaches, neck, and shoulder pain in extreme cases
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As technology becomes more integrated into our daily lives, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks to our eye health and take necessary precautions to prevent and alleviate the effects of CVS.
The Well Known 20/20/20 Rule
Don’t worry if you don’t know this rule yet, you’re about to know. Human eyes were not designed to stare at something all day, especially a digital screen.
After looking at a screen for 20 minutes, take a 20-second break by looking at something 20 feet away. The longer you look away from your screen, the better.
Eye Exercises
The eyes have six different muscles. Just like our other muscles in the body, our eyes also need help relaxing and reducing tension.
Rolling Your Eyes
Other than the sassy benefit rolling your eyes can give, itcan also stretch the eye muscles as well with back-and-forth motions.
Flexing Your Eyes
This is similar to rolling. Flexing the eyes consists of rapid eye movements up and down, then left and right. Try each motion 10 times.
Remember to just move your eyeballs, not your entire head!
Palming
For 2 minutes, gently cup your palms onto your eyes. Open and close your eyes freely, staring and blinking into the darkness to help reset your vision.
Blink Slowly
Stare straight ahead (not into a screen!) and close your eyes for a second each then reopen them. Repeat 20 times to refresh the eyes and reduce dryness.
Reduce Blue Light
Try using blue light glasses to reduce glare and protect against harmful light. Glasses are mostly ideal for long-term screen usage.
About an hour before bed, reduce blue light at night. This would greatly help in the evenings. Also try changing the settings on your phone or other devices to turn into night mode, which also reduces blue light.
Get a Good Night Sleep
Sometimes it feels like sleep can fix almost everything. When you're sick, feeling fatigued, feeling down, and this is also true for your eyes.
As mentioned previously, try not to look at your phone or watch TV prior to bed. Create a night shower routine, read a book, meditate, stretch, or some other form of self-care before bed to unwind and avoid blue light.
Keep the room cool and comfortable, exercise regularly, and limit alcohol and caffeine close to bedtime to ensure a restful slumber.
Creating a habit of waking up and going to bed at the same time daily will help your body’s natural circadian rhythm.
