Eye strain, computers and digital devices. How to protect your eye health?

Author: Zuzana Kocáková

Lifestyle

8 reading minutes

Computer eye strain, eye pain, redness or itching are common symptoms of tired eyes when working with a computer. How to keep your eyesight healthy when working sedentary and at the risk of digital fatigue? Just follow a few tips for eye health.

Staring at a monitor all day can be exhausting, not only for our minds, but also for our eyesight. When working in the office, many people experience eye strain, redness or tearing. These symptoms can lead to a worsening of the quality of vision, but also to other health problems such as migraines. Find here some tips on how to prevent tired eyes and maintain good eyesight for as long as possible.

Work that requires long hours in front of device screens often causes blurred vision, a lighting difficulty known as computer eye strain syndrome, which is referred to as CVS – Computer Vision Syndrome. Several other factors contribute to it, but there are also ways that can eliminate it.

It all starts with healthy lifestyle

The eyes are part of the body and their quality is influenced by many factors. The health of our eyes and eyesight is influenced by diet, hygiene, but also by bad habits such as smoking. This can cause cataract, damage to the optic nerve or, in some cases, complete blindness. It is therefore recommended to stop smoking completely. Carrots, fish, leafy vegetable, berries, citrus fruits, nuts, beans and egg yolks should be our preference. They contain nutrients that benefit the eyes. But here too, everything in moderation. We should not forget about good hygiene, especially if we wear contact lenses or if we often touch our eyes with our hands. Cosmetics that irritate the eyes and are not suitable for them should be avoided.

Eye protection should not be underestimated

Sight is one of the senses that we use to perceive about 80% of the information about the world, and we should therefore protect it properly. To mitigate the effects of blue radiation from digital screens and devices, also called digital eye strain, it is advisable to get glasses (even without any diopters) with a filter to block blue radiation. Blue light itself is not necessarily evil, but it does tend to create eye fatigue and strain when in contact with a screen for long periods of time. High-quality sunglasses with UV protection should not be underestimated either. An exception are not even ski goggles, because the eyesight is much more strained in the white, snowy environment. Special glasses also exist for driving. If we use contact lenses, we should definitely take care of them by replacing them regularly. You can thus avoid various infections and deterioration.

Regular breaks and proper sitting

TV, monitor, tablet and smartphone. We use all these on a daily basis and it affects our eyesight and our eye health. However, if you work on a computer, you probably can’t avoid regular contact with the screen. A good habit is therefore to take a regular break from these devices. These should be at least 4 per day and last at least 5 minutes. Don’t forget to reduce the brightness and contrast of the screen, or use the eye-saving mode. Proper sitting in front of the screen is also important. Make sure you sit at least 80 cm away from the monitor.

The screen should be positioned slightly lower than your eyes, the inclination of the screen should be the same as the viewing angle. This will not only help your eyesight, but also your spine and neck. When working with a computer, pay attention to your body posture. The right way of sitting will reduce your susceptibility to both back pain and carpal tunnel syndrome. Don’t forget a suitable light source in the room. No harsh light should enter your eyes. It is therefore better to position your desk in a way when your eyes are not strained.

Preventive health check-ups are important

If you wear glasses or contact lenses, it’s important to see your ophthalmologist regularly to see if your vision is getting worse. You should have your vision checked once in a while, even if you don’t have a problem with your eyes but you often work with a computer. The sooner you know a potential problem, the better. That is why msg life Slovakia offers its employees the opportunity to take advantage of a free eye examination as part of Health Awareness Month. Before visiting the doctor, we should also inquire with the family about hereditary diseases, not only eye diseases. For example, diabetes can affect the quality of eye health. If possible, we should prefer glasses to lenses. Eyes stressed by the monitor should be moistened regularly with drops and remember to blink.

Eye gymnastics

Just like our body, our eyes need regular exercise. This will prevent short-sightedness or longsightedness. Just set aside time every day for so-called eye yoga or eye gymnastics. The short exercise consists of three phases. Every twenty minutes, we look at an object about six metres away for twenty seconds. This distance is ideal for the eyes not to strain or focus unnecessarily, and to relax. It doesn’t take much time, but the effect is visible after just a few exercises. Playing tennis is also a good exercise. Concentrating on the ball, which is constantly moving away and closer, practices our focus.

Eye damage can be caused not only by looking at a monitor, but also, for example, by long-term reading of books in poor light. We often strain our eyes by focusing only on one central point just in front of us. This can also lead to a deterioration of peripheral vision. Even with the eyes, if we don’t use certain muscles, they will weaken and lose their functionality over time. Taking breaks from the monitor, having an eye examination and exercising your eyes are therefore the best ways to keep your eyesight healthy for as long as possible.

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Eye strain, computers and digital devices. How to protect your eye health?

Zuzana Kocáková

At msg life Slovakia I take care of the company culture, events and I am part of the marketing team. I like a job where I can be creative and contribute to making my colleagues at msg feel good. I regularly prepare for you not only news and interesting things from the world of information technology and insurance, but also from behind the scenes events at msg life Slovakia.