4 Steps to Avoid Digital Eye Strain during COVID-19

COVID-19 has changed the world for permanent! Almost everyone’s life including school going kids across the globe has been impacted by one way or another. Most of us are forced to work from home and left glued to our computer screens. And remember this is in addition to our addiction to smart phone and TV, the other two culprits. Any guesses who is bearing the brunt of all this the most? OUR EYES!

This excessive viewing of the digital screens can lead to problems like eye fatigue, watery or dry eyes, headaches, blurred vision, dark circles, sunken eyes and also often ignored neck and shoulder strain. The regular strain to your eyes can lead to an enlargement in the blood vessels around your eyes, thereby causing dark circles, crow’s feet and fine lines.

Eye irritation is another issue that occurs because we miss blinking our eyes when our eyes are glued to the screens. Blinking is a necessary physiological activity that helps maintain health and comfort for the eyes. Reduced eye blinking causes the dryness of eyes aggravating other eyes issues.

Well, we all have read so much about eyes being window to one’s health & soul and we should take utmost care of them. But we only get into the action mode when we start facing sight issues or spot the signs of ageing underneath our eyes. Then why not we take some precautionary measures before it’s too late to reverse the effects of this constant torture of our eyes. This has become more important during this COVID-19 pandemic that has thrown our lives out of gear. Some of the very easy steps are listed below that can provide you amazing results without doing much effort:

1. Cut down unnecessary screen time

Yes, get away from those blue screens as much as you can! Try to cut down the ‘unnecessary’ time in front of screens and more time outdoors. You can make a fun game for your kids to remain without a screen for a fixed period. Say as rule, no phone on dinner tables. Try living without unnecessary web surfing/ social networking. You can also use some free apps as Qustodio that provides monitoring as well as parental control.

2. Distance and brightness level are critical

Remember how much our elders tell us to avoid mobile phones during bedtime but we focused on the screen in the pitch dark. Such a habit is really damaging in the long run. It may lead to temporary eyesight impairment which may last from a few minutes to about 15 minutes. To avoid this, use your smart phone is dimly lighted room, using night mode and also at a proper angle from your eyes. You can also invest in a curved screen guard. Recommended brightness level for all screens including computer, laptop, and smart phones is “half the brightness of a classroom”.

Study has confirmed ‘Visual fatigue’ to happen when a smart phone was placed at a distance of 40 cm from the eyes for 1 hour or more duration. Also, it has been scientifically proven that high frequency of mobile use can be a risk factor for developing sleep cycle disturbance. Try to keep your mobile at a comfortable distance from your eyes.

3. Take a break from screen – it’s more important during COVID-19

Whether working from home or in office, it is important that you take intermittent rest to prevent the occurrence of visual fatigue. Usually, it’s a 20 minute rule – never stare at screen more than 20 minutes and stand up from your chair every 20 minutes! This not only saves your eyes but also helps avoid lots of back and neck related issues.

4. Keep under eye skin hydrated to avoid dark circles & crow’s feet

Regular strain to your eyes can lead to an enlargement in the blood vessels around your eyes, thereby causing dark circles, crow’s feet and fine lines under your eyes. It is important that you keep your under eye skin hydrated. I would recommend investing in a good natural product such as Refresh Botanicals Natural Eye Serum that not only prevents occurrence of fine lines or dark circles but also helps reverse any existing signs of aging and fatigue under your eyes. It comes with amazing eight bioactives with no synthetic chemicals whatsoever. It becomes more exciting when you get $20 straight off & shipping free using coupon code EYE20 on your 1st order during checkout!!

Also, do remember that serums are always quick to act leaving no residues as compared to the creams. You can read
more about the difference between eye serums and eye creams here.