BLINK MORE TO REDUCE EYE STRAIN

TOI, 27th July 2013

 Invariably, almost all of us — whether officegoers, students or even homemakers — usually spend most of our waking time in front of the computer, without knowing how it could affect our eyes. This can lead to eye strain, dark circles, puffy and tired eyes, and headaches. Dr Keiki Mehta, ophthalmic surgeon, says, “We tend to feel physical and visual discomfort, just after a few hours of being in front of the computer. That starts off as tiredness and leads to eye muscle stress, headaches, burning sensations, blurred vision, loss of focus, double vision, watering eyes and neck and shoulder pain. Take preventive measures before it is too late.”

 Eye surgeon Dr Himanshu Mehta explains, “With increased use of computers in air-conditioned rooms at a stretch, when you are concentrating on writing, or even when kids are playing computer games, you blink less. Normally, blinking three to four times a minute is necessary. When you don’t blink properly, the tear film, which allows us to see clearly, gets affected. Because of that, your vision gets fuzzy and you experience itching, burning, red eyes, fatigue and heaviness of eyes.” 

TIPS TO REDUCE EYE STRAIN
    Adjust your chair level to an appropriate height as per your computer. The contrast between the background and on-screen characters should be high.
    Minimize glare. Use window shades or blinds to block excessive sunlight and install an antiglare screen on our computer monitor.
    Blink often, as tears evaporate rapidly during non-blinking phases and cause dry eyes.
    Re-focus your eyes by looking away from the computer screen for five to 10 seconds. Focus on a distant object and look at the computer again.