Blurry vision? Your Smartphone Could Be Ruining Your Eyes! Here are 10 ways to treat it

Upwards of 90 percent of computer and device users experience a problem so common there’s a name for it: computer vision syndrome (CVS). CVS comes with symptoms such as decreased or blurred vision, burning or stinging eyes, sensitivity to light, headaches, and back and neck pain.

However, the increased interaction with digital screens has resulted in Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), a condition that damages the eyesight and leads to vision-related problems. Some of the symptoms of this disorder are blurred vision, tired eyes, headaches, neck pain and dry eyes.

Here are 10 ways to combat the disorder and embrace technology safely:

1. Be cautious of your screen time: Reduce digital eye strain by making use of your screen time wisely. Keep away your smartphones and tablets before bedtime rather than staring at them in the dark. Try and make use of digital screens mostly for work-related purposes. Cut down on the usage of these gadgets to overcome boredom.

3. Exercise your eyes frequently: To avoid eye problems, practice a few simple eye exercises like eye rolling, repeated blinking and focusing on a distant object to give some respite to your strained eyes. One of the most common eye exercises is to roll your eyes clockwise and ten repeating the same action in an anti-clockwise motion. This eye exercise is not restricted only to cure eye floaters. Any time you feel that your eyes are hurting, either due to having long working hours in front of a computer or for watching the television for long, you can perform this eye exercise to relieve some amount of stress from your eyes.

4. Use appropriate glasses: There are computer glasses specifically designed to reduce eye strain, headaches, eye fatigue, and eye soreness. Wear them regularly if you’re constantly glued to the digital screens. These eyeglasses are able to filter out blue light emitted from computers, smartphones and tablets.

5. Adjust your screen settings: Adjusting your smartphone or desktop text contrast and size also provides a little much-needed relief. It makes it easier to read web content, email messages, calendar appointments and everything else on your phone.

6. Ensure there is good lighting: Good lighting is essential at the workplace to avoid visual strain. It is also important to take measures to prevent glare, shadow and reflection caused by external sources of light, as these can contribute to eye strain. Keep bright lighting overhead to a minimum, use blinds to prevent glare, or get a glare screen. Position the computer screen in such a way that it reduces reflections from windows or overhead lights.

7. Rearrange your desk: If you are using a desktop at work/home, ensure that the monitor is slightly below eye level and about 20 to 28 inches away from your face. Ensure that you do not have to stretch your neck or strain your eyes to look at the screen.

8. Get a comprehensive eye test done: If you’re witnessing recurrent headaches, watery eyes and blurred vision, then it is time for you to get a comprehensive eye examination done. Do not forget to inform your ophthalmologist about the duration of computer use at office and at home.

9. Look for alternatives: People did communicate with each other before the discovery of social media and other networking apps. So, pick up that phone and dial the person you want to talk to.

10. Host ‘walk and talk’ meetings: Unlike traditional meetings, where a projector is set up and attendees are seen sitting around a table or desk with their laptops, ‘walk and talk’ meetings can help people to brainstorm in a better way. Further, it will also cut down on their use of digital devices and help professionals walk together and generate a lot of ideas.