Do you spend several hours a day in front of a screen? Don't forget about your eyes!

In recent years, blue light-emitting monitors have become an integral part of both the work and daily lives of large numbers of people in developed and developing countries. This raises questions about whether and to what extent they affect the health of users, especially in the context of visual functioning. These concerns are related to the emission of blue light from the screens of electronic devices, but the side effects of this can be reduced by taking several actions.

Blue light

The screens of electronic devices emit a certain amount of radiation, but the most important cause of eye problems while working at the computer is prolonged staring at the monitor. Fatigue of the organ of vision is caused mainly by staring at the screen for many hours. This results in tensing of the accommodative muscles, which is why the effect of a blurred image may appear when changing the gaze from "near" to "far". An additional factor increasing the discomfort of working with a computer is drying of conjunctivae, which occurs in some people due to lower frequency of blinking and in effect lower moisturization of the eye. This symptom may intensify especially in dry rooms, therefore the humidity in the room should oscillate around 70%.

Proper setting

To make computer work less tiring for the eyes it is very important to take care of the right working conditions. First of all, the monitor screen should be placed at a distance of 50-70cm from your eyes. You should also take care to eliminate unnecessary reflections, such as windows, especially when exposed to sunlight, or too intense lighting. If you spend several hours a day in front of the screen, it is worth investing in anti-glare overlays to regulate the generation of blue light. In addition, there are applications available, which change the color of the screen to shades of yellow, less tiring to our eyesight. It is extremely important to take breaks from looking at the screen for a few minutes in order to relax the accommodative muscles. You should also not forget to blink regularly. If your eyes remain dry, it is worth getting moisturizing eye drops, such as Theloz Duo. Of course, periodic eye examinations are necessary - in the case of contact lens wearers these should take place every six months, in the case of spectacle wearers and adults - once a year.

Eyes yoga

Recently, one can more and more often come across the concept of eye yoga, which is nothing but relaxation exercises for the organ of vision. The very idea of such training was created in the last century by an American ophthalmologist William Bates, who created and promoted vision science. He believed that with proper relaxation exercises you can even correct some eye defects. However, we will focus on the relaxation of the organ of vision in the context of ergonomics of work at a computer.Relaxation exercises should be done 2-3 times a day, and it is very important that the exercises are done systematically every day.The biggest advantage of such "eye training" is that it can be done anywhere, for example during a break of several minutes at work or while riding a bus.

Exercises

It is important to remember that such training may not be sufficient for people with impaired vision, but it is advisable for people with visual disturbances due to eyestrain or stress and can have a positive effect on relaxing the eyes. When exercising, sit comfortably, relax, and if you wear glasses, take them off and put them aside. Do the exercises 2-3 times a day.

Exercise no.1

Close your eyes, try not to wrinkle your forehead. Slowly move your eyes to the right, until you feel the tension - keep them for 5 seconds. Repeat, moving your eyes to the left. Do 5 repetitions for each eye.

Exercise no.2

Take a deep breath and clench your eyelids, trying not to wrinkle your forehead. Hold for 5 seconds, then open and exhale your eyes. Repeat 3 times.

Exercise no.3

Look at an object situated far away, then at an object situated near. Without moving your head, look for objects on the right, left, closer and further away. Do 15 repetitions and then look up, down and to the right several times.

Exercise no.4

Place your index fingers on your eyebrows and gently pull them upward. Try to squint your eyes, but do not close them at the same time trying not to wrinkle your forehead. Hold for 10 seconds and repeat 3 times.

Exercise no.5

Close your eyes and gently massage your upper eyelids with your fingers. Do not use much force, spend 30-60 seconds on the massage.