Apart from being slightly addicted to my smartphone, being a writer in the 21st century means spending a ridiculous amount of hours in front of various electronic devices such as laptops, desktops, and tablets etc. none of which are doing my eyes any good. You may have also noticed that extended time glued to these devices have often cause irritability, itchiness and dryness of the eyes, blurred vision and headaches.
Now we would be lying if we said we were going to put ourselves on a “digital diet” but there are ways to minimise the strain we put on our eyes. Try to incorporate the following simple 7 tips into your daily routine to give your eyes a break from your smartphone marathon sessions.
Blink, blink and blink some more. The slower the better. Blinking keeps your eyes moist and reduces dryness and irritation. Less blurred vision is on the cards as blinking helps your eyes to refocus too.
Not all smartphones come equipped with anti-glare or a matte screen protector, but they can easily be found at most electronic stores. These protectors will help your eyes cope with the constant reflective glare from your devices.
A good rule to live by is the favoured 20 – 20 – 20 rule. The idea is to look away from your screen every 20 minutes for 20 seconds and to focus at an object 20 meters away.
A screen that is too bright or too dark can make it somewhat difficult to focus. To adjust the brightness of the screen, simply head over to the settings on your smartphone and adjust the brightness to your liking in seconds.
There is no need to squint when looking at your screen. Adjusting the text size and contrast will allow your eyes to focus without having to strain them.
Using a dry clean cloth, wipe the screen as often as you can removing distracting dust, grime, smudges and fingerprints.
It may feel a little odd at first but try to keep your screen between 16 and 18 inches from your face. This will put your eyes under less strain and give them a bit of a break.
