Prolonged exposure to screens bad for eyes

Alarming statistics suggest that the average adult spends more than 11 hours staring at a screen in some shape or form every day.

In South Africa, specifically, according to a past article by htxt Africa, screen time per person is just under five hours a day.

This has likely increased dramatically along with advances in smartphone and tablet technologies in the last year.

What is so worrying about the extortionate amount of time people spend looking at screens, says Ruahan Naude, CEO at Dynamic Vision, is the harmful effect it is having on our eyes.

“From working on laptops and computer screens, to checking smartphones for messages and updates throughout the day, to reading and browsing on tablets, followed by a healthy dose of TV or some cellphone games to round off the day, we are all spending most of our days looking at a screen,” he says.

“We are definitely seeing an increasing number of patients suffering with symptoms related to prolonged exposure to these screens. While most of us take great care to wear sunglasses to protect our eyes from ultraviolet (UV) light and blue light in sunlight, very few understand the risks, or take any precaution, against the effects of blue light from screens.”

Naude explains that digital devices and modern lighting, such as LED lights and compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), emit a high level of blue light which is harmful to eyes.

While UV light affects the front of the eye and forms cataracts, blue light causes damage to the back of the eye and increases the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and permanent vision loss.

As the effects of screen time – and the resulting exposure to blue light – have started to take its toll on people’s eyes, the terms Computer Vision

Syndrome, or digital eye strain, have been bandied about more frequently.

“Often, people don’t even link the symptoms or discomfort they are experiencing to the prolonged time they spend staring at screens.”

To avoid digital eye strain, Naude recommends that people keep their screens at least 50cm to 70cm away from their eyes; use an anti-glare screen to prevent glare; avoid excessively bright outdoor or indoor light, and zoom into pages to increase the font size.

Keep exercising your eyes by moving them side to side, up and down and in a circle. Every 20 minutes try to take a break from staring at the screen, blink your eyes 10 times and then focus on something that is some distance away for a few seconds.

“If your eyes are feeling sore and fatigued, and you are battling to focus, get them checked out.”