Protect your eyes from blue light!

Most

of us look at our cellphones 46 times a day— and spend 10 hours daily ogling the blue light-emitting screens on our computers and tablets. Not only does that disrupt sleep, it can also strain our eyes! In fact, as many as 90% of us have at least one symptom of computer vision syndrome (CVS), such as dry eyes, redness, blurred vision or headache. Fortunately, CVS is 100% treatable— and, better yet, 100% preventable! The keys: ● Fitting in blink breaks The easiest way to ease CVS is to blink more. ”Blinking spreads tears over the front of our eyes to keep them moist,” says Sacramento, California, optometrist Heidi Pham-murphy, O.D. “When we don’t blink enough, our eyes dry out and feel irritated,” Her advice: Pause every 20 minutes to look 20 feet away for 20 seconds— and blink! Shielding your eyes with a supplement Simply taking a daily supplement containing lutein, zeaxanthin and mesozeaxanthin can reduce digital eye strain and eye fatigue almost 30% within three months, a new University of Georgia study suggests. “These nutrients are directly deposited in the retina of our eyes to nourish them,” explains study author James Stringham, Ph. D. One option: Occuguard Blutein by Twinlab ($26.99 for 30 capsules, Vitaminshoppe.com). ● Easing symptoms with flax In a recent study, 85% of folks who took 2,000 mg. daily of flaxseed oil reported fewer CVS symptoms within two weeks. “Flaxseed oil is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help cool inflammation in the eyes that causes dryness and irritation,” says Pham-murphy.

Healing with eye drops The American Journal of Oph

thalmology reports that OTC eye drops containing vitamin A ease dry eye as effectively as more expensive prescription drops. One option: RNA Lubrisine Eye Drops ($12.99, Walmart.com).

Changing your lenses Ask your eye doctor about eyeglass lenses that filter out blue light. “They have little to no tint and minimize blue light exposure throughout the day by improving contrast,” Pham-murphy says. “There are also apps and filters available that decrease the amount of light reflected from the screen.” (Check out Ocushield.com/products.)