Picture this: It is March of 2020 and you are quarantined in your home. You are bored and have nothing else to do. Like many, you decide to aimlessly browse amazon and purchase anything that you feel will bring some sort of excitement to your new, at-home lifestyle.
Guilty of that? Well, you are not alone! Since the COVID-19 pandemic shifted daily work to a primarily online platform, individuals are forced to stare at their computer screen for long hours every day. As expected, eyes can become dry, tired, and irritated from staring at a screen for hours on end. So what do individuals do? They go and purchase what they think will reduce this annoyance.
The facts:
Digital screens, such as computers, emit blue light which can strain, dry, or create watery and irritated eyes. Blue light also may alter an individual’s circadian rhythm – the body’s internal clock that tells you when it’s time to sleep or be awake. Annoying right!?
So…how do individuals adjust to the not-so-positive consequences of digital screens in our new-normal everyday life? There is one simple answer…they purchase blue light glasses…the 2020 quarantine trend.
Are blue light glasses worth the hype?
Surprisingly, studies have found that a majority of the eye issues that individuals face are not caused by blue light itself. Instead, they are caused by “digital eye strain”. This is primarily due to an individual’s eyes shifting and focusing on different angles while staring at a screen for a long period of time.
Instead of purchasing blue light glasses, individuals can try these tips to relieve their eye strain:
- Take frequent breaks throughout the day. During a lunch break or between meetings, individuals can try to get some fresh air without looking at their cell phone or computer screen. This can help the eyes and mind relax, taking the focus off of digital technology.
- Purchase Eye Drops. Eye Drops can help keep the eyes lubricated during a long day of online meetings.
- Exercise your eyes. Some eye doctors refer to this as the 20-20-20 rule. It works like this: look away from the computer at least once every 20 minutes and stare at a distant object that is 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This will help to relax the eye muscles and reduce fatigue.
- Make sure that there is adequate space between the computer screen and an individual’s face. On average, a computer screen should be at least 25 inches away from an individual’s face at all times.
- Adjust the device’s settings. Raise the contrast on the computer, make the text larger, or change the brightness to your own personalized preference in order to reduce eye fatigue.
So, the overall message here is to save your money! Practice these eye tips at your own convenience to reduce any form of strain that you may be experiencing. The blue light glasses 2020 quarantine trend may not be worth it after all…
