These Super Easy Habits Prevent Eye Strain

Do your eyes feel strained and dry after using a laptop? Does your vision get a bit blurry sometimes? Dealing with any headaches after screen time? You’re probably experiencing computer eye syndrome, or a milder form of eye strain – a super common problem in the digital age.

All of us are hooked to our screens – whether it’s the phone, laptop or tablet – and our tech-addiction can lead to eye strain, which has significant short- and long-term effects. So you should get a handle on it early on!

Do your eyes feel strained and dry after using a laptop? Does your vision get a bit blurry sometimes? Dealing with any headaches after screen time? You’re probably experiencing computer eye syndrome, or a milder form of eye strain – a super common problem in the digital age.

All of us are hooked to our screens – whether it’s the phone, laptop or tablet – and our tech-addiction can lead to eye strain, which has significant short- and long-term effects. So you should get a handle on it early on!

There are many easy and effective ways to prevent eye strain. By caring for your eyes now, you can reduce your risk of developing major complications as you age. Your eyes will also thank you later!

Why Do Screens Cause Eye Strain?

Too much of anything can be harmful, and the same can be said for excessive screen time. Studies have found that people blink a lot less when they look at screens. Blinking stimulates tear production, so if you don’t blink, your eyes don’t produce sufficient tears. Without tears, your eyes don’t get the moisture they need, and they begin to dry out.

This leads to our eyes feeling dry, scratchy, and strained (1). Another cause of eye strain is overexposure to blue light. In certain quantities, blue light boosts cognitive and memory function, and makes you feel alert. However, sustained overexposure to blue light damages your retinal cells and this leads to vision problems.

Overexposure to blue light also hinders sleep, which affects your overall health. This is why it’s important to learn all the different ways to reduce eye strain.

Tips To Prevent Eye Strain

Changes to your lifestyle can help reduce eye strain. By being kind to your eyes, you can slow down age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – an eye disease that can blur your vision. Here are our top tips to reduce eye strain and prevent the condition from getting worse.

1) Use the 20-20-20 rule

Did you know that humans normally blink around 15 times a minute? Screen use drastically reduces this frequency and strains your eyes. To give your eyes a ‘hydration break’, try this hack – every 20 minutes, look at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This allows your eyes to get rest and regain some missing hydration (2). If you try out some of our other eye exercises, too – we’ve got you covered!

2) Improve the air quality in your space

Improving the quality of air in your home or office environment can help reduce eye strain. Dry air and pollution can make your eyes hurt or feel strained. Air-conditioned rooms too can dry out your eyes. Wearing glasses instead of contacts and keeping yourself well-hydrated can moisturise your eyes.

If the air is dry, install a humidifier that can add moisture to your surroundings. Also, keep your environment free of smoke, as smoke irritates your eyes.

3) Adjust your device

It’s not just your screen time that causes eye strain, it’s also the way you look at the screen. Squinting to read small-sized text strains your eyes. Switch to a device with a larger screen to ease some of this strain. You can also increase your font size!

Additionally, your screen shouldn’t be too close or too far from your face. Aim to position your screen about 64 to 66 centimetres away from your face. Ensure that the screen is at a height that allows you to look straight at the screen (3).

4) Take an eye supplement

Need a quick fix for tired, strained eyes? Check out Setu’s range of eye products. From our Eye: Relief capsules to our Eye: Protect Strips, each product is created keeping your unique requirements in mind. Our eye supplements contain just the right amount of nutrients to support your overall eye health.

Each Eye: Relief capsule contains the award-winning ingredient Lutemax 2020, along with curcumin, and vitamin D3. These powerful components work together to improve tear production, reduce eye strain, and moisturize dry, irritated eyes. The capsules also help filter out blue light and improve overall eye health.

Today, screens are a pivotal part of our work lives – and personal lives! – and that means we can’t avoid screen time entirely. However, with simple lifestyle tweaks, you can reduce eye strain and keep your eyes healthy.

FAQs

1) Can I use eye drops to reduce eye strain?

Eye drops certainly help reduce eye strain. They add additional moisture to the eyes, preventing them from drying out and feeling irritated. However, eye drops offer a short term solution – and will not make your daily strain vanish. To ease your eye troubles, you’ll have to make certain changes, such as mix up your work pattern, make better lifestyle choices, reduce over-exerting your eyes with screentime, and figure out your genetic predisposition.

2) Is eye strain permanent?

The good news is that eye strain caused by screens isn’t permanent. By changing or tweaking the way you engage with digital devices, you can give your eyes some rest and reduce eye strain. Positioning your screen correctly can make a world of a difference in preventing and reducing eye strain. However, if your symptoms persist, pay a visit to an optometrist or ophthalmologist.