For many of us, living through a Covid-19 lockdown has meant many of our habits have changed and we’re spending a lot more time staring at a screen than we did before the pandemic.
So this month’s blog is again reinforcing just how important it is to look after our eyes when we’re in front of computers and devices during lockdown and about giving our eyes a rest.
Lockdown and tired eyes
One of the more common questions our optometrists are being asked is about tired eyes, and what we can do to make eyes feeling less strained when we’re looking at computers.
Basically, eyes feel tired when they’re dry; not getting sufficiently lubricated by our tears. If you’re blinking less, the tears have more time to evaporate.
Blink
Every time we blink, it rewets the ocular surface. When we’re on computer screens, staring at one fixed distance, we very often don’t blink enough and therefore don’t rewet the ocular surface as often as we should.
So, the first tip is to remember to blink. At John O’Connor Optometrists, we think it can be a good idea for people to put a sticky note on their screens with ‘BLINK’ as a reminder to do so
Hydrating dry eyes
Staying hydrated also helps with dry eyes. That can be hydrating by remembering to drink as well as hydrating the eyes by using lubricating eye drops. They can make eyes feel a lot more comfortable.
Talk to our optometrists about Optimel Manuka Honey Eyedrops. We also recommend eyedrops such as the Theratears Eye Drops, which replace tears while providing your eye surface with the electrolytes it needs.
Eye drops top up your eyes with extra artificial tears. They don’t have any side effects and are not going to affect the number of tears you produce naturally. They can refresh eyes, relieving the symptoms of dryness and you can’t overdo them.
Take a break
The other thing we try really hard to remind people of is the importance of giving eyes a rest. As we’ve mentioned elsewhere in our blogs, following the 20/20/20 rule is a very good idea.
Basically, every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break, and look at something at about 20 metres in the distance. We think children, in particular, should really walk away from screens for at the very least 10 minutes every hour.
Reduce the glare
Remember, glare is not good for eyes. If light from a window causes glare on your computer screen, try having your computer screen at a slight right angle and make sure the brightness level of your computer is not too high.
Computer glasses
To protect and enhance your vision we sell a variety of eyeglasses for computer work. Computer glasses differ from regular eyeglasses or reading glasses; they put the optimum lens power for viewing your computer screen in the intermediate zone of vision, closer than distance vision, but farther away than reading or near vision. Computer glasses give a clear, wide field of view, reducing the need for excessive focusing effort. The lenses can also incorporate special filters such as the HOYA BlueControl coating and anti-reflection coatings.
Blue control lenses
Wearing blue control glasses while you use your computer, phone or other devices can prevent headaches, disrupted sleep, dry eyes and eye fatigue.
If you spend a lot of time in front of a computer, blue control lenses are a fantastic choice. Blue control glasses greatly eliminate the dangers of overexposure to blue light from digital devices and reduces the likelihood of suffering from macular degeneration later on in life. We offer blue control lenses for computer glasses and for most prescription lenses. The Hoya BlueControl finish neutralises the high energy visible light emitted by LCD and LED screens.
They will help your eyes feel less strained, dry, and irritated after using your digital devices for long periods of time. Ask us if you’d like to know more about the benefits of blue control lenses and if they’re right for you.