With the advent of certain technologies over the last few decades, more and more time is spent looking at screens. Whether it’s using a computer or tablet screen at work or looking down at one’s cell phone, eye strain is a major impact of excessive screen time. Between work and home, the average person spends roughly twelve hours a day looking at screens. While the advent of the internet, laptops, tablets, and smartphones has had major benefits, the downfall is the impact of screen time. While you may not be able to change your work environment in terms of reducing eyestrain, creating an eye-friendly home can be beneficial for your vision and reduce the impact of eye issues later on. Looking to avoid eye strain? Visit your eye doctor in Orange County, Dr. Ghosheh today for an exam!
Below you will find some helpful ideas for how to design an eye-friendly home.
Avoiding Eye Strain at Home
1. Lighting
A great place to start that’s low cost with a high impact is your home lighting. The more lighting the better but be sure it’s uniform throughout your home. One of the issues with lighting is the contrast from room to room. If your eyes do not have to adjust as much that can help with eye strain. Additionally, when you are doing tasks like reading, writing, or crafts, you’ll want to have lighting that’s directly above you (either a lamp or ceiling light) so that you don’t have to strain your eyes. The best light bulbs for healthy eyes include traditional incandescent bulbs, LED bulbs, and halogen bulbs. Natural light is also great so if it’s daytime and the sun is out, take advantage of the natural light.
2. Bedroom Color
With all of the screen time people experience during the day, a good night’s rest is necessary for one’s eyes. If reducing eyestrain during the day is not an option, getting optimal sleep is helpful. Research shows that having a bedroom that is blue is best for sleep. In addition, muted colors, pastel colors, and neutrals are easier on your eyes during your waking hours than brighter, bolder colors.
3. Bias Lighting
This is a light that is placed behind a television or computer monitor to provide the ambient light around the screen without shining directly into the viewer’s eyes. The bias light increases the general luminance in the room without creating problems that arise from just flipping all of the lights on. Bias lighting is fairly inexpensive, and the benefits are truly helpful for eye strain.
4. Screen Time Settings
If you spend a lot of time on your phone or other electronics, set a screen time max for when you are not at work. If you aren’t ready to minimize your time, at least check your phone’s screen time usage in your phone’s settings. Even if you aren’t ready to restrict yourself, at least being aware of how much time and what you are doing on your phone on a daily basis can help you stay informed of your usage. Hopefully, this will have an impact and reduce your daily screen time.
5. 20-20-20 Rule
Again, work can be hectic and the ability to change your environment there may not be as feasible depending on your career. However, when you are at home be sure to follow the 20-20-20 rule. If you are using screens at home, set a timer for 20 minutes. Every twenty minutes you should look up and out twenty feet away for twenty seconds. If this seems like too much math, you can download a mobile app (Protect Your Vision) that will help you follow this rule.
Ophthalmologists in Orange County
In addition to these tips, be sure and get your regular eye checkups to monitor your vision and get tips from a professional on any issues you are having due to excessive screen time. Dr. Ghosheh at Advanced Eye Medical is one of the top ophthalmologists in Southern California. Depending on what your needs are, our clinic provides a wide variety of services. Some of the services include cataract surgery, iLasik surgery, and eyelid and cosmetic surgery. Dr. Ghosheh and his team of experts have been serving the Orange County area for decades. Dr. Ghosheh is focused on providing patients with the most cutting-edge eye care to ensure their unique needs are met.