The first week of every new year is packed with the hope of transforming our lives, with ambitious resolutions that often get broken by the end of the first week itself. The reason is wishful thinking because there is no particular plan in place.
However in 2024, I have a practical, achievable, and most importantly essential resolution for you, and that is to keep your eye health in check. To help you achieve this, the team of OnlyMyHealth spoke to Dr Rakhi Agrawal, MS Ophthalmology, Shree Ram Eye Hospital, Shirpur, Mumbai. Here are some practical tips that you can follow this year to make sure that your eyes are as healthy as they can be.
Screen Time And Eye Health
Underscoring the biggest culprit of poor eyesight, Dr Agarwal pointed her finger towards digital screens. “Nowadays watching laptop screens, mobiles, and computer screens is a part of life and for parents, it is challenging to keep gadgets away from children,” she said.
She continued, “Long-term exposure to digital screens makes our eyes uncomfortable. It leads to symptoms like dryness, headache, blurred vision, difficulty focussing, tired eyes, and shoulder and neck pain.”
The contribution of screen time towards damaging our eyes is common knowledge. Beyond our experiences of eye troubles after the long usage of digital screens, scientific research has provided numerous pieces of evidence that corroborate this fact. One such study was published early last year in Environmental Science and Pollution Research International.
As per the study, two hours or more of smartphone usage has more than 37% association with blurred vision, 15% with double vision, 31.3% with headache, and a whopping 51% with eye fatigue. The researchers found that as screen time goes up, so does the percentage of eye dysfunction.
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Habits To Improve Your Eye Health In 2024
“So here are some safety tips which will help you while using digital screens,” said Dr Agarwal as she listed:
- Keep your laptop and computer screens at least 14-25 inches from the screen.
- Keep your back and neck straight while using computers.
- Use Anti Glare Glasses when using computers.
- When using your laptop or phone, don't sit directly in front of the air conditioner. It will make your eyes dry.
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule: After every 20 minutes of screen time, take a break for 20 seconds, and then look at something 20 feet away.
- Keep your brightness at not more than 60-70%.
- Tweak your text size and contrast so you don’t have to strain your eyes too much when using your phone.
- Use Bluetooth speakers when attending lectures so you don’t sit too close to the screen to be able to listen.
Lifestyle Tips For Eye Health
Digital screens may be the biggest contributor to poor vision in today’s modern times. However, your lifestyle beyond your phone usage holds equal weight. Here are a few diet and lifestyle tips suggested by Dr Agarwal that can boost your eye health in 2024:
The Following Foods Should Be Regularly Included In Your Diet
- Pulses especially Moong dal
- Pomegranate
- Aamla
- Black Resin
- Pure Ghee
These Special Yoga Practices Are Essential For The Eyes
- Tratak
- Anulom Vilom pranayam
This year, take the step to protect your eyes. With the advent of digital screens and readily available addictive content, it is unfortunate that we are glossing over our eye health to a reckless extent. Taking the precautions suggested by Dr Agarwal can make sure your vision is protected and the year 2024 is your start towards proactively maintaining healthy eyes.