Is the Digital Age Affecting your Vision?

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Thanks to today's advancement in technology, a recent study showed that an average American spends at least nine hours per day staring at their TV screens, laptops, phones, and tablets. What's even more interesting is that among small kids and adults, screen time is steadily increasing which translates to different effects among different groups. But, should they be worried about their eyes?

More Screen Hours

Following the longer screen hours among these adults, digital eye strain is slowly becoming commonplace. In fact, those aged between 18 and 34 years are experiencing up to 45% higher eye strain than their older colleagues. As expected, continuous staring at the screen will result in more eye strain and will eventually cause headaches. It's the primary reason for constant headache among computer and digital device "addicts" especially those who take up to 15 hours per day on their PCs and other mobile devices.

Also, while working with your screen, it's a rarity to blink, which is likely to result in symptoms of dry eyes. According to many eye doctors, the dry-eye syndrome reduces the quantity, quality as well as drainage of tears, all of which normally serve to reduce the risk of infection.

Blue Light

In addition, according to the American Optometric Association, studies have shown that the blue light (short wavelength light) radiated from most electronic displays could disrupt sleep patterns (i.e. makes you more alert) by reducing melatonin levels. So looking at these devices just before going to sleep is a bad idea.

Further, technology is leading to a complete evolution in the eBook sector, where the brightly-colored books are taking over. Clearly, the digital age is affecting our day-to-day vision. But what if you tweak your computer or tablet's settings to suit your eyes? Are there settings and measures that will minimize the above mentioned effects?

Adjust font size

When you increase your gadget's font sizing, you will be doing yourself a couple of benefits as you will not be straining your eyes as much while reading. Screens and anti-glares can also work magic, reducing eye strain and thereby minimizing the overall risk. Another great but often overlooked secret is that black and white fonts on eBooks are far much better than the colored ones. Always learn to take some time off the screen for a small walk, just to freshen up and minimize screen-time immediately before you go to sleep. Practicing these tricks will lessen the harm associated with the use of digital gadgets in the long run.