If you’re one of the many people who have been forced to work remotely, then your work life probably revolves completely around your laptop. While you might have gotten used to it by now and Zoom meetings are just another aspect of your current reality, then it’s important to remember that excessive screen time can harm your eyes. You should take particular care if you’ve noticed that your eyes have been drier and felt increasingly strained. While you can get eye-drop recommendations from your local drugstore or doctor’s, you must think ahead. To prevent any continuous damage to your eyesight, it’s important to take adequate measures.
Change The Set Up
Depending on your home office, you might be working with several desktops. If this is the case, adding some distance between yourself and the desktop shouldn’t be too difficult and is definitely recommended. If you’re working with a laptop, then do try to place it further away from yourself to avoid over-exhaustion. It might also be worth thinking about investing in a better remote work set-up. While an initial expense, taking preventative measures now can save you money in the long run.
Adjust The Settings
Moreover, changing the lighting and brightness on your screen can give your eyes some well-deserved rest. Blue light is particularly important when considering the health impacts of increased screen time. Besides straining your eyes, it poses further health implications. Blue wavelengths are understood to promote activity and enhance sensations of wakefulness. However, at the same time, they are associated with disturbed sleep and a higher risk of developing chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Apps, such as f.lux for Microsoft or Night Shift for Apple, can track and adjust your blue light emission.
Protective Gear
In addition to changing settings and placing the screen further away from yourself, using blue light filtering glasses can make it easier for your eyes to stand long screen time hours. If you’re already wearing glasses, then choosing the right lens coating can do the trick. Your local experts can support you on that quest. To understand the various coatings, a professional eye care clinic can offer you an easy overview. In the case that you’ve got normal vision, thinking about glasses for the sole purpose of filtering blue light is an option. While it might take some time to get used to glasses, if you’re otherwise not accustomed to them, your eyes will thank you in the years to come.
Time Your Screen Time
Another important measure is timing your screen time. Taking regular small breaks and doing easy eye exercises in between, such as focusing on a distant object, can relax your eyes a bit. Think about it as stretching after an excessive workout. While you might not feel that it’s necessary, your future self will be grateful if your body will feel less sore.
Take It Seriously
Don’t downplay the risk of overexposure to screens. Once you’re confronted with severe damage, fixing it is a lot more difficult. While you might not be in a position where you can avoid long hours in front of your screen altogether, it just makes it even more important for you to look after yourself and your eyes.
