Eye Care in the Digital Age

We are just a month away from celebrating one year anniversary of the lockdown imposed in the country due to the Corona virus pandemic. Not just India, every other country had closed it's doors, kept it's citizens within its boundary and asked them to stay at home till the situation gets in control. With schools, colleges, offices and businesses shutdown, initially people had no work to do. The only way to pass the time staying indoors, apart from doing household chores, was to consume content digitally. We all were either playing online games or scrolling through social media or watching movies/web- series. Our screen time went up to 12-16 hours a day. This had a huge impact on our health, especially the eyes and the brain. The constant exposure to the blue rays coming out of screen can harm the eyes. Redness and irritation being the short term effects, it can also lead to headaches, migraine, disturbed sleep cycles and impaired vision in the long run if not controlled. It has been found in some cases, prolonged exposure to screen can effect the functioning of the brain. With work and learning reopening through online mode, eye care is a much bigger concern now. By making small changes in our habits of using mobiles and laptops, we can take care of our eyes. Here are some things we can follow to minimize the strain on our eyes:

1. Keep your device at least 20 cm away from your eyes.
2. Don't continuously stare at the screen for too long, take a little break and blink occasionally.
3. Wash your eyes regularly with cold water.
4. Avoid using devices in the dark. If you are working late or catching up on a late night movie, sit under a table lamp if not the main light.
5. If possible use transparent eye protection glasses. The glass reflects the radiation keeping the eyes safe.

The concept of Work from home, remote work and e-learning becoming more common and many people opting for it, the dynamics of work culture is going to change drastically in the near future. With changing times it is important for us to make changes in our lifestyle to lead a healthy life. Eating clean, exercising and having a good night's sleep is the best way to achieve it. Summary: Most of our time in lockdown was spent in consuming content digitally. Playing games, watching movies, scrolling through social media, that was it. This new digital lifestyle is harming our eyes in the most serious ways. Prolonged exposure to screen bringing cases of eyes problems along with other ailments. With Work from home and e- learning coming into picture, eye care is a much bigger concern now.

By SYED AIMAN RAHIL