Does Looking at Screens Damage the Eyes?
As technology has advanced, more and more people spend large amounts of time on screens. In fact, more than 83 percent of Americans use their screens at least 2 hours a day. This has led many to worry that an excessive amount of screen time is damaging to the eyes. Too much screen time does have mild to dangerous consequences, but they vary from person to person. The accompanying consequences resulting from too much screen time is known as “computer vision syndrome”, but this syndrome can be caused by any screen type.
An excess amount of screen time may cause mild physical pain in the eyes. This may include dry and itchy eyes as well as fatigued eyes. Though not permanent, these effects of screen time are uncomfortable and irritating. Simultaneously, these symptoms may contribute to headaches as well as blurred vision. This problem can be solved through the use of artificial eye drops. However, the light emitted by screens may have a more damaging consequence on the eyes.
Large amounts of screen time may also cause more permanent forms of damage. Research has found that blue light from screens can cause retinal damage. Because the retina is the tissue in the back of the eye that helps send images to the brain, retinal damage can have serious consequences in one’s day to day life. The retina is necessary for the sharp and clear vision necessary for tasks like reading and driving, which makes it important for retinal damage to be minimized. The eye itself cannot prevent blue light from reaching the retina, but some may consider using blue light filtering glasses in order to minimize the amount of blue light reaching the retina. The use of it may prevent permanent damage to vision.
The consequences of viewing screens make it apparent that daily screen time needs to be reduced as much as possible. However, with the digitization of the world, this is not easy. Damage from screen time can better be minimized by controlling the environment in which one is using their screen, such as by reducing the brightness of screens to minimize the glares on the screen and by cleaning the screen regularly. Above all else, it is important to check one’s vision and make sure that one is wearing contacts or glasses if necessary.
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