Modern life is unimaginable without a computer or smartphone, and healthy eyes are becoming an increasingly important aspect of daily life. Many people spend the whole day looking at a screen at work, and rest in the evening in front of the TV or with a book. Therefore, in today’s society, the trend of decreasing quality of vision is positive, more and more people wear glasses or use contact lenses. The reasons for this are: high eye strain, sedentary lifestyle, improper nutrition and poor ecology. As a result, to maintain healthy eyes and quality of vision, it is necessary to follow a few rules.
What causes vision to deteriorate?
Various reasons can affect the deterioration of vision, which together or individually do their job:
- hereditary predisposition;
- systemic diseases, such as diabetes;
- age.
However, this list would not be complete if we did not mention another negative factor that is becoming more and more common. It is an excessive strain on the organ of vision.
Our physiological adaptation to the perception of three-dimensional images requires our eyes to alternately focus on closely placed objects or look into the distance. It is inevitable to overwork the eye muscles when we stare at a monitor or cell phone screen for long periods of time.
Simple exercises for healthy eyes and eye fatigue relief
- Focus alternately on objects far away and near. This trains the muscles that change the curvature of the lens.
- Rotate the eyeballs without turning the head or draw various geometric shapes (circles, squares, lines, zigzags, letters) with the eyes. Eye muscles are strengthened and relaxed.
- Lightly massage the area around the eyes with the pads of your fingers.
- Cover the eyes with pre-warmed palms and sit for a couple of minutes in the dark. The method is called palming.This exercise is recommended as a final step to relieve residual tension and improve color perception.
There are plenty of schemes and types of exercises for improving eyesight developed and described. Try! Choose according to your taste and temperament. The main thing to remember is that the exercises should be performed regularly and with pleasure. You do not need to be too hard.
Rule two: have your vision checked by an ophthalmologist at least once a year.
How to reduce eye strain when reading books
Even ordinary paper books give a great strain on the eyesight if they are not used properly. From an early age, you should train your child to read while sitting down in good lighting. Some rules for reading books can help you save your eyesight:
- The best option is a 75-90 watt incandescent bulb with enough light. Brighter is not necessary because it will strain your eyes. After all, white paper reflects light. For this reason, it is not recommended to read outside on a sunny day.
- It is not recommended to lie down and read. In such a posture, the flow of oxygen to the brain decreases. In addition, the incorrect position of the cervical vertebrae leads to a violation of blood circulation in general. Therefore, reading should only take place in a sitting position. In this position, the feet should stand straight on the floor, and the knees and hips should be bent at an angle of 90 degrees.
- It is recommended to keep a distance of 30 to 45 centimeters from the eyes to the book. Checking this in a sitting position is simple by placing your elbow on the table. The palm of your hand should be close to your eyes. Choose books with a large enough font, so as not to strain your eyes.
- Every 20-30 minutes you should take your eyes away from the book and look away. At least 1-2 minutes of rest will reduce the strain on your eyesight.
How to watch TV properly and keep eyes healthy
TV has become the most common method of recreation. However, it also puts a lot of strain on your eyesight. Not surprisingly, children should not be shown it for more than an hour a day. Some rules are important for both adults and children:
- sitting in front of the screen, not at the side;
- the distance should be at least 2 meters;
- you should not watch TV in the dark;
- eyes should travel all over the screen, do not fix them on one point;
- you should periodically change your posture, get up and give your eyes a rest.
Save your eyesight at the computer
Working at a computer is much more stressful on the eyes than watching TV or reading a book. The blue light from the monitor, brightness, font size and distance from the screen have a negative effect on the eyes. It is not recommended to spend more than six hours in front of a computer, and up to three hours for children. However, there are cases when this is not possible. Thus, with constant computer use, these problems often occur:
- computer visual syndrome leads to the fact that letters are blurred,
- burning, red eyes;
- asthenopia results in tearing in the eyes, lacrimation;
- dry eye syndrome is accompanied by pain, itching, a feeling of sand in the eyes.
To avoid this, you need to know the rules of working at the computer. The most important thing is the distance to the monitor. The screen should be slightly below eye level, located at arm’s length. You need to sit upright, preferably a chair with an anatomical backrest. Do not strain the neck or arms, it disrupts blood circulation.
When you work at a computer for a long period of time, it is extremely important to pause every thirty to forty minutes to relax or look out the window. In addition, you should blink regularly when you are looking at the monitor. This helps you to stay dry. It is recommended to use special glasses or lenses to reduce the harmful radiation from the screen.
Healthy Eyes: Vision Diagnosis and Early Detection
You should have regular computerized vision screenings even if nothing is bothering you, especially if you are at risk for age-related eye disease, have diabetes, or have an inherited predisposition. Some eye diseases are terrible and may not show symptoms, but they can be more devastating nonetheless. Early diagnosis will allow you to get full treatment and prevent complications from developing.
If you notice that your vision is gradually decreasing, be sure to visit your doctor. In this case, you should not rely only on eye exercises and other supportive methods. It is also undesirable to correct your vision on your own by fitting yourself with glasses or contact lenses. It is important to understand the cause of vision deterioration and choose an appropriate treatment strategy. Otherwise, the disease will continue to progress.
