4 Ways To Protect Your Eyes From Screens As A Blogger

Hello, fellow conspiracy-theorists. (What do you mean you don’t believe in conspiracy theories? The truth is out there, Scully. Or is that to Mulder? Look, I don’t actually watch these pop culture things, I just re-reference them.) Today, we’re going to be talking about ways to protect your eyes from screens.

I’m not someone that spends too much time obsessing over their health; arguably, I should be because there are some definite things that I need to get sorted out like the adominal pain I’ve had for literally 5 years now.

That said, while I’m not all about thinking every cough is lung cancer and every headache is a tumour, I do care about my health and I make an effort to take preventative measures.

One of the most important things to me? My eyes. Mainly because we live in a world that is not kind to the wee globes in our skulls – and we get one set to last us a lifetime. Seriously, take a think about how important our vision is. Imagine losing that. You’d literally lose the main way we experience the world. Not really a fan of that idea.

With the rise of technology, we spend a lot of time looking at screens. Especially as bloggers! I personally work on a computer all day then blog when I’m at home. Not great for the eyes is it? I know that a lot of people are in a similar boat to me – especially when you factor in mobile phones, tablets, TV, video games and whatever else. So I decided that, if I’m making an extra effort to protect my eyes from harm so I can still kick ass as a little 90 year old, I should share my top tips with you.

1. Blink (182. Sorry, I had an emo flashback there.)

Did you know that we should naturally blink around 20 times in a minute? That number sounds kind of high, right? Probably because we’re all so used to staring mindlessly into the glare of our computer screens for hours at a time like mindless zombies. As bloggers, think about how many screens you’re gazing into – checking up on social media throughout the day, quickly responding to comments, writing content. Not to mention the personal use! The issue with that?

Looking at a computer screen tricks our bodies into forgetting to blink.

Why is this bad? Well, blinking helps to maintain a layer of moisture over our eyeballs which help keep them lubricated and healthy. If we don’t blink as often as we’re meant to (and we’re staring into a bright screen) our eyes dry up. The solution to this?

Remind yourself to blink. Blink often. Sometimes blink slowly – like you’re falling asleep. But don’t rely on your body’s natural instincts to tell you to blink – because, when you’re looking into a screen, those urges are suppressed.

2. Blue-Light Blocking Glasses

 I started using these glasses as a way to tackle migraines as opposed to for the long-term eyesight benefits – and I wholeheartedly stand behind them for reducing headaches, and as one of many ways to reduce eye strain when you use computers regularly.

Now, here’s the thing – I’m not going to claim the blue-light is the worst thing in the world for you and hype it up like a lot of articles have been doing (without, may I add, that much scientific backing). So this is a rundown of the situation:

• Screens emit blue light, which has been shown to possibly be the most harmful form of light for our eyes.
• We’re now spending more time than ever looking at screens and exposing ourselves to this light. (Although there’s no evidence that we’re exposing ourselves to unsafe levels.)
• A link between long-term blue light exposure and permanent damage to the eye and resulting diseases has been suggested, but not scientifically confirmed in people.
• Digital eyestrain is massively on the rise (you know that feeling after you’ve been staring a screen for too long and your vision is blurry, your eyes hurt and damn what are those fuzzy colours? Hello, digital eyestrain. And me every day after work.)
• People are concerned about their eyes
• Marketing, capitalism, etc – we now have bluelight glasses.

There’s no scientific evidence to say that the levels of blue light emitted from screens is harmful . . . but there also aren’t any longtime studies and we’re using more technology now than ever before. So I don’t figure there’s any harm in being protected anyways.

Again, though – the whole blue light blocking thing isn’t actually why I find them so useful, I just happened across all this when I was writing an article for work. Why I find them so useful is that the yellow tinted lenses help to dull everything and I find that there’s far less glare in my eyes. Personally, my eyes hurt a shit-ton when they’re constantly bombarded with bright lights (I like my brightness on everything lower than average) and they get tired a lot quicker, so the tint is really refreshing and stops the attack of the bright lights.

Even if blue light glasses don’t stop long-term, blue-light-enduced-issues (which may or may not be real) they still reduce glare (one of the leading causes of eye-strain)  and give your eyes a break from the harshness of computer screens – which is a win in my book. Plus, reducing blue light really does help you sleep – so using them in the evening is a good idea.

3. Looking into the distance (20/20/20 rule)

I admit, this one sounds weird – but hear me out. The 20/20/20 rule is where every twenty minutes you look at something a minimum of 20 yards away for a minimum of 20 seconds.

When you’re look at items close to you (reading distance), the ciliary muscles in the eye contract. When you look into the distance, however, your ciliary muscles relax. One of the reasons our eyes get tired is because they have to work harder to focus on items that are close to us, so looking at things that are further away is a good way to give the muscles a break.

4. Eye drops

If you do work on computers a lot, eye drops are also probably a good idea. As I mentioned in the first point, looking at computer screens all day dries out your eyes and that is one of the leading causes for discomfort. Eye drops are a good way to add moisture to dry eyes.

Plus, they’re super cheap and they make your eyes feel amazing after you use them. I recommend these ones; they’re the ones I use.

Okay, so I apologise for how boring this post was, but consider it a PSA. I just want you little beans to keep your eyes safe and sound so that they work for most of your life – and, as bloggers, most of our work is behind a screen which may be one of the biggest threats to your eye-health.

Do you guys take care of your eyes when you’re using technology? Are there any tips you have that I’ve missed out? Did you find this post useful? And can we please talk about what great photo props dried roses are? Let me know your thoughts down below!

Peace,

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