Dubai: Do your eyes feel dry, tired, look red and suffer from double vision after a long day at the office, staring at a computer screen for hours?
You need to take frequent breaks away from the screen and blink your eyes more often, say eye doctors.
“Technology is part of our world now. What we need to do is to minimise its side effects,” said Dr Anupama Rao, consultant ophthalmologist and refractive surgeon at Mediclinic City Hospital.
She said many people today suffer from what is known as Computer Vision Syndrome, and that it not only affects the eyes but can also result in bodyache and pain if one stares at a screen for long and if the posture is wrong.
“Follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look away at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds,” she said.
The eye doctor said that studies show that sitting close to the computer screen or looking at hand-held games for long may lead to near-sightedness or myopia, where distant objects seem blurred while nearby objects are clearer.
Not every one will become myopic, but everyone will suffer from eye strain.
Dr Rao said it is estimated that more people have become myopic over the past 20 years and that one factor could be the lifestyle; spending time more indoors and the continuous staring at screens.
She said China is now making sure that children do not hold books very close to their eyes while reading as a large number of children (more than 40 per cent) suffer from near-sightedness.
The doctor said new technology that reduces screen flicker or glare is better for the eyes. She was speaking to the media during the launch of flicker-free computer screens that use a low blue light technology.
Dr Rao said blue light causes the most damage to the eyes and anti-glare screens help cut down the damage.
With summer around the corner, a specialist also suggests that people wear sunglasses to cut out the harsh ultra-violet light hitting the eyes.
But he warned that fake sunglasses may do more harm.
“When you wear dark glasses, your pupils dilate and, if the sunglasses are not of a good quality, the ultra-violet light will hit the retina, the back of the eye,” said Dr Prashant Bhatia, specialist ophthalmologist and medical director of The Eye Pavilion, Vista Healthcare Clinic.
He said with the upcoming summer and heat, people will suffer from eye allergies and dry eyes.
“The heat will dry up the tears faster,” he said and advised using artificial tears available over-the-counter in pharmacies.
