March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month

Smart phones, laptops, tablets and the other digital devices we use at work and on the go put information at our fingertips. They can also put a strain on our eyes.

7 Ways to Prevent and Relieve Eye Strain

• Adjust your work space – looking down at your workstation can be the ideal position for keeping your eyes comfortable.  Make sure you keep your distance between 20 to 24 inches between your eyes and your computer screen.  Also, the center of your screen should be about 10 to 15 degrees below your eye level.  Adjusting your workstation to these ideal positions will help keep your eyes, back and neck most comfortable.
• Use proper lighting – use curtain, blinds, other window treatments to avoid glare and eye strain.
• Blink more – blinking is healthy and provides your eyes with much needed nutrients and moisture.
• Modify your computer’s display setting – adjust your settings, text size and color temperature to reduce eye strain.
• Take breaks – give your eyes a break from the screen by following the 20/20/20 rule. This will help avoid and relieve digital eye strain. Every 20 minutes, look away from your computer toward something 20 feet away and focus on it for at least 20 seconds.
• Use prescribed specialized eyeglasses that can improve your productivity, comfort and vision.

During Save Your Vision Month, we want to remind you to be alert for symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome: eye strain, dry eyes, headaches, fatigue, blurred vision and loss of focus. 

If you experience any of these signs, schedule an appointment at one of our 2 offices. We can suggest changes in your digital work habits or prescribe specialized eyeglasses.

(909) 596-6756  2443 Foothill LaVerne CA 91750 

(909) 982-0100  1637 Mountain Ave Upland CA 91784

#workplaceeyewellnessmonth www.drboyeroptometrist.com

Should we be concerned about blue light exposure?

 

What is blue light? 

We’ve all found ourselves tired and irritable during the workday. Sitting for long hours staring at our computer screens, can leave us tense, unfocused and sometimes with a pounding headache. Blue light may sound pretty innocent, but without using some kind of blue light blocker, it's actually pretty bad for us.

What we see – the visible spectrum of light – consists of a range of colors, from blue-violet on the lower end to red on the higher end. Light on the lowest end of the visible spectrum has the shortest wavelengths; light on the highest end has the longest wavelengths. Since shorter wavelengths emit more energy, blue light is also known as High Energy Visible (HEV) light. This is what’s filtered out by blue light glasses.

What we see – the visible spectrum of light – consists of a range of colors, from blue-violet on the lower end to red on the higher end.

How are we exposed to HEV or blue light?

We all know the dangers of sun exposure. That glorious bright sunny day that most of us love is the primary culprit in blue light exposure. But even those who would rather stay indoors watching Netflix or playing video games are not safe from blue light because we're also exposed to "unnatural" blue light from our smartphones, TVs, computer screens, and artificial lighting. Although our digital devices emit only a fraction of the HEV light emitted from the sun, the number of hours we spend using our devices can have both an immediate and a cumulative effect on our health.

Should we be concerned about blue light exposure?

The short answer is yes. Blue light is a bit like salt, our bodies need it but our modern diet of processed food has us eating enough to make it harmful. So while exposure to blue light does have some positive benefits, our modern digital world has overexposed us to it. Blue light glasses help reduce harmful overexposure.

Eye Strain 

Medical studies suggest that prolonged exposure to blue light may cause permanent damage to our eyes. We've all experienced digital eye strain from staring at a computer screen for long periods of time. And these days it's even more pronounced, as we spend a significant portion of our workday looking at our smartphones, tablets, computer screens. Even while relaxing, we play video games, read on a tablet, or watch TV. All of these activities expose us to artificial blue light. 

How does blue light cause eye strain?

Our eyes are not built for our modern digital world. The eye's cornea and lens aren't good at filtering HEV light from reaching our retina, the thin layer of light-receiving tissue that lines the back of the eye. Over time, this can cause damage to its light-sensitive cells. As we age, this damage can make us more susceptible to eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts. Young children are even more sensitive to blue light exposure since the lens of their eyes are even more transparent than adults, allowing more HEV light to pass through. 

A scientific explanation is because High Energy Visible (HEV) light has such a short wavelength, it scatters in the eye, reducing contrast and making it difficult to focus. Over time, our eyes begin to feel tired. It can also cause pain in or around the eyes, blurred vision, headache, or sometimes even double vision.

Some helpful tips.

To protect your eyes and maintain a healthy sleep schedule, you should:

•  Expose yourself to natural daylight
• Whenever possible, take frequent breaks from viewing devices
• Protect your eyes in daylight using sunglasses
• Avoid the use of digital devices right before bedtime
• Protect your eyes from excess artificial blue light with blue light blocking computer glasses

Dry eyes

We rely heavily on our eyes every day, yet we often take them for granted. We spend too much time staring at bright screens, going out into the sun without any eye protection, and overtaxing them by close reading and burning the midnight oil during exams.

Yet most of us tend to be unconcerned about our eye health as long as we can see clearly.

Don't wait until you develop blurry vision before paying attention. Start taking care of your eyes with some simple habits:

1. Reduce screen time

Daily use on various screens such as laptops, mobile phones and tablets, can cause eye strain and dry eyes. These devices also emit blue light, which is harmful to your eyes. To reduce your exposure to blue light, make the effort to cut down on your screen time, adjust your screen settings, or invest in special glasses that filter it out.

2. Take a break to reduce eye strain

If you find it difficult to cut down the amount of time you spend looking at screens, make it a point to practise the 20-20-20 rule: take a 20 second break every 20 minutes of screen time to look at something that is 20 feet away.

3. Avoid exposure to UV light

Excessive exposure to UV light from sunlight or other light sources can be damaging to your eyes. Get a good pair of sunglasses that completely blocks both UVA and UVB light, and make it a point to wear them whenever you are outdoors during the day.

4. Avoid rubbing your eyes

Even though it might provide immediate relief or distraction from irritated or itchy eyes, it can exacerbate the problem and further worsen the discomfort. Use some eye drops to soothe eye irritation instead.

5. Get the right kind of nutrition to optimize your eye health

Getting the right nutrition is key to keeping your eyes healthy. Berries are good for this purpose, as they are packed full of antioxidants and contain anthocyanins, which have been found to be beneficial to people with cataracts, and could help to protect the retina from damage caused by ageing and overexposure to light. Berries also contain vitamin C, which may slow down macular degeneration and vision loss.

Call for an appointment to get the latest facts, procedures and supplement information for dry eye at drboyeroptometrist.com

 (909) 596-6756   2443 Foothill LaVerne CA 91750  #drkennethboyerOD #drbrianboyerOD #dryeye