Smartphones have spearheaded the revolution in communication. They have made our lives so simple, and staying in touch so easy. Smartphones have replaced cameras, newspapers, calendars, alarm clocks, and diaries. In fact, they even help you remember your medication, and track your diet and fitness activities. It is therefore of note that experts are still more concerned about the potential ill effects of smart phone over use. You also must be aware of the fact that that smartphones may damage your eyes.
How can smartphones damage your eyes?
Looking at a screen
When you look at a handheld screen for a long time, you may develop symptoms like blurred vision, dry eyes and constant headaches. The reasons for this are simple:
1. Because of the prolonged near effort, the muscles responsible for convergence get tired. When they go into spasm, you get a severe headache and eye pain.
2. When staring at a bright screen, you tend to blink less. This means your eyes become dry, and sore.
Straining to read
The handheld screen is portable and fits in the palm of your hands, which also implies that the screen is small. Therefore, you read in a smaller font, which increases the strain on your eyes. In addition, if you are watching a movie, or playing a game, you need to focus more, in order to appreciate finer details. All of this leads to dry eye, fatigue, eye and headaches as well as strain.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of smartphone damage to the eyes include:
Dry and sore eyes
Gritty eyes, “foreign body in the eye”
Headaches and brow aches
Induced myopia, or sudden increase in power of glasses
Blurring of vision
In fact, all the symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome are actually worse in those who use a smartphone instead of a computer.
Other concerns with smartphone overuse
Cancer
Smartphones emit radiofrequency waves. Some scientists believe that smartphones may increase the incidence of certain head and neck tumors like gliomas, meningiomas and acoustic neuromas for this reason.
While the studies in this area have not proven that smartphones can cause cancers and tumors, experts still advise caution. This is especially true for children. This is because children may be more sensitive to RF energy. In addition, a child’s lifetime exposure to smartphones will be greater than that of adults.
Sleep wake disturbances
Cellphones also emit a blue light. This light decreases the production of Melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep. Therefore, use of smartphones at night, especially at bedtime, can actually disturb your sleep cycle.
Anxiety
Prolonged use of smartphones may increase the risk of depression, anxiety and insomnia among teenagers. In fact, spending too much time on the phone may result in stress and anxiety as well.
How can we prevent the damage to the eyes?
If we know that overuse of smartphones may damage our eyes, it’s easier to implement these measures. The steps that must be taken to prevent this damage include:
Stop over use of smartphones
The first thing to do, would be to definitely restrict the time spent with our screen devices. We must consciously try and cut down on the screen time.Remember, all screen devices add up, therefore, you must keep in mind the time you spend with televisions, Play Stations, laptops and phones as well.
Take regular breaks
If you stare at a screen without taking a break, the strain will be much more. Therefore, always remember the 20:20:20 rule. Every twenty minutes, take a break for twenty seconds and close your eyes. Now, look at something at least 20 feet away to help relax your eyes.
Think and Blink
Staring at the screen reduces your blink rate from 15 per minute to less than one third of that value. Blinking is important because it redistributes the tear film and prevents the eyes from drying. Therefore, consciously remember to blink more often. This is called the Think and Blink Principle.
Appropriate contrast, brightness and font size
Try and read black letters on a white background. In addition, make sure you adjust the brightness of the screen so its comfortable. Increase the font size to minimize eye strain.
Ambient light
Make sure you don’t read in the dark, or under your bedcovers for that matter! Make sure the light is so positioned that it doesn’t cause glare on the phone screen.
Use lubricating eye drops
You can ask your pharmacist to suggest preservative free lubricating eye drops. In fact, you can even ask your doctor for a prescription. Since these eye drops are preservative free, you may use them as and when required. If you, however, find yourself reaching for the drops more than three times a day, make sure you see your doctor.
Do eye exercises
Convergence exercises, or pencil push-ups help strengthen the muscles that are responsible for near vision. You can start with these exercises twice a day for five minutes each. After a month or two, you can decrease the frequency to once a day also.
Hold a pen at arm’s length and look at its tip. Thereafter, slowly bring it closer, focusing on the tip. You will notice that the tip becomes blurred, or appears double. Try and focus on the tip till it becomes sharp again. If not, take it backwards till it appears sharp. Take it back to an arm’s length and hold it there for 10 seconds.
Go for your regular eye check-up
You must get an annual eye check up and make sure the power of your eye glasses is up to date. This will help decrease the strain and fatigue from smartphone use.
When to seek help
As always, it’s important to know when your problem requires professional attention. Consult your doctor in case of the following symptoms:
Persistent eye strain and fatigue,
Persistent dryness,
Frequent headaches
Blurred vision
