I’m not talking about the pharmacy. I’m talking about Computer Vision Syndrome. CVS is exactly what it sounds like: vision problems that arise from spending too much time looking at screens.
We spend most of our days looking at screens. Even when we aren’t at work, we’re looking at our tablets or smart phones. We’re watching TV on flat panel televisions with refresh rates similar (sometimes identical) to those of computer monitors. This can lead to problems like teary eyes, itchy eyes, red eyes, blurred or double vision, headaches, neck aches and more.
It’s a problem that has been getting more and more press lately as screens slowly but surely replace all of the things we used to look at. The days of losing our vision to something as simple as “age” are long gone, folks. Now our everyday life is degrading our ability to see. But! There are some things that you can do to slow the process. Check it out:
Get Plenty of Sleep
We’ve written about this before. If you want to preserve your vision you need to make sure you’re getting at least six hours. But this doesn’t mean sleep a total of six hours whenever you can. This six hours needs to happen in a single, uninterrupted block and it should happen at night. Vision protection isn’t the only reason to get all that sleep. There are lots of ways that getting sleep will help you improve your physical and mental health.
Reduce Glare
There are a couple of different types of glare. The kind of glare that comes from light surrounding you physically and getting into your peripheral vision and the kind that happens when light shines directly on your screen, reducing its contrast and bouncing into your eyes. There are a lot of things that you can do to reduce this glare, like wearing a visor or—if you wear glasses—asking your optician to put an anti-glare coating on your glasses.
Naturopathic Remedies
There are all sorts of natural remedies you can try to protect your vision and reduce the effects of CVS. As you know, I’m all about the natural and healthy. So, obviously I’m going to promote natural eye health and vision remedies to help people with infections, ocular migraines, cataracts, glaucoma and other conditions.
Eat Natural Foods
On this site we promote a vegan and organic lifestyle. This means loading up on green and leafy veggies like spinach and kale (it really is a super food), nuts and beans (for protein) and citrus fruits. You want to load up on protein, Vitamins C and E and Omega-3s.
Manage Your Weight
People who are overweight or obese are more likely to suffer from vision problems. Why? Because, typically, obesity restricts blood vessels, which in turn, restricts blood flow to your eyes. Keeping yourself at a healthy weight reduces your risk of vision problems as well as cardiovascular issues, diabetes, etc.
Blink Regularly
People naturally blink a lot. When you’re not looking at a screen, it’s common to blink as many as eighteen times in a minute. When you’re looking at a screen, though, the refresh rate reduces your brain’s need to blink and that, in turn, dries out your eyes which leads to other problems.
Don’t Sit So Close!
It’s the same rule you had with the TV as a kid. Even when you’re using an e-reader, you don’t want the screen to get any closer to your face than you’d hold a newspaper or book. This allows your eyes to focus normally instead of squinting to bring the fonts into focus.
What are some of the things you’ve been doing to keep your eyes as healthy as possible and reduce your risk of CVS?
