How much Screen Time is too much?

Let’s Pause and Ponder by Amelia

I think I am really fortunate to have a bunch of tall, green trees in front of my house to stare at. It is extremely soothing to the eyes and mind. We always think that watching screen is good – keeps us entertained, engaged and even informed. However, what we do not realize is that excessive screen watching can cause severe damage to our sensitive eyes. In today’s world, we cannot escape screens. However, limiting the time we spend on devices is essential. Here are some problems that may arise due to excessive screen watching.

What is the problem in watching too much screen?

Too much screen, as we say, may have noxious effects to your eyes. As per studies, scientists say that you will have digital eye strain where in you will get

1.Dry eyes in which you tend to blink less and keeping your eyes open causing them to dry.

2.Blurry vision happens when you focus on the screen for a really long time.

3.Eye fatigue where in eye muscles become tired due to constant looking at the screen.

4.Headaches happen when we get these eye strains.

How many people have eye strain in the world?

According to WHO, around 2.2 billion people have vision impairment from which at least 1 billion people have vision impairment which could have been cured or to be addressed. Some studies say a global ubiquity of the digital eye strain is very high as 70.7%, wherein some other studies say a range from 31.9% to 97.3%.

What is screen addiction?

Screen addiction is when we have a habit of seeing too much screen for a long time. It is also when a person is dependent on the screen regardless of the work, school etc. It comprises of various addictions like Social Media addiction, Video Gaming addiction, Internet addiction etc. Sometimes people hop onto screens – if they close their laptop, ipad, tablet or phone they immediately hop to another device and start to watch something.

How to prevent screen damage?

Now how do we prevent this screen damage is a big question but here are some ways to protect your eyes.

1. Do a 20 – 20 – 20-minute break where you stop you screen or take a 20-minute break from your gadget.
2. Optimize screen timings and keep the device brightness a little low so that it lowers the effect of eye strain.
3. Position yourself at a proper eye level.
4. Blink often.
5. Manage to keep your room lights less and not more or glare.
6. Blue light filtering glasses are good for you if you have an eye strain problem.
7. Regular eye examinations are good to keep your eyes healthy.
8. Last but not the least, venture out, spend time in the greens. Relish and cherish the nature.