"That day, a high school student walked into my office with heavy glasses and a tired look on his face, complaining that his vision had been blurry lately and his eyes were so dry. After some conversation, I learned that he spends at least eight hours a day staring at his phone screen, either watching shows or scrolling through social media. This reminds me of many similar cases - although the convenience of modern technology has brought great convenience to our lives, at the same time, our eyes are also silently bearing the price. ”
"As an ophthalmologist, I've witnessed too many eye problems caused by staring at electronic screens for long periods of time. From short-term eye strain to problems that can affect vision in the long term, the consequences are too much to ignore. Today, I would like to use this article to share some practical information and suggestions, hoping to help you enjoy the convenience brought by technology, but also take care of your own 'window' - our eyes. ”
Ophthalmologists revealed: the eye hazards and habits that must be changed by looking at mobile phones for a long time
In this digital age, mobile phones have become almost an indispensable part of our lives. Whether it's work, study or play, our eyes are always glued to this small screen. As an ophthalmologist, I've seen too many patients in my office who have eye problems due to prolonged use of their mobile phones. Today, I'm going to expose the effects of your phone screen on your eyes and share some practical ways to protect your eyes.
The short-term effects of looking at your phone for long periods of time on your eyes
First, let's talk about how staring at your phone's screen for long periods of time will affect your eyes in the short term. The most common symptoms include eye strain, dry eyes, blurred vision, etc. Most of these problems are due to eye overuse and accelerated tear evaporation caused by prolonged staring at the screen. When you are engrossed in the screen, the number of blinks decreases, which directly leads to dry eyes and irritation. In addition, focusing on the content on the screen for long periods of time can also increase eye strain, making your eyes feel heavy and uncomfortable.
The long-term effects of looking at your phone for long periods of time on your eyes
In addition to short-term discomfort, looking at your phone for long periods of time can also cause long-term damage to your eyes. The most concerning is the potential damage of blue light to the eyes. The blue light emitted by the mobile phone screen penetrates the eye to reach the retina, and long-term exposure may accelerate the damage of retinal cells and increase the risk of eye diseases such as macular degeneration. While research on blue light damage is ongoing, prevention is always better than cure.
Now, you may be asking: how can we protect our eyes? Here are some practical strategies that can help mitigate the negative effects of mobile phones on our eyes.
Practice the 20-20-20 rule: For every 20 minutes of use of an electronic device, look at an object 20 feet (about 6 meters) away for 20 seconds. This helps to reduce eye fatigue.
Adjust lighting and the environment: When using your phone, make sure that the ambient light around you is soft and even, so that there is no reflection from a direct light source on the screen.
Limit time of use: Minimize unnecessary mobile use as much as possible, especially during breaks and before bedtime.
Turn on the eye protection mode: Many mobile phones now have an eye protection mode, which can reduce the radiation of blue light and protect the eyes.
Change your habits and start with the small details of your life
In this digital age, our lives are inseparable from mobile phones. From morning to night, whether it is work, study or entertainment, mobile phones have almost become the "treasure" in our hands. Today, as an ophthalmologist, I'm going to talk to you about what our eyes go through when we spend a lot of time staring at a phone screen, and how we can protect our "windows" by changing the little details of our lives.
Adjust your phone habits
First, let's start with the basics: adjust our habits of using our phones. It's not about giving up on using your phone altogether, but about consciously controlling how long you spend using it. For example, when working or studying, looking out the window at the green trees or buildings in the distance for 20 seconds every 20 minutes can effectively relieve eye fatigue. At the same time, try to avoid using your phone in dimly lit environments, as this will force your eyes to work in poor light conditions, increasing the burden on your eyes.
Small eye care actions in life
Secondly, there are many small actions that can be done in life to protect your eyes. For example, do eye exercises regularly to strengthen your eye muscles and reduce eye strain. It is also important to maintain a correct reading posture, making sure that the reading material is kept at arm's length from the eyes, and the phone screen should be slightly below the eye level, which can reduce the burden on the eyes.
Sleep & Diet
A good night's sleep and a healthy diet are just as important for the eyes. Make sure to get at least 7-8 hours of quality sleep a day to give your eyes plenty of rest. Eat foods rich in vitamins A, C and E, as well as antioxidants, such as carrots, spinach, nuts and fish, which can help protect your eyesight.
Final advice
Remember, changing habits doesn't happen overnight, it requires your perseverance. But from now on, even the smallest changes can bring huge benefits to protecting your eyes. Don't wait until you have eye problems to regret it, let's start now and take care of our eyes with these simple and effective methods!