Choosing Prescription Sunglasses

Posted on: 10 April 2018

If you're a millennial, chances are you're glued to your electronics all day and night. There's no shame in that, but it can cause a lot of problems for your eyes in the future if you're not informed. Check out this easy guide to understand and avoid the biggest problems that electronics can cause for your eyes and vision.

Eye Strain

Times change, but human bodies often lag behind the times, especially with accelerating technology. If you stare at a single surface for a long time, even if your eyes move up and down and side to side, chances are you're putting your eyes through a lot of strain.

Eyes work in three dimensions. While your eyes can't zoom in like a phone's screen, they do adjust their focus to look at things that are far away or nearer. However, when you're locked onto a screen, you rarely change the focus of your eyes. This means that the muscles responsible for controlling the eyes don't get a break, and eye strain is the result.

Short-term eye strain is uncomfortable, but long-term eye strain is even worse. It can cause a condition called computer vision syndrome that while reversible is only made better by resting and taking breaks while using electronics.

Blue Light

Another big problem with staring at your electronics is that they all emit blue light. This is a wavelength of light that has not only been shown to cause eye strain but also has the potential to damage your vision.

Scientists and doctors are currently concerned that repeated, long-term exposure to blue light could increase your risk of macular degeneration later in life. As macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness, this is something you should try to avoid at all costs.

What to Do

First and foremost, if you want to protect your vision, you should consider setting down the electronics once in a while. Rest your eyes and turn the brightness on your screens down to reduce eye strain risk.

For blue light, you can buy a pair of glasses that are designed to filter out blue light. These are sold by optometrists for people with or without a need for vision correction. Cutting down on blue light, even if it's just for a portion of your day, will help to protect your vision now and in the future.

Electronics are useful, fun, and informative, but they can have a negative side if they're used too much. Remember to think about the health of your eyes and to take steps to protect them. Losing your vision because of looking at electronics screens for too long is something no one wants to go through, so take action today to protect yourself in the future. Contact a clinic, like Dixie Ophthalmic Specialists at Zion Eye Institute, for more help.