Top 10 Ways to Protect Your Eyes from Your Mobile or Laptop Screens

Whether you’re a working professional or a student, staring at the screen constantly can tire your eyes out. This is why it’s important to take precautionary measures which will help protect your vision.

While you work from home amidst a global pandemic, you're bound to spend more time on the screen. If not work, then social media keeps you glued to our phones, right?

The hours you spend in front of a screen may not seem like a big deal at the time, but your body pays a price. When you spend three or more hours a day looking at a monitor, smartphone or tablet device, you may suffer from computer vision disease, which affects as many as 90 per cent of device staff.

 Unfortunately, overcoming a device-related eye train does not mean throwing away your smartphone or shutting down your computer for good. Changing your technical habits will reduce the pressure on your eyes and relieve the symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).

Read these 10 ways that can help safeguard your eyes.

            1. Keep an optimum distance from the screen

By staring too closely into the screen, you often end up straining the eyes. However, it's not always possible to be conscious of the right amount of distance between your eyes and the screen.

There are apps that can warn you when you are struggling to find the right distance when the screen is too close to your eyes. Samsung's Safety Screen is one such app that can help you block the screen every time you find your face too close to the screen.

2. Don't forget to blink

Usually , a person can blink about 20 times a minute, but when compared to people who focus on a computer / mobile screen, they will only blink ten times or less. Blinking less dries your eyes and causes a lot of strain. So, you need to blink every time you're using your smartphone. 

However, because blinking is not something that you do consciously, blinking more often can be more difficult to remember than it sounds.  If you have trouble remembering to blink, eye drops can also help moisten your eyes.

      3. Use the blue light filter

Most screens, including smartphones, emit high-energy blue light. It is one of the key sources of eye strain and is considered to be bad for the retina. If you use a smartphone then you can overcome this by switching to the blue light filter in the display settings.

Most custom UI smartphones come with some kind of blue light filter. It works by subduing the display or by changing the color tone so that the screen would put less strain on the eyes.

4. Special screen guards

Screen guards can not only protect your smartphone screen from scratches and impacts, but can also protect your eyes. A lot of screen guards come with non-reflective coatings. Applying them also reduces the reflective nature of the screen and puts less stress on your eyes. Keep in mind that this stress usually takes place when you look at the screen and the light source is right behind or above your head.

5. Customize your screen settings

Make sure that your screen settings are easy to see at the appropriate distance. Your monitor isn't supposed to be too bright or too dim. Aim for a brightness similar to room ambient lighting. Most smartphones and tablets have a setting that automatically adjusts their brightness for best viewing.

You can also change the resolution of your screen (lower resolution makes everything on your display bigger), increase the size of your font and adjust the contrast to make everything look crisp and easy to read. These settings will appear at different locations on different devices; go to your settings or control panel window and search for the display options.

      6. Use blue light blocking glasses

Blue light blocking glasses are manufactured with special spectrum control technology for the absorption of blue light. They are used to reduce eye strain and protect your eyes from electronic devices.

Look for the ones that absorb between 90 to 99 percent of the blue light. These amber or orange-lensed glasses start at about 10 dollars, so there's a pair for any budget. Regular use is claimed to reduce your risk of cataracts and other conditions of macular degeneration.

Digital glasses are a more expensive solution than changing your computer habits, so work your way through the tips above before you spend your money. But even if you're not wearing prescription glasses, computer glasses may help. Such glasses come with top-notch anti-gloss lenses and often a subtle amber tint to help block the blue light. Some include a slight magnification similar to reading glasses to keep things sharp.

Computer-specific lenses are also available with prescription lenses, and your optician can provide you with anti-reflective coatings or tinted lenses.

7. Blue light blocking plugin

There are a few app extensions that you can add to use with your browsers. Such plugins will start automatically when you use your browser, and they will alter the screen light to shield your eyes from harsh screen light.

 Some of them can be regulated so that you can change the level of security to match your individual preferences. There are several options on the market to explore, either free of charge or for a small fee. f.lux is one such software that allows you to adjust your screen settings according to the time of the day.

      8. The 20-20-20 Rule

Human eyes are not created for long staring at short distances. Rather, the human eye adapts when it alternates between a long distance for a few seconds or minutes and a short distance. That's why when you watch something at a close distance for hours, even if it's just reading a book, you're forcing your eyes to behave unnaturally.

So what should you do to avoid staring at the screen for long hours at a stretch? Work for 20 minutes, look away from your screen and look at something that's 20 ft. away for 20 seconds. Eyes have muscles that help focus on things. If you keep looking at your screen for hours at the end, you're straining your muscles. They're going to have a hard time adjusting when you move your eyes.

Better still, after every 40 or 50 minutes with your device, take a 10-or 15-minute break away from any screen. If you're not too lazy, you can even exercise a little – this will help not only your eyes, but your overall condition.

9. Clean your screen

With your fingers constantly on the screen, a lot of dirty marks end up on it. Not only is this dirt unsanitary, it also adds additional strain to your eyes. But, never spray a liquid cleaner onto your screen. Use a dry microfiber cloth or other cleaning cloth for screens.

Keep your glasses clean, too, if you wear glasses. Fingerprints and smudges make it harder to see and puts more strain on your eyes.

      10. Shift your focus

Place any object or photo next to your screen, turn your eyes from the screen to that object or photos every 10 to 20 minutes. It will give your eyes a little exercise and will keep them healthy while using any screen. IT people can follow this technique to avoid eye strains and other eye-related problems.

You can even choose to look out of the window.

Top 4 Android Apps that protect your eyes from blue light

• Twilight – uses a red eye filter to protect your eyes. It filters the flux of blue light emitted by your phone screen

• Bluelight filter for eye care– adjusts the screen color to reduce the blue light

•  Easy Eyes – is a simple app that allows you to set timings for it to automatically start working by changing the color temperature of the screen to protect your eyes from strain.

•  Night Shift – adjusts your screen to natural warm light, which helps you to fight to lower the eye strain and also saves your battery 15% more.

Blue light has been found to obstruct your circadian rhythm, sleep cycle and also cause heart diseases. So, we hope this article will be instrumental in helping you protect your health, vision and ensuring a good night's sleep.