Keep an eye on your screen time

Dr Rishi Bhardwaj

With parks, theatres and malls closed due to the nationwide lockdown, people are glued to their TV, computer and mobile screens. The increased time in front multiple screens has augmented the exposure to harmful high-energy blue light waves. It’s well known that overexposure to blue light suppresses melatonin release by the brain, which disrupts normal sleep patterns. And poor sleep in all age groups, along with various other factors, could cause diabetes, heart disease as well psychological conditions such as depression and attention deficit disorder.

Two hours per day

According to various studies done by  US universities, the safe screen time for adults (above 16 years) is two hours per day. But, these days we hardly follow it. The more we stare at a screen, our eyes get dry and the blinking rate gets lowered. That results in stress and strain in the eyes. More screen time means less physical activity and less exposure to green (natural green colour) — the exposure to natural green colour soothes the eyes.  Besides, the lack of physical activity is a leading cause of many lifestyle diseases including obesity, hypertension, diabetes and thyroid. All these diseases are related to our eyes as well as they affect the retina.

Sleep disorder

More than recommended screen time causes low vision and, at times, temporary blindness, too, which ranges from a couple of minutes to hours. And because of  longer exposure to screens, we take more time to fall asleep. Since we don’t fall asleep as fast as we used to, we don’t get sound sleep and get up multiple times in between to check our phones. The more the screen time, the more disturbed your sleep pattern would be.

Tips to reduce eye strain

• Blink your eyes as much as you can while you’re using a digital platform. Blinking is the eye’s way of getting the moisture it needs on its surface. Stick a note to remind you about blinking.
• Take a break after every 20 minutes and gaze at an object, which is at least 20 feet away from you, for at least 20 seconds.
• Use computer eyeglasses. If you work on a computer for many hours on end, you might find that using these eyeglasses reduces strain on the eyes.
• Adjust the brightness of the screen. Your screen should not be brighter than your outside setting.

Take care of your mental health

Besides affecting our physical health, more screen time makes a negative impact on our mental health. It has been observed the more we are watch news or read reports on corona, the more we become prone to anxiety and depression.  Too much exposure to screen is not only affecting our eyes, sleep patterns but mental health as well.

— The writer is head of ophthalmology department, Paras Hospital, Gurugram