Hyderabad: The continuous progress in the field of technology has in a way trapped the entire world inside the mobile phones kept in our pockets. Mobiles have become so essential that from studying, prepping for the office, attending a meeting, watching movies, or learning how to cook, we need them to do almost everything!
Irrespective of the work, the time people spend in front of screens has increased immensely for all age groups. In such situations, it is essential to increase awareness among people regarding eye care as well. The more time they spend staring at screens, the more damage it causes to their as well as the muscles around their eyes. This might also affect a person's ability to focus, and listen, and can also affect their mental health.
Dr Sangeeta Bhandari, an Ophthalmologist from Delhi, says that there is a serious increase in the cases of eye problems not just among adults, but also in children and the elderly due to excessive use of mobile phones. She reveals that although most people are aware of the dryness in the eyes that is caused due to staring at screens for longer periods, the disadvantages are not just limited to dryness.
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Various problems are caused due to excessive and improper use of mobile phones. Habits such as keeping the mobile too close to the eyes, viewing it in more or less light, and bad posture cause stress to the eyes. Its serious effects can be witnessed in the form of vision loss, blurred vision, persistent headaches, difficulty in concentrating while reading, itching and watery eyes, pain in the eyes, etc. Spending too much time in front of the screen also causes problems such as:
- The pupils and nerves of the eyes shrink due to the strong light from the screen.
- Frequent headaches.
- Difficulty in focusing on things.
- Increased blurriness.
- Experiencing blackouts for a few moments after looking away from the screen.
- Bad effects on eyesight.
- Dryness in the eyes due to less blinking leads to itching and burning sensations in the eyes.
- Eyes feel heavy or there is more pressure on the eyes.
- Cataracts or other eye-related diseases can increase.
Nowadays, mobile addiction is considered common in not just children and adults, but also in the elderly. People's eyesight starts getting weak in old age, and elders are at more risk of developing eye-related problems, and mobile phones can speed up the occurrence of these problems. Dr Sangeeta says that it is very important for children, adults or elders to adopt some precautions and rules to keep their eyes safe from the side effects of mobiles. Some of these are as follows:
- Follow the 20/20/20 rule i.e. whenever you use the smartphone for a long time due to any work, take a break every 20 minutes and try to look at something at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
- Use an anti-glare screen on the smartphone. If the phone does not have an anti-glare screen, then anti-glare lenses or spectacles can be used.
- Keep a distance of at least 16 to 18 inches between your phone and your face.
- Do not use your smartphone or laptop in the dark.
- Use the phone in dark mode at night.
- Always keep the brightness of the smartphone screen balanced, that is, neither more nor less.
- Always keep the smartphone screen clean.
- As far as possible whenever using the phone to look at anything for a long period, blink 10 to 20 times every half an hour.
Dr Sangeeta says that regular eye exercises can also provide a lot of relief to the eyes. Some simple eye exercises are as follows:
- Sitting on a chair or a comfortable place, fix your thumbs in front of your eyes at a distance of about 10 inches. After this focus on it for about 10 seconds. Now focus on something far away for about 15 seconds. After that put your attention back on the thumb.
- Sit down in one place. Keep your right thumb at a distance from your face and concentrate on it. Now move your thumbs along the lines of the infinity sign. During this, our eyes should remain focused on the thumb and should move accordingly. This exercise should be done clockwise and anti-clockwise at least 5 times in one go.
- Sit or lie down at any place. Now blink your eyes quickly 10 to 15 times. Then close your eyes and relax for 20 seconds.
- Close your eyes tightly for 5 seconds and then open them wide.
- Keeping your head straight, you have to move your eyeballs while looking from left to right till the edge of the eyes. Then the same process has to be repeated from right to left.
- Rub your palms together. When they start feeling hot, put them on your eyes. Keep the hands on your eyes till the heat of the palms subsides.
Dr Sangeeta says that the problem of the eyes should never be taken lightly and as soon as any kind of issue is experienced, a doctor should be contacted immediately. Otherwise, not only vision defects, but the risk of many serious and permanent problems can also increase.
