Madeeha Syed

Prolonged screen time can cause dryness and irritation in the eyes. Make sure to follow the essential care tips to avoid the effects of prolonged exposure.

The Effects of Prolonged Screen Exposure

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The Effects Of Prolonged Screen Exposure

Overview

<p dir="ltr">In these modern times, it&rsquo;s hard to escape the presence of screens in our lives. We are exposed to them via our smart phones, computers and televisions among other things. We cannot escape screens, but our eyes suffer due to our <a href="https://merisehat.pk/article/dopamine-detox-how-to-fix-your-screen-addiction">screen addiction</a> to them the most.</p>

<p dir="ltr">Spending excessive hours in front of a screen can have several negative effects on your eyes. These effects may be short-term or may even present themselves in long-term. Some of the most common effects of prolonged screen time include:<br />
&nbsp;</p>

Common Effects

<ul>
	<li>
	<h5><strong>Fatigue</strong></h5>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>Staring at screens for a extended time causes your eyes to get tired. It may even give you a double vision and lead you to have troubles in concentrating. This discomfort of the eyes accompanied with blurred, dimmed vision and a headache is often termed as Asthenopia.</p>

<ul>
	<li>
	<h5><strong>Dryness And Irritation</strong></h5>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>When your eyes are open for longer durations without blinking, they tend to get irritated and dry. This in many cases not only leads to discomfort, but also blur your vision.</p>

<ul>
	<li>
	<h5><strong>Retinal Damage</strong></h5>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>Fatigue and dryness may not seem that serious but there are several other long-term issues that you may not experience right now. The blue light in our devices penetrate retina of your eyes. Prolonged exposure of the retina to the blue light may cause the photosensitive cells to overwork and cause early age-related macular degeneration. This cannot only cause weak eyesight but in severe cases may even lead to complete loss of sight.</p>

Measures

<p dir="ltr">Like in the old times, no one can just shy away or completely restrict their screen exposure but what we can do is be smart about it. If screens cannot be turned off then you can take the right measures to reduce blue-light emission to your eyes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>You can take the following steps to improve your eye health:</p>

<ul>
	<li>
	<h5><strong>Break Your Focus</strong></h5>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>An ideal duration to break your concentration is after 30 minutes. Walk around. Look at other things, let your eyes relax.&nbsp;</p>

<ul>
	<li>
	<h5><strong>Longer Hours, Bigger Screen</strong></h5>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>Your eyes are put at a lot more strain when the screen that you are using is small. If you are someone who spends longer hours on their phones, switch to tablet and similarly, for work try to switch to a bigger monitor for a better view without having to squint your eyes.</p>

<ul>
	<li>
	<h5><strong>Blue-light Filter</strong></h5>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>An ideal approach to this would not just include turning on the eye comfort shield on your screens but also to make use of blue light specs. These specs inhibit the penetration of blue light into your eyes.</p>

<ul>
	<li>
	<h5><strong>Switch To Grayscale</strong></h5>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>iOS and Android phones offer you the option of turning your phone&rsquo;s display grey. This is perfect for night time by taking away the visual appeal of the phones, you are bound to put your phone down eventually.</p>

<ul>
	<li>
	<h5><strong>Exercise</strong></h5>
	</li>
</ul>

<p>This may seem a little farfetched but increased screen time comes at an expense of lower physical activity. Working out ensures that your body is functioning the way it is supposed to, giving your brain necessary endorphins and most importantly, giving your eyes rest.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

Bottom Line

<p>At the end of the day, hard choices are to be made for the betterment of your body. Screens are not bad for us, prolonged use of anything can have a bad impact on our body. Balance is the key to living a healthy, long life.</p>