By Our Reporter
In the current digital world, technology has taken over people’s lives, and working remotely has become the norm. This means more people are spending more time on their digital gadgets. Smartphones, computers, and tablets have become central to activities that people engage in daily including work, leisure as well as education.
Eye health experts caution that spending too much time with these digital devices is contributing to a crisis in eye health among individuals.
Patience Ahumuza, a digital communications consultant revealed that “since the Covid-19 pandemic hit, my work became completely digital and I had more clients so I would spend about 14 hours in front of a computer.”
“It was great in the beginning, and then I started having blurry vision and severe headaches even when I put on my eyeglasses. I visited my optician to have a comprehensive eye test because I was suspecting a change in my prescriptions only to be told that I had developed Computer vision syndrome.” She added.
Mercy Ndinyo, an optometrist at Lapaire Uganda notes that Ahumuza’s case is not an isolated incident and there has been an increased demand for eye care and health over the past two years, attributing this to working from home, which meant people spending more time on their screens.
According to the data published by African Journal, it is estimated that anywhere between 75 to 90 percent of computer users suffer from digital eye strain. Many of those reported experienced symptoms of digital eye strain, which included; blurred/double vision, red/watery eyes, eye irritation/soreness, increased sensitivity to light, headaches, and insomnia among others.
What are the solutions to digital eye strain?
The obvious answer is to stop looking at screens, but that’s simply not possible for most people. Many jobs involve working on computers and the widespread use of smartphones means we’re not putting our screens down anytime soon.
Fortunately, there’s new lens technology that helps to protect against the harmful effects of screens; they are referred to as computer glasses. Using these and taking measures to help reduce the risks of eye strain will help prevent the adverse effects on your eyes.
“With the increasing rate of digital invention and a large number of people throughout the world using smartphones, laptops, and tablets, people’s eyes are being affected. We, at Lapaire, have decided to offer a 15% discount on Photochromic blue light blocking lenses for the month of May so that more Ugandans can protect themselves from blue light from digital devices and ultraviolet (UV) rays from sunlight, avoiding digital eye strain, mid-afternoon fatigue, headaches, and difficulty sleeping inorder to improve eye health.” Commented Esther Nafula, Operations Manager at Lapaire.
How to alleviate eye strain
Eye strain is not only caused by overuse of screens but also by prolonged periods of reading and straining to see in certain lighting.
You can reduce this by adopting simple practices while working on your computer such as ensuring the brightness of your screen is around the same brightness level as your surroundings; keeping your screen about 20-30 inches away from your face or at an arm’s length; taking regular breaks and remembering to look away from the screen; and regular eye exams to help you keep your eye health in check and ensure your problems aren’t worse than normal eye strain, among others.
