Written by: Dr. Anjali Mehta
In this pandemic, there has been a very strong focus on consuming content through the virtual medium. Our classes have moved online, and the time we spend on the screen has risen considerably.
In light of these changing circumstances, my role as ophthalmologist becomes critical. I write this article because of two main reasons. The first reason is my revered relationship with Ms. Anshu Sahi, a pedagogy expert in AyurGyan Nyas, who I have had the honour of having as my biology teacher. Her role has been pivotal in my training in biology. The second major reason is the resonance I share with the vision of AyurGyan Nyas and the Dalai Lama Trust. It is a vision that seeks to instil emotional and ethical learning in learners through their curriculum. During my school years, I was someone who benefitted from such curricular experiences. This project aims to expand on that vision.
As a practising doctor, I would like to share a few tips with on visual hygiene with the readers. Due to increased screen usage, I have a lot of patients coming to me with headaches, eyestrain and dry eyes. It is common to rub your eyes when you feel tired. However, frequent rubbing leads to stye formation on your eyelids.
Constant rubbing can also increase the risk of developing Keratoconus, a condition in which thinning of the cornea occurs. We are also seeing higher incidences of myopia (minus number) worldwide due to prolonged usage of eyes for reading, browsing the internet and looking at objects which are nearby. Increased dependency on screens has only worsened this. In fact, the term ‘quarantine myopia’ is being used for this phenomenon.
I would recommend the following tips to the readers:
1. After every twenty minutes of looking at your screen, look away from the screen for two minutes. You can look at something which is more than 6 metres away. The distance is important here. This is because, beyond six metres, the eye does not make any optical accommodations and your vision is natural. This allows the eye muscles to rest. In case the room is small, look outside your window. Another strategy can be cupping your hands over your open eyes. This makes the eye feel as if it is looking into darkness, which has the allows the eye muscles to rest.
2. Keep the centre of your screen 6-8 inches below eye level and at least 24-26 inches away from your body. A lowered gaze is restful and eliminates the effort from your forehead and eyebrow muscles.
3. Blink frequently or use preservative free lubricating drops prescribed by your doctor. Staring at screens fixedly causes our blink rate to go down, so the tear fluid is not spread evenly over eye surface, and we can experience dryness.
4. Wear a glass with anti-glare coating. Make the screen colours slightly softer. You can also adjust the flicker frequency or use the night mode (different from dark mode) for more comfortable viewing.
5. Do not rub your eyes!
Stay safe and be well!
Dr. Anjali Mehta is the Director of Vasundhara Eye Centre and the Founder of Sagar Trust. She can be contacted at mehtanjali@gmail.com.
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