Are you a screen addict? Then this write-up is for you!

I have been in front of the computer screen almost all day and it's super hurting! Oh! My eyes!  

Haven't you heard this or been through the same situation?

You might be able to blame the computer screen for causing eye problems, but realize that you are the one and only one who is responsible for it.   

As per a study conducted in 2011, it is found that everyone who uses a mobile phone places their device within a range of 12-14 inches for reading the texts, while printed texts are placed at an average of 16 inches from eyes. While working on a computer, you may have to constantly focus & refocus onto the screen, that too much often. Naturally, you might get some neck exercises, but your eyes are taking more stress than usual. Your eyes will be forced to interact with the changing images & colours on the screen and your brain has to process everything you see. Each and one of these actions makes your eye muscles weak, gradually. In order to make things worse, computer screens add contrast, glare and shadows. It also makes your eyes watery and leaves you with headache. 

Computer Vision Syndrome, the official name for eye strains & muscle problems caused due to prolonged exposure to computer screens. It’s a common name for a group of symptoms like dry & itchy eyes, eye fatigue, bright light sensitivity, blurred vision etc. As per the American Optometric Association (AOA), a person who spends at least 2-3 hours daily on the computer screen is very much at a higher risk of developing some of these above-mentioned syndromes. By the age of 40, your eyes will become less flexible. It will also significantly affect your ability to focus nearby and far objects. This condition is medically named as Presbyopia. 

Under normal conditions, an average human blinks his/her eyes at a range of 12-15 times in a minute. When your eyes and brain focus on a screen, it literally forgets to blink and the count could go lower than usual to 6-8 blinks in a minute. More than 70% of your eyes is exposed and fewer blinks will lead to less eye lubrication which results in dry & sore eyes. It will let your eyes prone to air drying effects and vision fatigue.  

Solution 

Prevention is better than cure, likewise, you can tweak your screen settings to make it more eye friendly by finding a good balance between brightness and contrast because it is not necessary to go on with the factory preset settings. One of the best position to keep your monitor is somewhat below your eye level, around 25-30 inches away from your eyes, at least. You can also alter the lighting in your surroundings by cutting the shades & glares. Give some rest to your eyes every 20 minutes by looking away from the screen. 

Apart from that, many of the doctors recommends the usage of moisturizing drops as a regular solution for all these syndromes. Moisturizing drops aka. lubricating eye drops are generally safer to use as they don’t have any preservatives also it helps your eyes to stay moisturized & refreshed. It is also called artificial tears because it helps to substitute your eye’s natural moisture when it's not making enough of its own. Sunetra Regular is a moisturizing eye drops from the house of Sreedhareeyam Eye Hospital which has received the Centre of Excellence recognition from Govt. Of India. They help to relieve dryness, irritation and itchiness so as to endorse more comfort.  It’s the best solution which is suitable for daily usage for those who work extensively on computer screens. Sunetra is a clear eyedrop created at a pH value similar to the tears to promote daily usage. It helps in preventing infections and clear off dust particles in the eye.