Computer Usage Tips and Tricks - Everyone should Follow

In the present era of globalization, the computer has become an important device everywhere. The advent of technology has caused a lot of change in human life. Computers and their uses grew rapidly and widely throughout the world. It helps to resolve problems that human life encounters in daily life.

The impact of computer usage on our life has been identified as saving money, time, and effort. In the last few decades, the computer has been recognized as the most life-changing and successful invention in solving problems in human life. Today, everywhere you can find computer usage in business. Look at the educational sector, health, transportation, or communication sector, we can see the influence and application of computers. It is tough to flourish a business without adopting computer usage in this modern world. The computer has intervened in every sphere of human life from such as TV shows, Supermarkets, Hospitals, Railways, Matrimonial, Share Tradings, Online Purchasing, Banking, Sports, Traffic controls, Security Surveillance Systems, Job Recruitment, Robotics, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, etc. are a few of them. Computer and smartphone can bring people closer together and facilitate contacts between them using a mobile phone, Email, Chatting, Videoconferencing, and Social media. All this means that a lot of time is spent in front of a digital screen. In everyday life, we can’t live without digital screens and our screen usage has been increasing day by day. Although this is an advantage in the world of technology that our work is getting done faster and easier, still we need to be very careful of unintended consequences.

But as the saying goes, too much of a good thing can be bad - especially for our eyes. Even with constant exposure to digital screens, most people are unconscious of the unpleasant effects of prolonged digital technology use on their eyes.

Many individuals may experience visual discomfort while viewing digital screens for larger periods. Staring at digital screens of laptops, computers, tablets, cellphones, TVs, smartwatches - affects your eyes so seriously that health experts have coined the term “Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)”. Today the increased symptoms associated with CVS affect millions around the world regardless of age or occupation. Due to the high usage of electronic digital devices for an extended period, a couple of things occur which increase the likelihood of CVS symptoms which is also known as digital eye strain:

• Eyestrain
• Itching or rubbing of eyes
• Burning sensation
• Watery eye
• Headache
• Focus difficulty
• Blur in vision for distance and near
• Shadow in vision (double vision)
• Sensitivity to light   
• Dryness in eyes

It’s not possible to stop staring at screens altogether, but, fortunately, there are multiple measures you can take to reduce your risk of Computer Vision Syndrome and keep your eyes healthy. Everyone should get started by a healthy diet that contributes nourishment to eye health. Here are few tips to protect your vision and keep your eyes fresh and focused when you’re using screens.

Healthy food and a balanced diet take care of your health and eyes as well. To maintain good health of your eyes, you should include Vitamin A & betacarotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Lutein & Zeaxanthin in your diet.

Tips and tricks
• Blinking of eyes:
In normal conditions, the human eye blinks 15-17 times per minute. However, when you look at a digital screen and at that time brain also focuses on a screen, it can make you forget to blink your eyes, and the blink rate reduces up to 6-7 times per minute. Every time you blink your eyes, you spread a layer of tears over your eyes so your eyes are moistened. So less eye blinking means your eyes get less moistened which leads to dryness or sore eyes.

• You use unfavorable angles:
In normal conditions, when we read printed text or books, you normally look down to read them, but when staring at a screen the eyes are usually focused straight ahead. When looking down while reading, your eyelid covers more of your eye than when you look straight on. This means, looking at a screen with a straight angle causes more opening of eyes and exposes more of your eye to the air’s drying effects. This unfavorable eyelid positioning, together with a reduction in blinking, leaves you with uncomfortably dry or sore eyes and even visual fatigue. So digital screen should always be 10-15 degrees lower than your eye level.

• Get too close for comfort:
You may have already noticed that when you are reading on your smartphone, you usually hold it closer to your eyes than you would with traditional printed text. And you are not the only one. This means that your eyes are forced to look at close ranges by having to almost turn cross-eyed, which tires out the eyes. Sometimes you use your smartphone to read in sleeping posture, which means you hold it close to your eyes which causes more eyestrain.

• Eye Strain:
Continuous looking at the digital screen and reduced eye blink rate leaves you with uncomfortable dryness in your eyes. So looking at green plants kept at a far distance for a few seconds or minutes at intervals of 15-20 minutes will soothe your eyes.

• Dim light or low light for comfort:
Sometimes you prefer to use the digital screen in dim light or no light conditions but this causes a lot of eye strain. Like this, the digital screen light enters into the eye, and due to reduced blink rate too - eyes and brain feel more tired. Due to this, you might experience heaviness in your head or uncomfortable while working with a screen. Room light or external light reflections from your digital screen should not come into your eyes while working in front of the digital screen.

• The luxury place for work:
Most computers need cooling to function well but Air Conditioners (ACs) suck moisture from the air in that area. When you work in AC, it sucks moisture and water content from the body which doesn’t help in blood circulation and doesn’t keep your skin nourished. So, you should avoid AC vent direction towards your face and body wherever you are using a digital screen. In the AC room, your eyes’ moisture evaporates faster and causes dryness and soreness in the eye. As you feel tired after some time working with a digital screen, you should be taking a break every 1-2 hours during work. Taking healthy refreshments during the break will make you more refreshed as well as relaxed. Like this, you can work with a digital screen for a longer time. Along with refreshment, every few minutes your water intake also is very important.

• Digital screen comfort:
Most of us prefer to use cellphones more frequently as this device is easier to use and can be carried easily but due to the smaller screen, the font size of the text remains smaller. Keeping focus on a screen to stare at a small-sized text, can make your eyes more painful. In such a scenario bigger size screen will reduce eye strain, and you’re not struggling to see the screen. Continuous working and watching videos on a cellphone can cause eye pain, headache also.

• Eye-related Headaches:
Headaches are the next most common negative effect of your eye’s overexposure to digital devices. When you stare at a digital screen for long period, the eyestrain that occurs often results in tension-type headaches. This is because the darkness of the text, contrasted against the bright screen, makes your eyes work harder to focus and results in muscle spasms at the temples.

Unquestionably, technology makes our lives easier, more efficient, and more enjoyable. But given the side effects of overexposure to smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other LED-emitting devices on your eyes, it is important to take a step away from electronics every once in a while.

There are certain types of protective items that you can put on screens, such as filters, to cut down on glare, which can also help reduce eye strain.

Whenever you experience discomfort in your eyes then tightly close your eyes and open them as this will give relaxation to your eyes and tears will spread evenly all over the eye.

Most of the time, you experience a lack of time and keep continue using digital screens for your work till before going to bed due to this you may experience eye strain, lack of sleep. So if you reduce digital screen usage before going to sleep will make your eyes relaxed and with good sleep.

Doing simple things such as adjusting the brightness of your devices and the distances at which you view them can decrease your eyestrain, dry eyes, sensitivity to light, etc. Use technology wisely, and your eyes will thank you.