World Sight Day: 27 cr Indians suffer from poor eyesight; 7 ways to reduce eye strain at workplace

While the idea of having your own sophisticated and air-conditioned cabin and working with your laptop, without having to move to and fro, may sound perfect for many, such an inordinate amount of screen time may damage your eyesight!
With the rise of remote work post-pandemic, more Indians are beginning to spend more time on screen. According to a survey conducted by All About Vision, remote workers spend 13 hours looking at screens more than on-site employees.

India’s Struggle With Poor Eyesight

According to a 2021 report by the Times Of India, about 27.5 crore Indians, or nearly 23 per cent of the population, suffer from weakened eyesight, mostly caused by staring at computer/mobile screens for too long.

How Does Prolonged Computer Use Damage Your Eyes?

Here are some of the long-term effects of excessive use of computers.

Computer Vision Syndrome

If you sit in front of the computer for too long, you may experience blurred vision, headaches behind the eyes, or other symptoms such as neck and shoulder pain.

Eye Strain

Developing eye strain is inevitable when you spend too much time in front of the screen. Eye strain is marked by blurred vision and dry eyes. This is caused by a lack of blinking. Normally, a person blinks at least 15 times a day. However, people who spend too much time in front of the screen blink half the time.

Dry Eyes

You may experience dry eyes as too much screen time may dry up tear ducts. This can cause your eyes to be more irritable.

How To Protect Eye Health?

While some amount of damage is inevitable if you are spending too much time before computers, certain lifestyle changes can prevent the damage from worsening.

Work On Ergonomics

Ensure that your desk is clean with little to