Category: Computer Use

Can LED Lights Damage the Eyes or Disrupt Sleep?

LED lightsLED light bulbs are becoming very popular, but what is their effect on the eyes? Light Emitting Diode lighting uses up to 95% less energy than their incandescent counterparts. Before replacing your home or workplace’s indoor lights with LEDs, consider two downsides:

  • LEDs do not give off near-infrared radiation, which is necessary for health
  • They emit large amounts of blue light, which disrupts sleeping patterns and over time can contribute to eye disease.

One of the benefits of LED lights is that they are Continue reading “Can LED Lights Damage the Eyes or Disrupt Sleep?”

Computers & Your Eyes III: Smartphones – Are You Addicted?

smartphone addictionAmericans spend about 1/3 of their waking hours on smartphones; young Americans spend even more.  Research finds that we spend almost twice as much time as we think we do and more than half of that time is in short bursts of less than 30 seconds.

Why is that a problem?

Research has found that such use can damage productivity, memory, attention-span, thinking outside the box, and increase cognitive errors, anxiety and stress levels, and impair the quality of sleep. Not only that, but the blue light emitted by computers and mobile devices damages the rods and cones and the pigmented layer of the retina and is associated with eye cancer. Blue light is especially damaging in low-light conditions and in the not yet fully developed retinas of children under age nine. Continue reading “Computers & Your Eyes III: Smartphones – Are You Addicted?”

Computers & Your Eyes Part I: Computer Vision Syndrome

computer-eye-syndromeElectronics have become primary obsessions in our personal and work lives. This has lead to nearly everyone becoming susceptible to Computer Vision Syndrome. Symptoms include dry eyes, eye strain, blurred vision, headaches, double vision, difficulty in concentrating, fatigue and/or and head, neck and shoulder pain.

Additionally, heavy computer use has been associated with glaucoma[1. https://www.naturaleyecare.com/articles/glaucoma-and-heavy-computer-use.asp] Electronics screens emit blue light that can damage the retina, leading to macular degeneration.[2. Do blue light filters confer protection against age-related macular degeneration? by Margrain TH et. al. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2004 Sep;23(5):523-31. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15302349] Close-up work is associated with myopia (nearsightedness).[3. “Risk factors for myopia in a discordant monozygotic twin study.” Ramessur R, Williams KM, Hammond CJ. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2015 Sep 17. doi: 10.1111/opo.12246. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26376775] Continue reading “Computers & Your Eyes Part I: Computer Vision Syndrome”

Your Eye: 9 Surprising Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

 

1. Your Eyes Hold Facts About Your Health

Image via Flickr by Mikleman
Image via Flickr by Mikleman

When ophthalmologists look at your eyes, they can see more than you’d anticipate. Not only are they able to see the health of your eyes, but they can see if you have other health issues including high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and even multiple sclerosis and lupus. A thin white or grey ring around the eye, called a corneal arcus, is one indicator of high cholesterol? in younger patients.

2. Your Eyes Heal Quickly

Eyes are such an important part of the human body that they actually can heal better than most of the rest of your body. They are the second most active part of our body next to the brain and therefore especially require  healthy circulation for oxygen and nutrition and the ability to eliminate waste. It is the eyes’ ability to draw what is needed from other parts of the body that supports rapid healing. For example, a scratch on the cornea can heal in just two or three days, whereas a scratch on your skin is going to take much longer to fully heal.

Continue reading “Your Eye: 9 Surprising Facts You Probably Didn’t Know”

Computer Vision Syndrome: Electronics Take Their Toll on Eye Health

Computer eye syndromeDo your eyes spend more than 4 hours a day looking at the screen of an electronic device? If so, you are at risk for computer vision syndrome. Computer vision syndrome symptoms include eye strain, fatigue, dry eyes and headaches from staring at a screen too long.

Are You at Risk?

To find out if you are at risk, keep a journal for a week of how long you spend watching TV, gazing at a smartphone, surfing the Internet, working on the computer, playing video games, and reading on a tablet device. The typical American youth is getting 7.5 hours of “screen time” a day – and since many adults use computers at work, they may get much more time.

Continue reading “Computer Vision Syndrome: Electronics Take Their Toll on Eye Health”