Margarita Bondoc-Hermosa • May 24, 2020
Lockdown Eye Woes
We’ve been in lockdown for 70 days and everyone’s experiencing some form of cabin fever. We can’t wait to get out of our houses! There are seemingly endless things to do at home but also too much of home these days.
A lot of people finished Netflix, some kept glued to their phones waiting to pounce on new COVID stats, others tried their best to work from home (WFH) while juggling house work and home schooling their kids. In all cases, most people are on their screens almost 10hours a day and that’s a low estimate.
Have you noticed that not even 30 minutes into your Zoom meeting your eyes feel very dry and your vision becomes blurred. You start to panic, remembering what your mom used to tell you: looking at a screen for long periods will permanently damage your eyes!
Don’t fret. This isn’t true. What is, though, is you’ll get eye strain. The eyes blink normally at a rate of 15 times a minute— the eyelids help moisturize the eyes when we close them. When we’re focused on our phones/computers/gadgets, the blink rate goes down as low as five times a minute, drying and straining our eyes.
With the quarantine, it’s hard to avoid screen time, but here are tips to take care of our eyes:
- When working on computers, sit an arm’s length away from the screen.
- Many of us play games like Animal Crossing for hours on our phones. Take regular breaks and follow the “20-20-20” rule: every 20 minutes, focus your gaze on an object 20 feet away for about 20 seconds.
- Increase the brightness and contrast of your screen to reduce the strain.
- Improve the lighting in your work area/gaming room.
- Use lubricant eye drops as needed for symptoms of dryness: stinging sensation (“hapdi”), tearing, blurring of vision.
- For patients who wear contact lenses, consider putting on your eyeglasses instead— they’re stylish and give your eyes the break they need.
Our gadgets help us stay connected but let’s keep in mind to take breaks. Too much of anything can wear us out. Moderation is key.
If you have more eye questions, consult your friendly ophthalmologist online today. You can do a quick search on Facebook for Dr Nikki Angbuete, Dr Kristine Corpus-Velasquez and Dr Margarita Bondoc-Hermosa.
---
Margarita Bondoc-Hermosa is an ophthalmologist practising in Metro Manila and the Visayas. She can be reached on facebook.com/margaritabondoc.eyemd
