1) How does long hours exposed to screens affect eyesight?
Although screens are not bad for the eyes in themselves, spending long hours in front of the screens of our devices can cause us certain discomfort, such as: blurred vision, red eye, dry eye, eye fatigue, eye pain, tearing, headache (headache). These discomforts affect people of all ages and it is recommended that while you are in front of the screens do not forget to blink, use computer glasses, lubricate your eyes and follow the “20-6-20” rule, which consists of taking breaks every 20 minutes, changing the point where you fix your eyes and looking at an object that is at least 6 meters away for at least
least 20 seconds.
2) What are the risks of early and excessive exposure of children?
Early and excessive exposure in children is associated with problems such as visual fatigue and early myopia as a consequence of a constant and repetitive near visual focus, which later makes it difficult for the child to focus from afar, even though he has good vision up close. vision. Not to mention the other consequences produced by early and excessive exposure to devices in children at a neurological, cognitive and social level.
3) Why should blue light be avoided?
Blue light has been shown to have adverse effects on cell structure in in-vitro and live animal studies. In humans, short-term symptoms are easy to identify: eye irritation, tiredness, heaviness, lack of concentration, etc. However, the long-term effects are more difficult to demonstrate, which is why, in certain areas, we have to talk about “suspecting” this or that danger because scientific evidence will not be available for a long time. .
Blue light has its benefits as we will see below. however, the most energetic radiations are a source of problems and it has been shown that a part of the blue light can be dangerous if it is abused – and today its use on a large scale is very common.
We distinguish two types of blue light:
• Blue-turquoise light: it helps our brain to synchronize the biological rhythm of the body with the natural cyclical rhythms (light, temperature) through circadian rhythms. This cyclical “setting in time” also occurs in blind people, since this mechanism does not cover the vision pathways. Turquoise blue light is a type of light that “activates” and animates us. It can increase performance and learning ability. In addition, turquoise blue light is known to play an important role in the pupillary constriction reflex: a reflex that helps protect the eyes from solar radiation.
• Blue-violet light: There is evidence that blue-violet light, the most extreme part of the visible spectrum, can be harmful. In the short term, light close to UV causes fatigue and visual stress, while in the long term the high energy of this type of extreme light can damage the retina and accelerate the appearance of macular degeneration, which is one of the main causes. of blindness in the world. Violet blue light, like uv radiation, is suspected to aid cataract formation. Overexposure to “blue light” can be dangerous and affects us in a number of ways, such as disrupting our sleep/wake cycle and interfering with the production of the hormone melatonin, resulting in a longer wakefulness state.
4) Can they bring about other types of complications?
There are certain eye pathologies that are exacerbated by exposure to light emitted by screens, such as myopia, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia, without us being aware that this is the cause. The most advanced cases are caused by a practice that might seem familiar to us and that is the use of the cell phone with the light off before going to sleep. To keep in mind, nightly sleep is reduced by 26 minutes for every hour spent in front of a screen per day.
Recommendations:
• First, stay away from air conditioning and heating.
• Turn on the light before looking at the cell phone so that the eyes adapt to the ambient light.
• One hour before bedtime avoid the use of screens.
• Use of blue light filter glasses.
5) What advice would you give us to improve this condition and ensure that it does not
affect us?
My advice to improve these conditions and try to reduce the impact of screens on our visual health is to eat a healthy diet because some nutrients protect our eyes from violet light, such as fruits and vegetables, and it would be great to incorporate foods that contain omega3, lutein and astaxanthin that also collaborate with our visual health. It is also very important to carry out physical activity, whether individual or group sports, which, in addition to all the benefits that we already know, helps our visual system to focus from afar by relaxing the muscles of near vision. Regarding the use of digital device screens, my recommendation is to limit the exposure of our eyes to the light they emit, for which the following rule would help a lot to identify the recommended limit exposure time according to age:
• From 0 to 4 years it is recommended not to use digital device screens.
• From 4 to 8 years, a maximum of 0:30 hours per day is recommended.
• From 8 to 16 years old between 1:00 a.m. and 1:30 a.m. maximum
• From 16 years onwards 2:00 hours maximum.
And of course, I recommend performing an ophthalmological examination for newborns, children and adults once a year.
Contact: Av. 9 de Julio 215- Resistencia, Chaco. Phone: 0362 442-5774.
Dr. Lorena Marcela Mancini, MN 84457.
by CEDOC
