Eye Position | Episode 13 | One Simple Thing | Optimists

We are all mortals who want to improve our health and well-being with simple things without any hassle, but what is the right advice? Is it a morning walk? Or our thoughts? Or the habit of reading? Welcome to the Optimists podcast, I’m Dr Priyanka, and this is “One Simple Thing.” Here you will learn just one thing to improve your health in ways you might not expect. 

Most of us spend at least 5-6 hours every day in front of a computer or laptop screen. And we think very little about how our eyes get affected by doing so. 

Something that you could do to keep a proper working posture and prevent any screen damage to the eyes is fixing the positioning of your eyes. 

Not a lot of people realise that eye positioning and taking care of your eyesight are important. 

When using their digital devices, many people tend to keep them close to their eyes. They are more prone to developing eye issues, especially while continuously working like that for long hours. There is also a term for it: ‘computer vision syndrome’. The symptoms of this syndrome are eye irritation, blurred vision, headaches, and back pain. 

The first thing is to keep your laptop screen at arm-length. That is, the screen needs to be at a proper distance from your eyes. 

Make sure the top of your screen is at your eye level. If not, you will probably be looking up and down at the screen which would cause neck and back problems. 

And eyes are naturally designed to focus and refocus. With many studies, researchers have developed the 20-20-20 rule. This rule helps to reduce the strain on the eyes. 

The rule says: While working or looking at the computer screen, for every 20 minutes, you should look away – at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This method is found to be effective in relaxing the eye muscles. 

You could start doing it by keeping an alarm that goes off every 20 minutes as a reminder to look away from the screen. There are also apps available nowadays that help you implement this 20-20-20 rule. 

An average human being blinks every 4 seconds, but studies indicate that, in recent days, it has reduced by more than 50 per cent while looking at a digital screen. 

Blinking helps to keep your eyes hydrated and prevents them from getting dry and irritated. And it allows you to refocus your eyes.

So, remember to blink while in front of the screen. 

Eye position is a major part of posture and practising that would most definitely improve both your physical and mental health. It helps you be more productive and active at work. It also contributes to your performance at work by making your working experience more comfortable and healthy. 

So if this is not one thing you are already doing, then do give it a try! Your posture, work performance, and your overall well-being could get benefitted. 

That’s one thing to include in your daily routine for improving your body and life. Join me next time on “One simple thing” for a better tomorrow.