August is Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month, and that means it’s time to get serious about kid’s eye health. With virtual schooling all around, today’s most pervasive threat is digital eye strain. To be honest, more than COVID, I’m seriously concerned about Kids' mental and eye health.
Many kids experience CVS :- the Computer Vision syndrome which can be eye discomfort and vision problems when viewing digital screens for extended periods. The symptoms may include, but not limited to:
Blurred vision
Headache
Nausea
Neck strain
Dry Eyes
Itchy eyes
Stress and Anxiety
Here are some eye friendly computer tips and safe vision habits for virtual school families
1. Blink often
2. Take screen breaks. Here is a 20-20-20 rule. Take 20 seconds break from 20 minutes of screen time and gaze at a distant object about 20 feet away.
3. Reduce external light by shutting off bright fluorescent lighting or excess sunlight
4. Set your computer brightness and display to optimal setting & to auto adjust to the surrounding lighting
5. Make sure screen has antireflective surface otherwise buy a screen
6. Make sure the kids have a correct seating posture otherwise that can cause cervical spine issues and strain which in-turn impacts eyes
7. I also suggest Eye yoga for your kids
a. Here are some videos that demonstrate what Eye Yoga is
8. Create an Eye friendly schedule with a 20 minute timer for frequent breaks if possible. Discuss this with your class teacher so its better for the entire class health including the teacher’s
9. Start by Sitting in a comfortable posture with a straight back and gently close your eyes. Breath softly and focus on your eyes, this will bring the oxygen supply to eyes and relaxes them. Keep doing this eyes 20 minutes. Set a timer for doing this.
10. Lastly, no screen time 1-1.5 hours before bed time. If possible, do a Triphala eye wash. Checkout my Insta post for details.
11. Apply Triphala Gritam on the water line. If not just apply Ghee on the eye lids and lashes of the kids before bedtime.
12. Happy and safe online learnings!