You and your eyes
Hi lovelies,
Well, we are into the second month of a new year and still in l, our third one in the UK. I know these are difficult times for many and some have found new direction and meaning within the madness. One thing we do all have in common is the amount of screen time we have been consuming. I was Reading a fight for sight blog post recently they have produced a survey of 2,000 people in the UK and its results found that half of peoples screen time has increased since the pandemic began. Of these 38% believe that their eyesight has been affected as a result. This has lead to migraines, poorer night vision and difficulty reading. They have some tips for keeping your eyes healthy during the pandemic and you can find the post here for them.
I wanted to share with you my experience and worries in our household and our families experience.
So I am shouting out to the parents out there, I know this one might ring true for you. My son has been spending a lot more time on screens since the lockdown began. Not only has his learning gone completely online but the only way he can talk with his friends is through a screen and playing on remote games. I wasn’t too concerned at first as I thought he is not the only one but then he started to complain about headaches. That was when I took a more assertive role with his screen time. I bought him some blue light filter glasses off amazon. Which you can find here.
There are many other options available. Since he has been wearing these he says it has helped his headaches and he doesn’t feel as tired.
After reading the fight for sight blog post where one of the tips is about the 20,20,20 rule. This is where for every 20 minutes on a device you take a break and look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. I set a timer for every 20 mins he is on the screen and shout him to walk around the house for a minute to rest his eyes. Honestly, sometimes we may miss one but if we do it two out of three times it is giving his eyes a rest. I guess in this household our eyes are a valuable thing. I am not saying anybody else’s eyes are not but with my experiences I just want to make sure he has the best shot at great sight.
We also like to take a long walk at least once a week and Dylan will play football with his dad where possible because exercise is important to good eye health. A good diet also helps with great eye health so we try to have as much leafy greens, oily fish and citrus fruits. These contain omega 3 fatty acids, vitamins C and E. Dylan is very partial to a salmon fillet and then eats the lemon slice after.
There are other things you can do to protect your eyes such as wearing protective goggles during sports or completing tasks that could have flying objects. Now I am not suggesting that you constantly have goggles on, I think we have enough wearing a mask, all I am suggesting is that where you think it maybe dangerous pop some on. I wear glasses when walking even though they don;’t do anything because I have no sight, they are there just to protect my eye from low hanging objects such as branches.
Our eyes are one of the five senses we use the most, so let’s just be mindful of them. Speaking from experience losing them is a difficult pill to swallow but it is not the end of the world as you know it. So if it was to happen to you please don’t worry, just look after them now.
Sending lots of love
Nina xx