Computer Vision Syndrome: A real problem amid the Covid-19 pandemic

Online gadgets have become an integral part of most of people's activities throughout the day, whether for work, entertainment, or staying connected with friends and peers. And this applies to all ages of the population, be it school going children, college going students or working professionals.
This dependence on gadgets has worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic and led to increased incidents of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), also known in some circles as digital eye strain.
This new eye disorder has started to take shape as more and more people have started working in front of computer screens and mobile phone screens and have started having symptoms like redness, irritation, and difficulty in focusing on near as well as distant objects.
The marked increase in screen time is occurring in both children and adults due to online classes and work from home, respectively, leading to this syndrome.
Prolonged exposure to screens can lead to developing symptoms of CVS where patient gets headaches, redness of eyes etc.
When we look at the screen for too long, the blinking rate of our eyes reduces and can lead to symptoms of dry eyes, characterized by grittiness, irritation, redness and itching in the eyes.
When people stare at their computer screens, their blink rate decreases from an average of 16-18 times per minute to about eight. This blinking reduction can dry out and irritate the eyes. And that leads to fluctuations in vision and blurred vision and of course the eye strain can cause headaches.
What should we do to avoid digital eye strain?
• Firstly, we should reduce the duration of screen time.
• Reduce the resolution and brightness of the screen.
• Use supplements like good quality lubricating eye drops.
• The 20-20-20 rule:
For working professionals, we suggest that you take a break every 20 minutes for about 20 seconds and look at something 20 feet away. This will relax the tired eye muscles and then they can start working again. You can try automated methods where the screen goes dark every 20 minutes and you are forced to take a little break. This will enhance blood circulation to the eyes, neck and back so everything is taken care of by following the 20-20-20 rule.
• Other factors like the lighting of the room, position of the body, quality of the computer screen also need to be taken care of.
• If you are wearing glasses, you can use glasses with blue light filter lenses, as they have shown to provide some degree of protection from the light emitted from digital screens.
• The normal screen time should be maximum 30-35 minutes at a stretch. For children, it is advisable that teachers take classes for maximum 30-35 minutes at a time and then give a gap of 15 minutes before resuming classes.
If we look at the penetration of mobile phones, it is over a billion which means almost everyone in the country owns a mobile phone.
However, around 25-35 per cent of the population needs simple glasses for vision and only about 50 per cent of them actually wear. This is a problem created due to lack of awareness.
It should be advised to everyone that after a child is born, after he/she is one-year-old and for every year he/she is in school, they should undergo eye checkups and wear glasses if needed.
If you need glasses for refractive error correction and do not wear it then it can affect your performance in school, college as well as in your professional activities.
Similarly, for working professionals as well as others staying at home, if you spend too much time on digital screens like mobile phones and laptops/computers, you should follow the above mentioned tips to avoid significant damage to your eyes. If you tend to develop any symptoms of digital eye strain like dryness, irritation, redness, eyeache and headache, you should consult an Ophthalmologist or visit your nearest hospital for a proper checkup and appropriate treatment.
At Central Referral Hospital (Manipal) in Gangtok, all the facilities are available for a detailed evaluation of your eyes including complete dry eye evaluation, refractive power checkup, as well as complete evaluation for Retina and Glaucoma.
Also, it is important to remember that the fear of COVID-19 should not be a reason for anyone to postpone their routine eye checkups and eye surgeries as Central Referral Hospital, Manipal is taking all precautions to keep patients and caregivers safe while providing quality eyecare and healthcare for everyone in the state of Sikkim.