If you are already wearing spectacles or contact lenses, problems tend to get enhanced. That’s because your eyes have to compensate for the optical aids in addition to the strain caused by the device. Small font size on the phone’s screen also increases strain. Those who text or browse the web for prolonged periods also strain their eyes as do those who continuously use their smartphones in a moving vehicle.
“Researchers have shown that while doing work on smartphones for long, users, especially the youth, tend to hold it closer than usual – between 10 and 12 inches. This, done in excess, can lead to myopia, especially if you are prone to it. Global reports show a 35% increase in young patients with advancing myopia, which many leading journals have attributed to near-point activity on a smartphone. These problems are compounded by the use of computers on a daily basis,” says Dr Mehta.
The results of overuse
In adults, it will lead to headaches, brow ache, redness, irritation and dryness in the eyes. Among the younger lot, it will invariably lead to a rise in the eye number. Adds Dr Zenobia Shroff, optometrist, “Holding the screen for long in a fixed position often causes the neck and shoulder muscles to stiffen, leading to back pain. Unfortunately, many people now use phones to even read novels. Continuous reading on a small screen is a recipe for disaster. It guarantees you a headache in less than an hour. It is also a well-established fact that the blue light emitted from mobiles can suppress the production of Melatonin, which helps regulate sleep.”
What to do
“Smartphones have now become so ubiquitous that to even say that one can do without them is to deny the obvious advantages. However, one can decrease the time spent on these devices, preferably get a device with a larger screen, do only the minimum required quantum of work on a four-inch screen device and restrict the daily e-mail activities to when they sit in front of a larger screen where the risk of strain will decrease significantly,” says Dr Mehta.
“Those who use cellphones extensively should cut down on its usage. Take regular intervals and try to maintain a distance from your phones. Also, blink more often as it prevents the eyes from drying. Reading black letters on a white background can decrease eye strain. Increasing font size is also a must,” adds Dr Shroff.
An average workplace involves eight to 10 hours of computer activity. Added to this is the added strain of smartphones, which will, over time, lead to a breakdown of the accommodation mechanism.
