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Technology and Eye Fatigue

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gadrian
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I wore glasses since I was a young boy. And despite that, I was always pretty confident in my eye vision.

Until I reached 40s and started to push into mid-40s. That is when things changed. People got used to giving me various bottles, recipients to read the fine print. Now I pass them along or I am the one asking for assistance. Last resort: I use a magnifying glass.

It's a big change. One I was warned about, but disconsiderred in my 30s.

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The guys from @liotes asked in their weekly challenge "How much do you spend in front of a screen?". And Achim specified it doesn't matter if it's a computer, phone, or TV.

I've seen some numbers there (12h) that may very well add up in my case too, some days, but not always.

I conciously take steps to reduce that exposure, or at least to minimize impact on the eyes.

One of the first methods I started using a while ago and practically can't do without these days is using a dark theme for the operating system and for the websites. If a website doesn't have one, it is grounds for possibly ditching it.

Another step I take is to filter blue light on the screens that have this option. Blue light from screens can interfere with the body's circadian rhythm (the internal clock). Blue light is interpreted by the mind as a signal to wake up or stay awake, because it's daytime.

Then it's what we do to not stay in front of the screen, which is the most important part.

For example, I don't carry my phone with me when I'm at home unless I expect an important call. Some (most?) people do. But in doing that, they may be attracted by it when they are away from the computer.

I also started using the feature from PeakD that reads me posts. This way, my eyes don't do the effort of reading the text from the screen. I can multitask, as I explained in a different post, but another option is to lay down in bed and just listen (sometimes a good precursor to taking a nap). Rest your body too and your back will be greatful to you after many years.

Another option is to group some tasks together and do them at the same time, possibly less often. Delegating would be even better, when possible. And of course, automation can have its role too. That doesn't even need to be something controversial, can be as little as auto-claiming your curation rewards via the Hive Keychainn.

One of the most important ones that I don't do as often: take short breaks from time to time to rest your eyes and move your body. The important part about the eyes is to change the distance where you focus them. For laptops, computers, smartphones, the distance from the screen is usually 0.5-1m. When you take an eye break, you need to focus them somewhere at a distant point. It's better than keeping them closed.

What are your own tips you use to reduce fatigue of the eyes?

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