The unexpected impact of too much screen time on human eyes | by Mycare Malaysia
Take your little moment to observe those around you before you continue to read this article. You might see at least one person engrossed in his or her phone (if you happen to be in a public place). We all know that screen time will have a negative impact on adults and children ‘s eyes and also affect children development.
We cannot deny that an individual’s screen time has increased exponentially in the past decade. During movement control order (MCO) due to Covid-19 an individual’s screen time also increased a lot because most of the time Malaysians were staying at home and spent time on mobile devices or laptops.
Impact of too much screen time
1. Computer vision syndrome
This can also be referred to as digital eye strain as a group of eye and vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer and mobile phone use. Many people and children are experiencing eye discomfort and vision problems such as dry eyes blurred vision, and headaches when viewing digital screens for extended periods
2. Gain weight
Spending too much time on mobile devices and laptops can increase the risk of weight gain, diabetes and heart disease in adults. Studies show that there are several factors to blame which include a sedentary lifestyle, less sleep and bad eating habits when engrossed into a screen. This might happen in children.
3. Chronic Neck and Back Pain
Poor posture when you are spending time on mobile devices or laptops can cause chronic neck, shoulder, back pain and even can affect children growth.
4. Impaired cognitive function
Studies prove that spending too much screen time will affect cognitive processing which means this can lead to less efficient information processing (Shoukat 2019).
What can you do?
What can you do if you need to keep looking on screen is
Follow the 20/20/20 rule.
Take a 20-second break from your mobile device or laptop every 20 minutes and look at something 20 feet away. You are suggested to set an alarm on your smartphone as a reminder.
Most people hold their smartphone and any devices 8 to 12 inches from their face. You are recommended to hold your devices at least 20 inches from your eyes in order to protect your eyes.
Consume supplement
You can consume supplements to enhance your eyesight. Studies show that some kind of supplements are good for your eyesight such as Multivitamin or Stiflex. These supplements have plenty of vitamin A. Seiflex contains of black currant Anthocyanoside (BCA) which has the main antioxidant ingredient Cyanidin -3-glucoside (C3G) to speed up regeneration of Rhodopsin and allows for quicker dark adaption and optimizing visual acuity. Children and adults are recommended to consume supplements to enhance eyesight.
Further detail information please visit to Mycare Malaysia
References
Care well, “The effect of too much screen time has on your health”, viewed 27 July 2020 <https://www.carewellurgentcare.com/2018/07/19/the-effects-too-much-screen-time-has-on-your-health/>.
Shoukat S 2019, Cell phone addiction and psychological and physiological health in adolescents. EXCLI journal, vol. 18, pp. 47–50.
EyeCenter, “Cell phone and vision problems”, viewed 27 July 2020 <https://www.eyecenteroftexas.com/2017/11/looking-phone-much-hurt-eyes/>.
WebMD, “Dry eye and screen use” , viewed 27 July 2020, <https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/dry-eye-screen-use#1>.
Mycaremalaysia, “Truelifesicnes”, viewed 27 July 2020, <https://mycare.com.my/estore/Stiflex-therapeutic-protective-eye?search=stiflex%20&description=true>.