It is a little too obvious that phone use can cause eye problems. You can tell this from the discomfort or pain in your eyes after using your mobile phone for long hours. You can be the type of person who spends time on social media, long video calls, or viewing media files. You don’t have to give all of that up.
Once you understand that phone use can cause eye problems, your next concern should be how to protect your eyes.
Why phone use can cause eye problems, and how to protect your eyes
Does the Phone's blue light cause damage to the eyes?
Some people think that phone use can cause eye problems only when it emits white light, but not when it emits blue light. It is not entirely accurate as both of them cause damage to the eye, mainly the blue light. Our eyes are not good at blocking blue light so that it can damage the eyes.
- It can damage the retina. When the blue light enters the eye, it goes through the cornea and lens to the retina. Over time, this can damage the human retina and cause vision problems.
- It can disrupt sleep. If you expose your eyes to the phone's blue light before bedtime, it can disrupt your sleep pattern.
- It can contribute to a cataract. Researchers have also confirmed that the blue light from prolonged phone use can cause eye problems like cataracts and macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of vision loss in the United States.
- It can cause digital eye strain. Digital eye strain is something you experience from too much exposure to digital devices like mobile phones.
Some people ask, does being on your phone hurt your eyes? Yes, it can harm your eyes and cause weak eyesight. These are just some of the damages that can result from it. Unfortunately, the damages could get worse than this if you do not take precautions.
Eye strain symptoms
Too much phone use can cause eye problems, and if you are a heavy mobile phone user, watch out for these eye strain symptoms.
- Headaches: This means that the eye strain causes headaches when you are using the phone. It can also occur when you are trying to sleep at night.
- Pains in the eyeballs: This means that your eyeballs hurt any time you look at a bright screen or bright light.
- Increased sensitivity to light: You can also feel hurt when you come in contact with sunlight.
- Watery or dry eyes: This means that you experience wet or dry eyes frequently. It can happen when you are looking at a phone, TV screen or any other device.
- Blurred or double vision
- Burning or itching eyes
If you observe any of these symptoms, see a doctor as soon as possible. It is also a sign that you need to reduce your phone usage. Other things like your TV screen and digital devices could also contribute to this.
How to protect eyes from the phone screen light
Does looking at a phone screen damage the eyes? Yes, but this happens when you fail to take precautions. If you use your mobile phone for more than two hours daily, you should use any of these solutions to protect your eyesight.
- Use blue or tinted glasses: Phone use can cause eye problems, but using blue glasses can reduce the chances. Several studies recommend using blue or tinted eyeglasses to protect the eyes from overexposure to the rays. It works the same way a pair of sunglasses would when you step into the streets.
- Activate eyecare: Most mobile phones have the eyecare feature. Activating this feature will reduce the screen brightness. It also reduces the white and the blue rays and makes it warm to the eyes.
- Launch settings
- Click on display
- Navigate and look for eyecare
- Turn it on
- Take a break every 20 minutes. For example, after looking at your phone screen for 20 minutes, you should take a 1-minute break to look at something at least 20 feet away.
- Use tinted screen protectors. Some screen protectors are slightly tinted blue or green. They work the same way as tinted glasses, and they protect your eye from the direct blue light rays from your phone.
- Use blue-light filters for your phones. For some Android phones, you may not find eyecare. Use the blue light filter instead.
- Launch Settings
- Click on Display
- Look for an option for a Night Light or Blue Light filter
- Turn it on.
- You can adjust the color temperature till it feels comfortable
- Reduce screen brightness when you are indoors. You do not need a 100 percent bright screen unless you are outdoors. If you are indoors, reduce it.
- Launch Settings
- Click on Display
- Click on the Brightness level and reduce it.
- You can also activate adaptive brightness so that your screen adjusts to your environment automatically.
Important advice to protect our eyes
Can long-day phone usage cause eye problems? Yes, it can. It may not happen right away, but it damages the vision gradually. Being on your phone for too long can hurt your eyes over time.
At this age, there are so many things you want to do on your cell phone. But, you can intentionally limit the length of time spent on your phone.
After using your device for a while, take a break. Look at something else. Do something that does not involve staring at a screen.
Conclusion
Mobile phones are central to a lot of daily activities, and we cannot do without them. Even then, unchecked phone use can cause eye problems. You don’t have to lose your eyesight over the phone. Apply the solutions listed above, and watch how your phone use becomes more comfortable.
You will observe how the pain, hurt, and discomfort will go away with time, especially when you activate eye care and use filters. Enjoy!!
