In today’s world, we spend most of our time looking at our computers and devices. According to a Nielsen study conducted in the first quarter of 2018, it states “American’s spend up to eleven hours per day interacting with digital media”. Eleven hours. That’s a lot of time with our eyes focused on our screens.

Speaking of our eyes, let’s think about the damage we’re doing to our eyes looking at our screens for such a long period of time. Let me tell y’all, it isn’t good and it’s causing more damage than you think.

What happens to our eyes when we stare at our devices too long?

Looking at our screens for an excessive amount of time puts a strain on our eyes which can create or make existing eye problems worse. This is caused by the blue light that comes from our electronics. These eye problems can be anything ranging from, but not limited to blurred vision, loss of focus, headaches, and dry eyes.

These eye issues aren’t limited to adults. Children suffer as well. According to a PBS article citing the Common Sense Census, it states children between the ages of 2-4 spend more than two and a half hours a day on screen media and children between the ages of 5-8 spend roughly three hours a day. That’s a lot of YouTube.

How do we protect our eyes while looking at our devices?

Aside from limiting the amount of time we spend looking at our phones, turning on blue light reduction device features or attaching screen filters, we can also wear blue light blocking glasses. I recently got a super stylish pair for Garrison to protect his eyes during screen time. He loves them and wears them all the time. He thinks they’re cool while also understanding how they keep his eyes safe while playing Minecraft.

Where can you get a pair of blue light blocking glasses?

You can get them from your local eyeglass shop or Amazon. I bought Garrison’s off Amazon. There were a ton of designs to choose from for both kids and adults. If you wear prescription glasses you need to ask your optometrist about blue light blocking lenses or contacts. Prices for them start at about $10 (nonprescription) and can go up depending on your visual needs.

With devices being apart of our everyday life we need to be more cautious about how much time we spend on them and take the necessary steps to protect our eyesight.