Cut out the glare and reduce your eye strain!

“Eye strain does not have serious or long-term consequences, but it can be disruptive and unpleasant” says the Mayo Clinic. “It can make you tiered and reduce your ability to concentrate.”

Eye strain (also known as Asthenopia) is caused by overuse of the eyes. Examples of overuse are reading for long periods of time, focusing too long at a computer screen or other tedious visual tasks. Eye strain caused by staring at the computer screen for too long is called Computer Vision Syndrome (also known as CVS).

CVS symptoms are:

• blurred vision
• headaches
• neck and shoulder pains
• dry inflamed eyes

CVS is said to affect some 90% of people who sit in front of a computer screen for 3+ hours a day. According to PRIO (a company that specializes in CVS testing and prevention), because a computer screen is made up of pixels (tiny glowing dots that make up an image or text) your eyes are constantly trying to refocus. Without defined edges or background contrast, your eyes cannot lock the image into focus. Here at Photodon.com we offer products to help you reduce your rick for eye strain/ CVS. Anti glare screen protective film and computer monitor hoods are a couple of our products that will reduce surrounding light from causing glare on your screen.

The following are some helpful tips to help prevent eyestrain:

• It is important to look away from your screen every 20mins and focus on an object that is at least 20ft away for at least 20 seconds. This method as known as “20-20-20”
• Take time to rest your eyes. In a relaxed position gently close your eyes to rest and naturally moisten them.
• Remember to blink! The average blink rate for humans is 16-20 blinks per minute. Studies show that rate decreases to as low as 6-8 blinks per minute for people working at a computer screen.
• Adjust the contrast of your computer screen and turn the brightness levels down. The levels will vary for every individual but keep in mind that too little contrast will cause your eyes to try to focus harder which can also cause eye strain.
• Keep your eyes hydrated! Although blinking and resting your eyes will help naturally moisten your eyes, it may not be enough to keep them from drying out. There are many different brands of artificial tears that can help keep proper moisture.

Some people have found computer monitor hoods to be quite helpful in that they block over head and side lighting from bouncing off the screen causing glare. Our monitor hoods are manufactured here in the USA. The material is dark high quality, pressed fiber board that offers a smooth black texture that will absorb light.

Another helpful product is anti glare screen protective film. We offer top of the line screen protective film made from a PET material that adheres to your screen with safe rubber silicon. This anti glare film gives the screen a matte look which helps cut the glare down from surrounding lights.

Please keep in mind that these are only suggestions. These solutions have helped many people but that doesn’t guarantee that they will be successful for you. For serious vision concerns/issues, headaches, blurred vision and fatigue, contact your physician/eye care professional.

I’m outta here for now! Thanks for reading!
~Lisa Marie (Photodon’s Social Butterfly)~