Smart working can create vision problems: how to protect yourself and prevent eye damage?

Smart working and long hours spent in front of the PC can damage vision health. Here are a few simple tips to protect your eyesight.

Due to the health situation many people work in smart working and, spending several hours in front of the computer, can develop vision problems. In fact, these working conditions can in the long run cause eye discomfort and, in the worst cases, problems with posture and visual health. To prevent these small inconveniences from worsening and to preserve eye health in smart working, just follow a few simple habits. Let’s find out what they are and how to apply them in the right way.

Smart working and sight: location and field of view

To be able to work in smart working without compromising your eyesight it is important to follow some precautions. The first thing to do is to create a work station. In fact, staying at home, the temptation to lie down on the sofa with the PC on your lap is great. But know that there is nothing more wrong.

In fact, maintaining a good posture, and therefore a correct head position, is very difficult on a sofa and armchairs. Plus, even if it looks comfortable, it can change your posture and hunch your spine.

Building an “office” corner at home is very important and to do so, just position yourself on the table, paying attention to avoid reflections on the screen. Furthermore, another good habit to protect your eyesight if you do smart working is to create the right line of sight . In fact, in order not to tire your eyes too much, you can tilt the screen slightly below your line of sight and keep it at about 30 cm. This way you can relieve the strain on the eye muscles and focus.

Smart working and sight: soothe the eyes

In addition to choosing a good position and a correct posture, when working in smart working it is important to give the right relief to the sight. First, remember to take regular breaks of about 20 minutes, at least every two hours. During these brecks it is recommended to stare at a distant point for 20 seconds. This rule, known as 20/20/20 , helps fight fatigue and blurring of the eyes. In fact it keeps them active and forces them to change their observation point.

In addition, to keep the eyes moist and hydrated, you can use artificial tears that do not require a medical prescription. Finally, when you spend a lot of time in front of the computer, and always stare at the same point, you tend to blink less. This causes excessive dryness of the eyes and to prevent it, just do some gymnastics. Remember to blink at least and close your eyes for at least 15-20 seconds to relax your eyelids and allow for hydration.

Smart working and sight: glasses and blue light

When you are in smart working and want to preserve vision health, it is important to always keep your glasses clean . Keeping these accessories free of streaks helps to keep your eyes from straining. If you want to achieve a good result, the advice is to wash them with water and a drop of detergent.

If you want complete protection, you can choose glasses with a blue light filter, also available for those who do not need glasses. In fact, excessive exposure to the blue light emitted by technological devices can seriously strain the eyes and also cause sleep disturbances or migraines. A blue light filter function is also available on some devices which, while having less effect, helps.

Nutrition and vision care in smart working

As many will know, nutrition also plays an important role in eye health, whether smart working or not. Among the elements that most contribute to eye health we certainly find zinc and copper. But there are also vitamins E , C and beta carotene . Therefore, introducing foods such as green leafy vegetables, citrus fruits, carrots and legumes into your diet can help prevent visual health impairment.

In particular, vitamin C protects the blood vessels of the eyes and is a powerful antioxidant, useful in preventing cataracts . Finally, carotenoids help protect the retina and macula from the blue radiation emitted by screens.