In my career as an ophthalmologist, I have witnessed countless cases of eye problems caused by improper use of mobile phones.
Today, I would like to share with you an impressive story about a young patient of mine whom we call Xiao Li.
Xiao Li is a college student. Due to playing with his phone for a long time in a dimly lit room, and often lying in bed and playing with his phone on his side, his vision suddenly increased from 200 degrees to 800 degrees.
This change not only greatly affected his life, but also brought significant challenges to his studies. When Xiao Li first came to my clinic, he described some of his daily habits, especially his bedtime habits.
He is accustomed to using his phone in a completely off light environment until late at night. This intense screen light contrasts greatly with the surrounding dark environment, putting a great burden on his eyes.
In addition, he often lies on his side in bed using his phone, which puts more pressure on one of his eyes, and this uneven pressure quickly manifests in his vision.
Turning off lights and playing with mobile phones: hidden health risks to the eyes
Firstly, let's talk about the harm of strong contrast in light. In the darkroom, the strong light on the phone screen becomes the focus of vision.
This high contrast lighting environment forces the pupils to frequently adjust to changes in brightness, and over time, the eye's adjustment mechanism may become fatigued.
This not only causes discomfort, dryness, or fatigue in the short term, but may also accelerate the decline of vision in the long run. The long-term impact on vision.
Scientific research has shown that using a mobile phone in low light environments can increase the burden of eye adjustment, and this overwork may ultimately lead to an increase in myopia.
Taking a patient with 200 degree myopia as an example, if this habit is not changed continuously, it is likely that in the near future, their degree will quietly rise to 800 degrees. Therefore, changing this usage habit is crucial.
It is recommended to maintain moderate lighting in the surrounding environment as much as possible when using mobile phones or other electronic screen devices, and avoid prolonged use of mobile phones in completely dark environments.
In addition, arranging the usage time reasonably, allowing the eyes to rest every 20 minutes and gazing for 20 seconds can effectively reduce eye fatigue.
Lying on the side while playing with a mobile phone: Uneven burden on the eyes
When lying on one side due to improper posture, the pressure on the body will be unevenly distributed on one side due to the effect of gravity.
This posture not only affects the spine and neck, but is also detrimental to the eyes. When you use your phone while lying on your side, usually only one eye can see the screen, and the other eye may be partially blocked by the pillow.
This not only leads to different focal points between the two eyes, but may also increase the intraocular pressure of the compressed eyes, thereby exacerbating eye fatigue.
The risk of uneven vision is that lying on one side of a phone for a long time can cause one eye to take on more visual work while the other eye is relatively resting.
This uneven visual load may ultimately lead to inconsistent development of refractive states in both eyes, commonly known as amblyopia. If not adjusted in a timely manner, over time, it may lead to further
deterioration of uneven vision and even affect the visual quality in daily life.
To avoid this situation, it is recommended to take the following measures: change the posture of use: try to avoid lying on your side for a long time using your phone.
You can sit up and use a pillow to support your back, ensuring that your eyes are at an appropriate distance and height from the phone screen, which can reduce the burden on your eyes.
Regularly changing the direction of lying on the side: If you really enjoy lying on the side, you can try changing the direction of lying on the side regularly to balance the load on both eyes.
Timely rest: After using your phone for 20 minutes, try to rest your eyes for 20 seconds and look at objects 20 feet (about 6 meters) away, which can help reduce eye fatigue.
Protective measures and life advice: The correct posture for using a mobile phone should be maintained at an appropriate distance: the screen of the phone should be at least 40 centimeters away from the eyes. This helps to reduce the pressure of eye focusing.
Correct sitting posture: Sit straight with your phone parallel to your eyes, avoiding excessive bending or lifting of your head to reduce the burden on your neck and shoulders.
Uniform lighting: When using a mobile phone, ensure that the ambient light is soft and uniform, and avoid using a high brightness screen in a completely dark environment.
Practical visual protection techniques using eye protection mode: Modern smartphones are usually equipped with eye protection mode, which can reduce blue light radiation and alleviate eye fatigue. Enabling this feature can protect the eyes when using the phone for extended periods of time.
Timed rest: The 20-20-20 rule is adopted, which means that every 20 minutes of work, the gaze should be at least 20 feet (about 6 meters) away from the screen and gaze for 20 seconds.
This helps to relax the eyes and reduce fatigue. Increase blinking frequency: When staring at the screen for a long time, people's blinking frequency will decrease, which may lead to dry eyes.
Consciously increasing the frequency of blinking can help lubricate the eyes, reduce dryness and irritation. Adjusting screen brightness and contrast automatically adjusts brightness: Many mobile phones and tablets offer the function of automatically adjusting brightness, automatically adjusting screen brightness based on the surrounding light intensity, which can reduce eye pressure and provide a more comfortable reading experience.
Maintain healthy lifestyle habits and adequate sleep: Ensuring sufficient sleep time helps to restore eye muscles.
Balanced diet: Eating foods rich in vitamin A, C, and E, as well as Omega-3 fatty acids, can support eye health.
By implementing these simple measures, we can effectively protect our eyesight and prevent eye health problems caused by improper mobile phone usage habits.
Always remember that protecting your vision is a long-term commitment, and every small change has a positive impact on your eye health.
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