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Four ways to reduce eye strain caused by extra screen time

Worldwide, people logged an extra 5 billion hours on Google, Facebook and other popular websites in March.

NORFOLK, Va. — Worldwide, people logged an extra 5 billion hours on Google, Facebook, and other popular websites in March.

That was a 15 percent increase on the month, according to SimilarWeb.

Your eyes are bearing the brunt of all that extra screen time. So here are four ways you can give your eyes a break and reduce eye strain:

  •  Blink more often. The average person blinks around 16 times a minute. But when we’re staring at a screen it drops to 2 to 4 times.  This one is an easy fix to keep your eyes moist.
  • Add eye drops to your routine. But don’t confuse drops that reduce redness with lubricating drops. The former won’t necessarily help with dryness and irritation.
  •  Adjust your display settings. Mainly the brightness of your screen and text size. If the white areas of your screen are a light source for the rest of your work station, then it’s probably too bright. But you don’t want it too dark either; try to find a good middle ground. Also, increase the text size on your screen. A simple method is zooming in on web pages using your keyboard. Hold the Control button while pressing the + key.
  • Follow the 20-20-20 rule. That is, for every 20 minutes you stare at your screen, take a break for 20 seconds, and stare at something approximately 20 feet away.

The good news is that there isn’t solid evidence that shows screen time does long term damage to our eyes. But these tips will certainly make them less tired and irritated right now.

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