7 tips to take care of the sight while we read
Whether for work or pleasure, we spend more time reading each time. Progress has transformed the classic format into the role of books, and although it is still the favorite of many, other electronic devices, such as ibooks, tablets, the smartphone or the computer are gaining ground to achieve the final objective: the promotion of the reading.
And the habit of reading is very healthy. Reading helps to release stress, stimulate our brain, expand memory, learn new concepts, among many others, but it can also affect our eyesight when we read in low light or we need to make some necessary and healthy breaks.
7 tips to protect the sight during reading
To ensure that reading continues to be a pleasure, taking care of our eyes will help us to maintain a correct visual acuity that will facilitate reading. There are some guidelines that, if we manage to incorporate them into our daily routine, as recommended by Dr. María Capote of the Ophthalmology Service of Hospital La Milagrosa in Madrid, will help us to protect our vision and, at the same time, to correctly use the use of these electronic reading devices.
1. Check your view periodically. Visual defects such as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism or presbyopia can cause eye fatigue, flushing and headaches, among other problems. It is advisable to consult the ophthalmologist before any of these symptoms and attend an annual visual checkup. The visual correction with glasses or contact lenses, where appropriate, is fundamental for reading during an extended period of time in any format.
2. Rest every so often. Apply the rule created by ophthalmologist Jeffrey Ashel. The 20-20-20 rule consists of resting every 20 minutes, for 20 seconds, trying to focus on an object that is 20 feet (6 meters) away. This way you can relax the accommodation of the eye and increase the flicker, to reduce the symptoms of eye strain.
3. Maintain the proper distance from the book, computer and tablet. The adequate reading distance to avoid ocular surface diseases should be at least 35-40 centimeters between our eyes and the book, tablet or telephone, and at least 50 cm when we work with a computer or laptop. Dr. Maria Capote, an expert in pathologies related to the retina, says that "it is a habit that we must inculcate to children from small".
4. Check the children's view. The first visual examination should be performed around 2-3 years of age to rule out possible vision problems such as myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism. The opinion of the pediatrician, parents, teachers and people close to us should warn us of the need to advance that first consultation if any symptoms are detected.
5. Good lighting. An erroneous distribution of light can influence visual fatigue. It is advisable to read with a roof light and an accessory light, so that the ceiling lighting is not directly above us, but parallel to the line of sight, and the accessory light from the side. If we read with backlit screens they should be perpendicular to the windows and with good lighting, never in the dark.
6. Hydration of the eye. When reading we tend not to blink enough, the tear film that protects the eye evaporates, and increases the risk of ocular symptoms, especially if you work in closed environments, with little ventilation, and heating or air conditioning. Artificial tears allow to keep the surface of the eye protected from external aggressions and when they are applied during the day or during prolonged visual efforts it improves comfort and reduces some symptoms such as itching or blurred vision. They also prevent eye diseases such as dry eye syndrome.
7. Correct posture. To avoid that the eye is more open and the corneal surface more exposed, it is also important that the book or the device is located below the visual axis. Reading lying down without pillows or with very high computer screens is not recommended. The reading material must be below the line of sight, since when looking down the eyelid covers a large part of the ocular surface, preventing structures such as the cornea or the conjunctiva from being irritated by external agents.
Marina Berrio
Advice: Dr. María Capote of the Ophthalmology Service of the Hospital La Milagrosa in Madrid
