How to Protect Your Eyes During Your Studies

Posted on: 23 March 2017

From watching PowerPoint presentations to working their way through lengthy reading lists, most students rely on their eyes to help them learn. However, all that reading and screen time can put the eyes under a lot of strain. Here are four ways to help protect your eyesight during your studies.

1. Get Your Eyes Checked

Wearing glasses that have an outdated prescription can strain your eyes, which could lead to headaches or fatigue. Doctors recommend getting your eyes tested every two years, but you should attend sooner if you notice yourself straining to read from the page, screen, or chalkboard. Some universities offer funding to help students meet the cost of glasses, so there is no reason to struggle on with an old prescription.

2. Take Breaks From Studying

Long study sessions not only tax your brain but also force the muscles controlling your eyes to focus for long periods of time. Like any other form of muscle overtraining, this can lead to a painful strain. Protect your eyes by taking regular breaks from your books or computer. Some students find it helpful to use the Pomodoro technique, which alternates focused periods of study with scheduled breaks. Don't spend your breaks staring at the screen of your smartphone. Instead, get up and walk around to relax the muscles around your eyes and stretch out the rest of your body.

3. Adjust Your Screen Brightness

When you sit in a dark room, your pupils dilate to let in more light. If you then place a bright light source, such as a smartphone or tablet screen, in front of your eyes, too much light can flood into the eyeball and cause damage. Try to match the brightness of your screens to the brightness of the environment in which you like to study, or install an app that will do it for you automatically.

4. Protect Your Eyes During Sports

Many students use sport as a way to relax, while others aspire to compete. However seriously you take your sporting activities, you need to protect your eyes from impacts during ball and contact sports. A pair of sports goggles can save you from permanent eye damage, and they don't have to make you look like a dork. Today, sports goggles come in a range of styles and colours, allowing you to express your personality on the pitch while protecting your eyes from harm.

In addition to scheduling regular exams with an optometrist, make sure you stay on top of your overall health by getting regular exams with your primary care doctor.

Share

Staying Healthy in Old Age

Hello, my name is Maggie and I live in Queensland, Australia. When I was younger, I was always as fit as a fiddle. I would run marathons and go swimming in the sea. However, as I got older, I started to notice that I couldn't quite do what I used to. I started to get aches and pains in my back whenever I tried to exercise. My friend suggested I see the doctor and he sent me to the local health care clinic. The specialist there was able to identify the problem and he provided some fantastic treatment. He also gave me some great advice about staying healthy in old age, so I decided to start this blog.

Categories

Latest Posts