Keep your distance: Save your eyes from strain and have your iPhone warn you if your face is too close to the screen. From Settings, choose Screen Time > Screen Distance. Android friends, your phone doesn’t have this feature, so keep your phone at least 12 inches away from your eyes when possible.
Have bad eyesight? Try one of these vision training apps
As we age, our vision is among the first senses to degrade. Our eyes’ ability to focus lessens over time, which is most noticeable while reading or using a phone or computer.
Vision training apps claim to help improve eyesight and keep your eyes healthier. We can’t say they definitely work, but some free apps are worth checking out if you’re sick of reading glasses or don’t want to bump up your prescription strength.
Blue screen blues
Whether browsing the web, working, shopping online, checking social media, or video chatting with friends and colleagues, we expose our eyes to blue light. While you can find blue light in fluorescent lighting, LED lights and even the sun, we hear about it more when referencing phones and computer screens.
While more studies need to be done on the potentially harmful effects of blue light, we know that it can disturb your circadian rhythm, affect your sleep and cause eye strain. Skincare experts have also linked blue light from devices to skin problems. Tap or click here to learn more.
It may seem counterintuitive to use your phone to train your vision, but these apps are designed for just a few minutes.
Eyesight recovery workout
Eyes Recovery Workout
Eyesight recovery workout is an Android app that features exercises to help restore your vision and relax your eyes. There are six exercises, and an entire session lasts just five minutes. You only need one session daily to see improvement, and you can set up notifications and reminders to keep it up.
Just follow the eye on your screen and focus on the sound prompts. The developers suggest running through the program after work or during work breaks.
With more than 500,000 downloads and a score of 4.7 on the Google Play Store, this one is worth a look. Eyesight recovery workout is free to use with ads. Upgrade to the full version to remove ads.
Condition called 'smartphone pinky' goes viral, but is it real?
Don’t sit so close to the TV. You’ll ruin your eyesight! Don’t turn up the volume on your headphones. You’ll damage your hearing! Don’t stand next to the speaker at a concert. You’ll blow your eardrums!
People have always worried about how technology would affect their health. A few decades ago, the concern was old tube TVs would affect our vision or loud music from Walkmans would damage our hearing. These days, the concern has shifted to what smartphones and other devices are doing to our bodies.
👁️ Eye love this news: Researchers have restored the vision of people with damaged corneas. They took blood cells from healthy donors, reprogrammed them into corneal cells and formed a thin sheet to place on the damaged eyes. Three out of four patients have better vision a year later. Clinical trials are set for March.
$12,000 surgery
Keratopigmentation changes the color of your eye by injecting dye into the cornea. It can be extremely dangerous. Potential side effects include bacterial infections, light sensitivity and even vision loss (paywall link). So not worth it.
📺 Sit in the right place: The ideal distance to sit from your TV primarily depends on its resolution.
- Standard definition (SD): Sit 4 to 6 times the screen’s vertical height away from the TV. In other words, if your TV’s height is 18 inches, you’ll want to sit about 9 feet away.
- High definition (HD or 1080p): Sit 1.5 to 2.5 times the screen’s diagonal length away.
- Ultra-high definition (UHD or 4K): Sit 1 to 1.5 times the screen’s diagonal length away.
So, if you have a 55-inch 4K TV, you’d want to sit about 55 to 82.5 inches (4.6 to 6.9 feet) away for the sharpest image and best experience. Adjust to your comfort and room size, but keep this ratio in mind!
Can you beat this tricky color perception test?
How is your eyesight holding up? Do you still see clearly as you did in your youth? Most of us have at least a little bit of blurred vision when we get older so it’s a good idea to have your eyes checked regularly.
But, going to an eye doctor doesn’t sound like the best idea these days. Instead, why not take an eye test right from the comfort of home? Tap or click here to find out how.
⭐️ Good news: Science Corporation’s new eye implant is bringing sight to the blind. Here’s how it works: A tiny 2mm chip sits under the retina while special glasses equipped with a camera capture what’s ahead. The camera sends infrared light to the chip, which translates it into signals the brain can understand. Patients can’t see full color or detail yet, but they can already recognize shapes and patterns. Amazing.