Local eye clinic discusses optical strain from working at home

(ALBANY, GA) – Whether you’re working from home or your kids are virtual learning, there’s no doubt you’re in front of a screen.

And over the last few months, the Berg Eye Clinic has seen plenty of people in over increased blue light strain, says Dr Wesley Garland.

Garland explains, “We’ve seen this in our clinic a lot lately. Complaints of eye strain and eye fatigue related to using the computer more, reading more. It’s a bit of a multifaceted problem.”

Garland says that at this time, there hasn’t been any sort of general decrease in the quality of people’s vision.

But he still recommends for those on the younger side of things to monitor how long they’re sitting in front of a blue-light screen.

He says, “Younger children should be spending more time outdoors. Children that spend a significant amount of time focusing at a screen tend to develop near-sightedness.”

The Berg Eye Clinic has been writing out prescriptions for artificial tears as well as eye drops and the occasional write-up for blue light glasses.

Though Dr Garland does recommend a procedure anyone can do at home called the 20-20-20 plan.

“It essentially means that every 20 minutes, you should look 20 feet away for about 20 seconds. That gives your eyes adequate time to relax and deal with that fatigue a little bit better,” says Garland.