It’s talked about all the time, no matter how old you are — everyone is always staring at a screen! Whether it’s your phone, computer or television, there’s a good chance it’s in front of you during most of your day. One of the things that we may not think about often is how this affects our eyes.
Screen time can cause dry eyes due to lack of blinking, and eyestrain from staring at a screen too long, all collectively referred to as computer vision syndrome.1 Myopia, or near-sightedness, diagnoses in children have also significantly increased. In America alone, the diagnoses have more than doubled over the past 50 years. A similar trend can be found in adults and children in Asia, where myopia diagnoses have jumped from 10-20 percent to 90 percent over the past 60 years.2 Blue light, or the light emitted from LED screens, fluorescent lights and computer monitors, is often pointed to as the culprit. What people may not know is that this light is also found in nature.
Blue light is part of the spectrum that is emitted from the sun, along with red, orange, yellow, green, indigo, and violet light. The combination of this creates white light, which can be shown with a glass prism. It is healthy for children to be exposed to some of this blue light naturally, because it helps the development and growth of their eyes. It even boosts alertness and aids memory in adults. The problem comes from over-exposure of blue light from screens and other sources, which then causes the eyestrain and retinal damage.3
To help you maintain your vision for the long-run, we’ve created a list of some of the best herbs to help support your eye health.*
Bilberry
Similar to the American blueberry, Bilberries are berries with a dense concentration of antioxidants.* They are smaller than blueberries, with a stronger, fragrant, dark blue flesh. They are thought to protect tissue integrity within the eyes and promote healthy visual acuity.*
Marigold
This vibrant flower was a favorite of ancient Aztecs, and still remains very popular in Central and South America. Known as the “flower of the dead”, it is used in the Day of the Dead celebrations. Marigold is also a source of lutein, a carotenoid that supports healthy vision.*
Give Your Eyes Some Love
Our Vision Enhancement capsules, containing Bilberry, Marigold and Grape, are the perfect combination to support healthy vision.* This way, you can keep using your tablet and continue to see the beauty of nature.*
Sometimes staring at a screen is something that just can’t be worked around. Whether it’s at school, work or even at home, there’s a screen that will eventually need our attention. Help maintain your eye health with Vision Enhancement and give your eyes the support they need.*
Take a Break to See the Roses
There’s a good chance that while you're staring at your screens, you’re also sitting down. Give your eyes a much needed rest and reawaken your body by taking a few quick breaks throughout your day. Whether it’s just getting up to fill your water bottle, or to take a breath of fresh air during writer’s block, a few minutes is all you need to pull away and rest your eyes.
There’s so much to see in this world, we don’t want you to miss one moment of it.
References:
[1] Electronic screen alert: Avoid this vision risk. Harvard Health Letter. https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/electronic-screen-alert-avoid-this-vision-risk
[2] Too much screen time is raising rate of childhood myopia. Keck School News. https://keck.usc.edu/too-much-screen-time-is-raising-rate-of-childhood-myopia/
[3] Blue Light and Your Eyes. Prevent Blindness®. https://www.preventblindness.org/blue-light-and-your-eyes
[4] 4 Benefits of Grape Seed Extract. Laszlo Borocz, Care Foundation. https://www.carefoundation.co.uk/4-eyes-benefits-grape-seed-extract/