Avenue Eyecare has been closed for routine eye exams due to COVID-19 since Spring Break. We’ve been helping with triaging questions and emergencies during this time and have received several calls from concerned parents regarding the increased amount of screen time their children are getting at home.
Schools have been closed for over a month after Spring Break and our new normal is virtual learning at home. Children are depending on screens for school, and more often than not, they’re getting additional recreational screen time (for their parents’ sanity!). Here are a few tips to consider implementing at home:
- Apply basic office ergonomics. A monitor should be 50-60cm away and 10-15 degrees below eye level.
- Adjust the font size to 100-125% and screen brightness should be warmer colours especially in the evening
- Take breaks and practice the 20/20/20 rule (every 20 minutes look 20 feet away for 20 seconds)
- Avoid screen time 2 hours before bedtime because too much blue light can disrupt your sleep (consider blue light blocking glasses)
- Ensure there is good ambient room lighting, mainly from overhead lights. Avoid a source of light that causes glare and reflections.
- Add blinking exercises during your breaks to avoid dry eyes
- Spread out the recreational screen time, a few shorter sessions are better than a single prolonged session.
Good luck parents! The end of the school year will be here before you know it!