As a gamer, it is quite common to experience feelings of physical discomfort or suffer from mild pain after playing your favorite video games for long hours. However, it is important not to ignore these signs and symptoms for too long because some of them can lead to serious health problems.
This is especially crucial for symptoms related to eyes and vision. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), players experience several eye related symptoms due to gaming for more than eight hours a day.
This includes eye strain, headaches, dry eyes and blurred vision. Worryingly, the AOA finds that there are more than 227 million Americans who consider themselves gamers. Less than half of them (46%) visit a healthcare professional for an annual comprehensive eye exam.
As a result, many eye and vision-related problems go untreated and lead to serious vision and health problems later in life. Whether you're a professional gamer, a Twitch streamer, or just playing casually, eye health experts recommend seeing an optometrist at least once a year to stay on top of your vision and eye health. While it is important to trust professionals, there are also healthy and screen time Habits that you can and should adopt to enhance eye care.
Below, we'll share four eye care tips for gamers:
Use blue light glasses
Often called gamer glasses or computer glasses, blue light glasses help filter the blue light emitted by screens. This applies whether you like to play on a smartphone or tablet, as well as on laptops and computer monitors. Blue light is known to negatively affect melatonin production, which explains why looking at screens before bed can cause you to sleep and wake up worse than normal. Fortunately, using blue light glasses helps mitigate this effect by protecting the eyes from both ultraviolet light and blue light. Online retailer Clearly's range of blue light glasses features comfortable flat Coach-like frames for added comfort when wearing headphones. Blue light glasses are also a great option for UV protection outdoors if you don't feel like wearing sunglasses.
In addition to wearing blue light glasses, you should consider wearing dark mode on your digital devices. Nowadays, most software and apps like Clipchamp offer a dark or night mode for added visual comfort and reduced eye strain. While this may not be an option in games, you can also play with brightness and contrast settings so that your games are not too bright or tire your eyes.
Take frequent breaks
Another tip for eye health for players is to take frequent breaks. It can be easy to lose track of time when trying to reach the highest levels and ranks of your favorite games. However, studies have shown that gamers blink much less frequently than normal computer users. This may be because improving your games requires maximum attention and concentration. Unfortunately, this lack of blinking can cause dry, irritated, and itchy eyes, which can be an unpleasant mix of discomfort and pain.
Optometrists suggest taking breaks between gaming sessions to give your eyes a chance to rest and blink, which helps restore some moisture. Alternatively, there is something called the 20-20-20 rule; Take a 20-second break every 20 minutes by looking at something 20 feet away.
Invest in ergonomic furniture
In addition to lighting and eye breaks, you should consider the ergonomics of your gaming setup. When you play games or even use your computer or devices in general, having ergonomic gaming furniture, such as chairs or desks, helps you be at a perfect viewing distance. This, in turn, prevents cases where you have to squint or crane your neck because you are too close to the screen, making it difficult to see in-game objects or enemies, for example, on gaming monitors. Some of the best brands on the market include SecretLab and Herman Miller if you are looking for a high-quality gaming chair.
And you should really consider getting one, as a study into the negative physical effects of long-term gaming emphasizes the importance of ergonomic equipment to help reduce the risk of digital eye strain and digital eyestrain. The study is also a stark reminder that, in addition to eye health, long hours of gaming without breaks can lead to other physical symptoms such as wrist and hand pain, back problems, neck pain, and reduced spinal mobility.
Stay hydrated while playing
Lastly, it is important to stay hydrated while playing. Not only does this help keep you alert and energized, it also helps keep your eyes lubricated through tears. This is necessary to keep your eyes moist, remove bacteria and dust particles that can get into your eyes while playing. When you are dehydrated, the body does not produce enough water to keep the eyes hydrated and moist, causing dryness, redness, itching and irritation.
To help you stay hydrated during long gaming sessions, you may want to consider keeping a clear water bottle over those with solid colors or designs. A clear or translucent bottle can easily indicate how much water you do or do not drink during your game and can be a visual reminder if you keep it near or on your gaming table. Alternatively, you can opt for the HidrateSpark smart water bottle which tracks how much water you drink and lights up to tell you if you haven't had enough. You can also keep a cup or glass nearby to reinforce your hydration habit and keep your eyes healthy in the long term.
