| Back to School! At this time of the year, we encourage bringing your children in for a comprehensive eye exam as it is different than a vision screening completed at school. In fact, this year, many students may not get a vision screening as they are distance learning or in hybrid learning. This makes it even more important to bring your children in for an eye exam to make sure they are set up optimally for school. Typically, you may hear complaints of "I can't see the board in class" which triggers an appointment with the optometrist. This year, you may hear more complaints of tired eyes, dry eyes, or even headaches after school work, as many of our children are learning from home or through a digital format. It is very common among adults to have computer strain or eye fatigue when working on a computer for hours a day, but with more students transitioning to distance learning this year, our students are more at risk for these symptoms also. Our eyes can be affected in a couple of different ways when using a digital device for prolonged periods of time. First, when we are focused on a device, we don’t blink as often as we do normally, so our eyes can become dry. Dryness on the eye can present itself in many ways other than feeling dry. Symptoms can include burning, stinging, itching, blurry vision, watering, and feeling tired. Secondly, higher amounts of blue light entering the eye has potential for causing damage to the eye or at least, causing the eyes to feel tired. Blue light is the highest energy wavelength of all colors of light we can see, so it is logical that blocking or limiting those wavelengths could be beneficial in relieving eye fatigue symptoms. There are a few treatment options we recommend for combating eye fatigue. The first tool is the 20/20/20 Rule. Every 20 minutes of computer work, take a 20 second break and look 20 feet away. These breaks can be looking down a hallway or out a window- very simple to incorporate into your schedule. Second, blue light filters on computers and built into glasses can help block the higher energy wavelengths of light (blue lights) from entering the eye at a higher rate. Finally, in some cases, a prescription may be necessary to help you or your child’s eyes focus accurately and efficiently while your digital device demands increase. We are happy to see you for a comprehensive eye exam and make those appropriate recommendations to help you and your students function at the optimal level for distance learning, hybrid learning, or in-person learning. ~Dr. Whitney |