June 2nd to 7th this year is the National "Eye Care Day" publicity and education week. How should we protect our eyes in the digital age? Doctor, I feel my eyes are dry, sore, and I feel a bit dizzy... what? Is it because I have seen too many electronic screens Faced with the doctor's diagnosis, 32 year old Ms. Chen smiled helplessly and said, "There's really nothing we can do. We have to stare at the computer during work hours, and our phones are always on standby, not to mention browsing Weibo or watching videos when we relax at night..." What happens to our eyes when we stare at electronic screens for a long time? Directly damaging the long focused screen and reducing the number of blinks can easily lead to visual fatigue and dry eye syndrome. These initial symptoms of eye health problems are mild and easily overlooked. In addition, prolonged use of electronic products with lowered head can also cause chronic pain in the neck, shoulders, and back. Long term harm: After looking at electronic screens for a long time, the blue light produced by smartphones and other electronic devices can interfere with the secretion of melatonin in the human body, affecting sleep quality. Especially for some people who may already have sleep disorders, looking at their phones before bedtime can keep the brain active, and the blue light produced by electronic screens can interfere with the secretion of melatonin, keeping the brain in a continuous excited state, forming a vicious cycle. Many people still play with their phones in bed after turning off the lights at night. This behavior can easily lead to the onset of eye diseases. This is because looking at a mobile phone screen in a dark environment with low brightness can lead to dilated pupils, which can easily block the aqueous humor circulation pathway and cause eye diseases such as acute angle closure glaucoma. Some short-term studies have also shown that social media addiction is related to changes in the information transmission part of the brain, and these individuals often have lower cognitive abilities. It is worth noting that there is a close relationship between the extensive use of social media and mental illness, which is more pronounced among young people. These methods can effectively protect the eyes. If you often watch electronic screens for a long time and sometimes experience eye discomfort, please remember the following eye protection methods. The fundamental way to effectively reduce the harm caused by electronic screens to the eyes by following the "20-20-20" rule is to pay attention to the duration of use. The academic community generally believes that the best habit of watching electronic screens is to look up at a distance of 6 meters (20 feet) for at least 20 seconds after watching the screen for 20 minutes. This is also the commonly known "20-20-20" rule. Make good use of the eye protection function of smartphones. You can use the built-in "Do Not Disturb Mode" and "Screen Usage Time Statistics" functions to monitor and analyze your own use of your phone. At the same time, some applications also have eye monitoring and rest reminder functions. These tools can help you develop a good habit of taking regular breaks. Maintain the correct sitting posture ◎ When using the phone, try to maintain a level view and keep your gaze perpendicular to the phone screen, keep your waist and back straight, and relax your upper body. When viewing a computer, the distance between the eyes and the computer screen should not be less than 50 centimeters (about one arm away). When looking down slightly, the line of sight of the computer should be slightly downward. The center of the computer screen should be about 10 centimeters below the line of sight of the eyes. Note that the gaze angle of the eyes should be approximately 15 degrees lower than the horizontal line of the eyes. When watching TV, the distance between the eyes and the TV screen is more than 3 meters or 6 times the length of the diagonal of the TV screen, and the height of the center point of the screen is also slightly lower than the height of the eyes when sitting. Refusing outdoor activities while staying indoors is the most economical and effective way to prevent myopia and protect the eyes. Scientific research has shown that increasing outdoor activity time can reduce the incidence of myopia. Especially for children and adolescents, outdoor activities are not only an important means of preventing and controlling myopia, but also an effective way to cultivate interests and maintain physical and mental health. Adults should lead by example, put down their phones, and spend more time with their children in outdoor activities. Is screen protector or phone eye protection mode useful? At present, eye protection films and other products on the market have limited filtering effects on blue light. The built-in eye protection mode of electronic products only adjusts parameters such as color temperature and brightness to make the screen less dazzling. If used outdoors with high brightness, using low brightness eye protection mode can actually increase eye fatigue. In fact, looking at objects for a long time and up close can cause visual fatigue. The harm of electronic screens to the eyes is long-term, chronic, and multifactorial. Do not blindly believe in any eye care product, scientific eye care is crucial. (Lai Xin She)