We’ve all seen the commercials of getting your degree online, but we never expected to all be forced into a fully online college experience. With such little notice, there was little preparation for how to keep ourselves healthy and happy while doing school from your laptop. Scientists have studied that Blue-light is the shortest, but highest energy wavelength in the visible light spectrum. Long-lasting exposure to such light could cause many vision issues such as damaging of retinal cells (making it harder for your eyes to focus), and early onset age-related Macular Degeneration disease (causing vision loss). Yes, those are some scary words, surely followed by a lot of worrying that you did not plan for today. Luckily for you, I have put together a few tips on how to limit your daily screen time per my own personal experience, and from a few suggestions of some friends.
Schedule Time Away From Screens
Similarly to how we have to schedule workout time into our daily schedules (otherwise it will not get done), it is best to schedule in “screen-free time”. This could be anything from working out, playing with your pets, using the time for creativity and crafts, or to just simply going on a walk. The idea is to be away from all screens, though. Many people believe that getting away from their screens just means getting away from their school work. It is very easy to fall into the trap of turning on Netflix, or scrolling through social media, but try not to! The point is to limit your blue-light.
Turn Notifications Off
It is completely understandable that you would want to keep in touch with your friends, or a classmate to get work done, but try to stay off your phone as much as you can. Getting sucked into the social media realm is a fast track to damaged eyesight from blue light. If having notifications pop up on your phone draws you into it, it is definitely smart to turn them off for a few hours, or schedule a lock time on your apps for each day to limit your usage.
Put The Screens Away At Bedtime
Practically every teenager or college level kid has fallen into the trap of bringing their phone or laptop to bed with them, even after countless studies have argued against it. In a time where we are so glued to our screens, and penetrated by blue-light, it is so important to give your eyes some dial back time before sleeping. Picking up a book before heading to bed is a good way to tire yourself out–as opposed to the nerve stimulation the blue-light would cause in your mind– and to give your eyes a re-adjustment period. I know it is tempting to want to scroll through TikTok, or watch a Netflix show before bed, but it can wait for the weekend.
De-Digitize Your School Work
In an age where technology has completely blown the need for paper and pens away, this is the most realistic tip that could be implemented into every college student’s routine. Rather than taking your class notes, or doing your homework through computerized means, try going back to your roots of a simple notebook and pencil. Working on paper will give your eyes more of a break from the blue-light, and writing information out will help you memorize your class material more effectively. If there is an option to do so, I also recommend printing out larger reading assignments so you are not stuck reading for hours on a blue-light screen.
With the unexpected switch to our online lives, finding ways to get away from the blue-light can definitely be challenging. But, with the possible health risks at hand, trying to implement some of these tips into your daily routine could be beneficial in the long run.