I Wear My Sunglasses At Night for World Sight Day #WorldSightDay

I Wear My Sunglasses At Night #WorldSightDay

I don’t really wear my sunglasses at night, but I would if there was a danger of UV radiation.

October 10, 2013 was World Sight Day and I attended a webinar with The Motherhood and The Vision Council to learn more about the message, protecting your vision.  On that day The Vision Council joined hundreds of other health, business and vision-related organizations in celebrating World Sight Day. The goal of this global initiative was to focus attention on vision impairment and encourage adults and children across the world to get their eyes examined.  I saw a ton of tweets with the hashtag #WorldSightDay but just in case you missed it here is some of what I learned.

• The eye is the strongest muscle in your body and it can process 36,000 bits of information every hour!
• Approximately 80% of what our children learn comes through their eyes.
• Last year, The Vision Council found that 70 percent of adults experience some form of digital eye strain while using their devices.
• The American Academy of Ophthalmology reported that over a million eye injuries occur every year around the home.
• More than 138 million U.S. adults go without an eye exam and 30 million Americans have uncorrected vision.
• The American Optometric Association recommends infants receive their first eye exam at 6 months and again at 3 and 5-6 years old.

I also learned that you can get a sunburn on your eyes that can result in temporary blindness and damage (happened to Anderson Cooper).  If that isn’t a good enough reason to wear sunglasses than I don’t know what else is….

Computer Eye-gonomics

Since many of my friends are avid computer users I thought this was of particular interest:

Proper computer use will integrate several simple yet meaningful workspace modifications. The following graphic illustrates how to accurately sit next to and view computer screens while also protecting eyes.

Users must keep in mind that posture, distance and even light sources all impact digital eye strain. Invest in a sturdy computer chair and use computer settings to increase font size and contrast on the screen. These small measures can prevent and even mitigate strain in the eyes, neck, back and shoulders.

How to prevent Digital Eye Strain:

• 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Clean your screen often
• Reduce exterior and overhead lighting to avoid glare
• Keep your distance from the screen (20-24 inches)
• Position your computer 10-15 degrees below eye level
• Purchase computer eyewear – talk to your doctor

Call to Action

Everyone in my family wears glasses except for my youngest son.  Every year we get our eyes checked and now that we learned so much more about vision we plan on being faithful to the wellness of our vision.  The eyes are the window to our overall health and many things (such as chronic systemic diseases like high blood pressure and high cholesterol) can be uncovered with a routine exam.

You can learn more about vision health/diseases by visiting  The Vision Council.