Why is it important to rest your eyes? Eye Fatigue (tired eye muscles), dry eyes (less blinking), blurry vision, myopia or nearsightedness
Signs of Vision Issues: Eye rubbing, headaches, excessive blinking, tired or cranky mood
WHAT TO DO
Environmental Modifications
- Adjust the brightness of the screen
- Reduce glare by keeping light sources behind the device
- Avoid using a device in a dark room or very bright area (outside)
- Increase font size on the screen
- Use an anti-glare screen filter to cover the computer screen
- Wear blue light filtering glasses
Body Positioning
- 90-90-90 seated position at the table (feet flat on the ground and back support)
- Keep the screen at eye level
- 18-24 inch distance from the device (arm’s length)
Eye Exercises/Breaks
- 20/20/20 Rule: for every 20 minutes look up at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds
- Move your body: during class breaks, stand up and walk around, stretch your body, do some jumping jacks, etc
- Eye-rolling: slowly roll your eyes from left, to the sky, to the right, and to the ground. Repeat 10x clockwise and counterclockwise
- Palming: rub your hands together and cup your closed eyes for eye relief
- Clock exercise: with a large clock on the wall (real or a print out) say each number as your child looks for the number on the wall.
- Eye massage: softly press fingers onto closed eyelids to relieve pain
- Eye Pillow: use a warm or cold compression eye mask to relieve any eye discomfort
*See an Occupational Therapist for more tips and strategies