Evaporative dry eye becoming more common

Whether at work or scrolling on social media many of us are spending too much time staring at screens in 2022.Excessive screen time is making eye disorders more common around the world these days. 

                                Evaporative dry eye is caused by damage to glans that produce the tear film that protects the eyes.One of the reasons tear glands clog or dry up is lack of blinking.Whenever we are staring at a screen our blink rate goes down about 10% of normal;that means we are blinking about once instead of ten times. 

                                The eyelids are like little windshield wipers that have oil glands in them that smooth the oily tears,moisturising tears over the eyeball.Staring too long at screens can atrophy these glands and accelerate near-sightedness.Myopia is a condition where the eye grows too quickly and too long and that leads to focus power on the eyeball.The more time kids spend on screens the more likely they are to develop myopia.It is good to look away when staring at screens every 20 minutes,interrupt the close focus and blink more normally.

                                  It is a good idea to take time off from screens every now and then,spend more time outdoors in nature and blink more.