At the government’s request, people are spending a lot more time indoors, which inevitably means our eyes will be glued to phones, computers, and TVs. Over time, this fixation can affect our mental and physical health, not to mention the well-being of our eyes.

Practicing some “eye hacks” to relieve stress can keep your eyes more comfortable while you’re cooped up at home. Here are a few of our favorites!

Don’t Overwork Your Eyes

It’s tough out there for eyeballs right now. An increase in screen time plus a decrease in natural light equals extra strain on eyes, no matter your age.

Digital Eye Strain, also referred to as Computer Vision Syndrome, is caused by excess time spent in front of a screen. Although symptoms are only temporary, they can be uncomfortable, inconvenient and even painful.

Taking steps to prevent Digital Eye Strain before it hits could significantly lessen the dry eyes, blurry vision and headaches that are commonly associated with the condition.

The 20-20-20 rule is a tactic that is widely used to avoid Digital Eye Strain symptoms. Its popularity stems from its simplicity:

Every 20 minutes, look up from your screen and focus on an item approximately 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

Focusing on an item in the distance allows the muscles in the eye to relax after being subjected to prolonged screen time.

Kids can experience eye strain too, so establishing the 20-20-20 rule for them during video game play or tablet use can help prepare them for a lifetime of screen use.

In addition to 20-second breaks, taking longer periods of time away from screens is great for resting your mind and your eyes. If you’ve been in front of a screen for a while, step away to read a book or work on a jigsaw puzzle. You’d be amazed at how much of a difference five or 10 minutes can make.

Try Out Different Glasses

Computer glasses, also called blue light glasses, have become a popular method for filtering blue light*.

The glasses target and filter high-energy visible (HEV) light, which is projected by nearly all digital screens. Blue-light-filtering lenses have a slightly yellow tint that counters blue light and curtails the discomfort and potential damage it can cause your eyes.

Not only that, but filtering blue light at nighttime can help regulate or improve your sleep cycles since the brain often interprets screen light as sunlight.

Many phones and computers have a setting that warms the display, further helping you achieve a good night’s rest. Learn more about the benefits of computer glasses.

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Consider Your Eyes When Grocery Shopping

For many, the idea of stores being wiped out of common groceries can feel strange, inconvenient, and even scary. Being able to purchase all the items on your grocery list has now become a challenge, as supermarkets across the world are experiencing temporary shortages in everyday items.

But this doesn’t mean a healthy diet should be put on the back burner. What you eat contributes heavily to your eye health and many other aspects of your overall physical health.

So don’t fret when you see carrots are out of stock; there are other eye-friendly grocery items that will get the job done.

Carrots rich in vitamin A are the poster children for eye-healthy foods, and for good reason. But if carrots aren’t available, butternut squash, red bell peppers, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and spinach are also chock-full of this vision-booster.

Zinc allows your body to absorb more vitamin A, making them the perfect pair. Zinc also kicks up your immune system’s efficiency, which comes in handy during a global pandemic. Look for meat, shellfish, beans, and nuts to increase your zinc intake.

It’s easy to turn to comfort food like potatoes and macaroni and cheese during times like these, and that’s OK. Just be sure to also incorporate some of these foods to give your eyes a little TLC:

• Antioxidant-rich foods: Artichokes, blueberries and dark chocolate with high cacao (or cocoa) content.
• Omega-3-rich foods: Focus on food with EPA and DHA, like salmon, mackerel, herring, and tuna. Vegetarians can benefit from flax seeds or flaxseed oil, but these lack the EPA and DHA of fish.
• Vitamin E-rich foods: Spinach, nuts (especially almonds and hazelnuts) and whole-grain cereal.

Our Eyes’ Relation to COVID-19

It’s been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the coronavirus can be transmitted through the eyes. This explains why so many images show health care professionals wearing protective goggles or face shields along with their facemasks.

Although eye transmission is not the most common culprit for spreading the disease (respiratory droplet inhalation and close person-to-person contact are the top methods), the importance of keeping your hands away from your face cannot be understated. This is especially important in regard to your eyes, nose, and mouth.

So if you typically wear glasses, you may unknowingly be arming yourself with an added shield of defense!

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) explains that a pair of glasses may guard your eyes from respiratory droplets. While eyeglasses and sunglasses don’t offer the same level of protection as a pair of goggles, the large surface area of the lens can block the virus from reaching your eyes.

With this in mind, it’s crucial for eyeglasses to be cleaned often. Those who wear glasses will frequently handle their frames, which increases the risk of transferring germs on your hands to the glasses that rest on your face.

The AAO also suggests that those who normally wear contact lenses should switch to glasses for the time being. Contact-wearers typically touch their eyes more often because of the increased irritation of contacts.

There’s evidence that conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, can be a less common sign of COVID-19. Symptoms associated with conjunctivitis are redness, itchiness, discharge, irritation, and crustiness of the eyes. A study of COVID-19 patients in China reported that nine out of 1,099 patients (0.8%) had pink eye as a symptom.

Stay Healthy, Vigilant, And Positive

Understandably, being stuck at home by yourself can feel frustrating. However, social distancing and self-isolation are the best and most effective methods to limit the spread of illness.

Use this time of solitude to check in with yourself, assess your well-being, and practice good habits, especially dealing with your health. Being mindful of your eyes in today’s screen-heavy culture can contribute to vision comfort now and in the future.

Start practicing healthy habits now — it’s possible they’ll stick around even after the days of isolation are over.

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In our increasingly electronic world, our eyes spend more and more time staring at digital screens, whether you work on a computer all day, read on a tablet before bed or check your phone frequently throughout the day. If this sounds like you, you may be a perfect candidate for computer reading glasses!

How Do Computer Reading Glasses Work?

Computer reading glasses function just like normal readers but have the added benefit of helping to filter potentially harmful blue light*.

Depending on the distance between you and your computer screen or another digital device, you may need to select a different power than your standard power. The standard reading distance is 12”-18” from your eyes, and this is when you order your standard reading power. The further away something is from you, the lower the reading power should be in order to focus on it  With this in mind, computer screens are 18”-24” away from you on average, which would mean you divide your standard reading power in half. For example, if your standard power for reading is +2.50, you would want to order a +1.25 computer reader to see the screen clearly at 18”-24” away.

Lens Features of Computer Reading Glasses

Our computer glasses feature patented blue light filtering technology and an ant-reflective coating to reduce reflections and improve clarity.

Choosing the Right Lens

Fully magnified lenses have one magnification distributed equally throughout the entire lens.

Multifocal lenses feature three reading strengths so your eyes can focus optimally at distances for reading, working on your computer, and interacting with others. Shop by your regular reading power when purchasing multifocal reading glasses. Our collection of multifocal styles includes Foster Grant® Multi Focus™ styles.

Unmagnified computer glasses are perfect for contact wearers or those who don’t need reading glasses but want a blue light filter.

To learn more about finding the right lens type based on your needs, we suggest reading our “Find the Right Reading Glasses Lenses” guide.

*Disclaimer: Styles filter approximately 30% of potentially harmful blue light. Potentially harmful blue light refers to the 415-455 nanometer range of the visible light spectrum. The percentage represents the average amount of potentially harmful blue light filtered at 5 nanometer increments in this range. Covered under U.S. Pat. No. 8,360,574. Other U.S. and foreign patents pending.

Disclaimer: All references to “bifocals” herein refer to readers having unmagnified lenses containing a “bifocal style” single powered reading glass insert located in the lower portion of the lenses.

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In your 30s: Protect your eyes from the sun.

By the time you’re 30, you likely know all about protecting your skin from the sun by regularly wearing and reapplying SPF. Do you make that same commitment to your eyes? Protecting your eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays is important, too! Overexposure to the sun can cause early onset cataracts and other harmful eye conditions. When you’re outside or driving, always wear a pair of sunglasses or reading sunglasses that protect you from all ultraviolet light (for example, all of our reading sunglasses are UV protected). According to All About Vision, you should be sure that these factors are present in your sunglasses:  

• Lenses that block at least 99% of both UVA and UVB rays, also called UV 400 Protection
• Lenses that meet ANSI (American National Standards Institute) Z80.3 requirements
• Lenses made from Impact resistant materials such as plastic or polycarbonate

In your 40’s: Get enough rest.

Your 40s are the age when presbyopia might begin to affect your vision. Presbyopia is the condition in which your eyes have trouble focusing on up-close words or objects. The most common solution? Reading glasses! Now might be the time to invest (or stock up) on readers so that you don’t overstrain your eyes.

In addition to dealing with presbyopia, getting enough rest in your 40s is another important health tip. Your 40s are a busy time, likely filled with work, family, and other extracurricular commitments. Make a commitment to yourself to try and get the recommended eight hours of sleep every day. Don’t forget your eyes need rest, too! If you work in front of a computer all day, and then go home and read on a tablet, phone, or other digital device, you’re putting a lot of strain on your eyes. Wearing computer glasses can help give your eyes the break they need throughout the day. You can read more about computer glasses and Digital Eye Strain here.

In your 50’s: Prevention is key.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a condition that damages the part of our retinas needed for sharp, clear vision. AMD is the leading cause of vision loss among adults age 50 and older. Early detection of this condition is crucial in prevention and treatment (you can read more on that here). Similarly, the American Academy of Ophthalmology notes that glaucoma is very common in those 60 and older, but is often preventable with early detection.

In your 50s, it’s important to prioritize regular check-ups with your eye doctor to stay on top of your overall eye health. If you do not wear glasses or contacts and have no health or vision problems, seeing your eye doctor every other year is a good idea. If you do have glasses, wear contacts, or have eye or other health issues, your visits should be more frequently. Check with your own eye doctor for their recommendation.

In Your 60s: Eat a healthy diet.

At this stage in life, it’s harder to prevent age-related eye disease, but by continuing to keep your body and mind healthy, you can help your eyes. Eating a balanced, nutritious diet and getting plenty of exercise becomes more important the older you get.

You’ve likely heard that carrots are a superfood for maintaining your vision and keeping your eyes healthy. While this is true, there are a lot of other foods you can also eat to maintain healthy eyes! When you’re planning your grocery list, look for leafy greens, citrus fruits, and fatty fish. The antioxidants and vitamins in these foods are an instant eye-health boost.
Staying active can help maintain or improve your blood pressure, which can help in preventing or slowing the onset of glaucoma and Age-related Macular Degeneration. By including both strength and cardio into your workouts, you can help your entire body stay healthy!

We hope you learned something from our age-related eye health tips. For more information, read our complete Eye Health Guide. What will you do to help improve your eye health?

Between your computer, your tablet, and your smartphone, these days you’re probably spending more and more time staring at screens. You’ve seen those special computer glasses, but you can’t help but wonder: Do they really make any difference? Are computer glasses worth it?

According to the Vision Council, more than two-thirds of us suffer from Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). The cause of computer vision syndrome is too much time in front of digital screens. The temporary symptoms include dry eyes, red eyes, blurred vision, eye twitches, fatigue, headaches, and even back and neck pain.

Taking frequent breaks can help alleviate CVS. But experts agree: A pair of blue light glasses is a wise investment that can help with CVS. Here’s why:

Computer Glasses Minimize Screen Glare

Light bouncing off the glass of your digital screen can create a glaring obstacle to proper vision. Digital screens also emit blue light, which is difficult for our eyes to filter. Because of this, our eyes can become susceptible to the temporary symptoms of CVS listed above. Computer glasses come with many different lens features, but the main purpose is to keep screen glare to a minimum. Our Readers.com® computer glasses have lightly tinted lenses and an anti-reflective coating to help reduce your eyes’ exposure to the digital screen’s glare.

Pick the Right Computer Glasses Lens Strength

Most prescription eyewear corrects for near vision, far vision, or both. Non-prescription reading glasses are designed for close-up work. However, most of us position our computer screens in an intermediate zone about two feet in front of us, which is further than most of us hold our reading material. Because of this, it is important to be sure you order the correct power in your computer reading glasses? We recommend purchasing computer reading glasses in a power that is half of your standard reading power. See the chart below for more information based on the distance of your computer or digital screen.

Help Avoid Bad Posture Habits

Many of us try to compensate for less than perfect mid-range vision by leaning forward in our chairs. We also crane our necks back so we can see the tops of our screens through the bottoms of our prescription or bifocal readers. These ocular gymnastics can be a literal pain in the neck. Sound familiar? If the answer is yes, a pair of computer glasses may definitely be worth a try.

For even more reading on computer glasses, check out our post on how computer glasses work. You can also learn how to make those tiny smartphone and tablet screens easier to read using our prevent eye fatigue tips.

Shop Computer Glasses ›

Disclaimer: All references to “bifocals” herein refer to readers having unmagnified lenses containing a “bifocal style” single powered reading glass insert located in the lower portion of the lenses.