Eyes and Video Games – How to Take Care of Your Eyesight as a Gamer?

We often hear that long hours spend in front of the screen may cause blindness. There is a germ of truth in such a statement, so let's check how to take care of our eyes. At the same time, it's worth to explore the incredible abilities of our sight.

Exercises and eye drops

Physical activity equals healthy life

Muscles are responsible for eye movement and, as we know, unused muscles disappear. That's why it's worth making a habit and every few hours move your eyes without rotating your whole head. Thanks to this, the muscle tissue will be flexible and efficient.

A good exercise, which at the same time allows the eyes to relax, is to perform the so-called inverted figure of eight. Imagine a sign of infinity and follow this fantasy-shaped object with your eyes – starting from the middle and heading towards the upper left corner. Why would you do that? This way, your eyes make the opposite movement to that which occurs while you read.

Eyes are simply incredible

Thanks to the gap between our eyes, each of them sees a slightly different image, and by analyzing the relationship between the two, our brains can evaluate the distance. It is a distinctive feature of predators – it helped people to survive, detect danger and hunt effectively.

Also, the eyes have a built-in biological alarm clock. Clusters of cells in the supra-visual nucleus are responsible for this. They regulate the release of melatonin, a hormone that acts as a sleeping pill or tranquilizer. Thanks to these cells, we react to light falling on our eyes, even when they are closed; when morning approaches, the supply of melatonin decreases so we can wake up. Thanks to this we naturally wake up in the morning – of course, as long as our daily routine is normal.

Lubrication

It's also important to... blink. When staring at a monitor or TV, we often don't blink, focusing on what we see. The eyesight suffers from this, cause it lacks proper lubrication, which is essential for proper eye functioning. On average, we blink 20 times per minute. During intensive work at the computer, the blink frequency drops down even to 3-4 times per minute. That is why many people, after a few hours of staring at the screen, experience tearing eyes problem. It's a protection mechanism against drying out.

In extreme cases, special moisturizing and lubricating eye drops called "artificial tears" can be used. However, it is worth checking if they contain preservatives, which can be harmful. Excessive use of similar drugs may also disturb the proper functioning of the eye, so it is advisable to consult a specialist before you purchase any medical product of such type.

Games can cure your eyesight?!

It turns out that games can help in the fight against certain diseases of our sight – in particular, the lazy eye syndrome and poor vision which may affect patients after cataract surgery. Games force our eyeballs to move and constantly notice many details on the screen, which is a very good eye activity.

Look far away

It is worth looking out of the window not only in search of some green trees. While sitting at the screen, we should focus on a distant object (located at least 6-7 meters from us) as often as possible. Less than half a minute of looking away (from a screen) is enough to restore the correct blink frequency and eye lubrication.

Another good exercise is to change the point you're currently focusing on. For example: we look out the window and for several seconds we concentrate at an object a few dozen meters away. Then, without moving our head, we focus on an object that is a little closer. It is best to repeat this procedure several times.

If you spend several hours a day in front of the screen, you should check your eyesight regularly.