by Suzanne Potter
California News Service
Americans spend almost 13 hours a day using digital devices, and experts said it has the potential to strain your eyes and lead to serious health problems down the road.
Blue light comes from the sun but also from digital screens, and some medical professionals say too much of it can lead to scratchy or itchy eyes, tearing up, problems focusing, and headaches.
Dr. Scott Edmonds, chief eye care officer for UnitedHealthcare Vision, recommended the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away from the screen at something 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds.
“It takes you away from the blue light, so your retina can recycle,” Edmonds explained. “It also takes the strain off your convergence muscles, the muscles that turn your eyes in to keep them focused on the screen. When you look at 20 feet, your focus goes to rest, your converging muscles go to their resting point, and you get 20 seconds away from the blue light.”
He also recommended adults, starting in their 20s, should get a baseline eye exam, so they can measure changes in the future. Ultraviolet light is damaging to the retina and over time and is thought to contribute to age-related macular degeneration.
Edmonds added experts are concerned blue light may be just as damaging.
“Blue, we always thought, was safe because it’s visible,” Edmonds acknowledged. “It may also be causative because it’s so high energy and because these new sources admit such high levels of the blue light.”
Dr. Raj Maturi, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, advised frequent breaks from the screen and turning them off well before bedtime to improve sleep.
“We get tired, our brain is not trying to slow down, and we don’t sleep well,” Maturi pointed out. “An excess amount of blue light at night can also decrease the amount of melatonin that our body produces, and therefore affect how quickly and how easily we fall asleep.”
CA ‘Just Safe’ campaign aims to redefine public safety
Social justice advocates have just launched a new public education campaign. It’s called “Just Safe,” and it’s aimed at changing the conversation about crime, especially in the wake of the recent mass shootings.
The group Californians for Safety and Justice has released a commercial, narrated by actress Jennifer Lewis, making the point that safety isn’t just the absence of crime – it is the presence of well-being.
The group’s executive director, Tinisch Hollins, said these shootings and others plague a society that neglects mental health.
“So, the goal of this is to invite conversation about doubling down on investments that lead to well-being,” said Hollins, “like mental health treatment, substance abuse treatment, education.”
The campaign applauds efforts to heal communities, such as the announcement last week from the California Victims Compensation board of a $2.5 million grant to open three new trauma recovery center offices in Stockton and Bakersfield.
The state’s 19 trauma recovery centers offer mental health treatment, help with medical expenses, and support groups for victims of violent crime.
While accountability is important for people involved with the justice system, Hollins said she agrees with the state’s efforts in recent years to prioritize rehabilitation over punishment. She called post-incarceration programs that help people re-enter society “a wise investment.”
“Removing barriers, making sure that they have the resources they need when they return home,” said Hollins, “keeps us all safe, prevents more crime from happening, and helps our economy, because we have more folks to be able to play a role.”
She noted that right now, people who’ve paid their debt to society often fail to recover when they face huge obstacles to finding employment and housing, and must comply with onerous legal requirements.
Find out more about the campaign online at ‘JustSafe.org.’
