Salisbury optician says indoor lifestyles are leading to more near-sightedness in the UK
Using screens is leading to multiple eye related health issues
As we increase our use of computer devices, we need to be wary of the health affects spending more time indoors has on our eyes.
We spoke to an optometrist in Salisbury, who told us that conditions such as dry-eye and myopia are rising in the UK.
Mark Jones, who owns Fisherton Street opticians Mark Jones Eye Care, spoke to Greatest Hits Radio and told us there is compelling evidence to show that spending more time indoors on computers is causing more near-sightedness.
And conditions such as dry eyes are driven by a “considerable” difference in the frequency of blinking when using a computer.
Concentrating causes 'considerable' difference in blinking frequency
Mark told us that humans blink once every two or three seconds, whereas when we use a computer, that becomes one blink every 20 seconds or so.
As a result dry eyes is now one of the most common eye conditions optometrists come across. There are two types of dry eye condition, one where not enough tears are produced and another where the tears evaporate.
“When you’re concentrating, you’re not blinking anywhere near as much as you do in normal conversation,” he told us.
“The blink refreshes the tear film on the front of the eye, which stops tears from evaporating. The film is made up of three layers, a mucus layer, a water layer and an oily layer.”
Mark added that it’s not just excess screen time that drives the lower blink frequency causing dry eyes.
“There are various activities that make it worse. Driving could be one, particularly if you’ve got the air conditioning blowing cold, dry air on your face.
“Likewise, watching a TV or a film.”
How can lifestyle affects our eyesight
And all of this is contributing to a rise in short-sightedness in the UK.
Mark spoke of the “compelling” evidence that shows that children spending increase time indoors and possibly using computer devices is causing more short-sightedness.
Genetic factors are also part of what causes short-sightedness, with children having an “increased likelihood” of myopia if a parent, or both, suffer from it too.
Lifestyle, as Mark explained, can play a significant role in our eye health.
“For example, in Asian populations, there’s a high prevalence of myopia. They tend to be spending a lot of time indoors, doing homework or using computers.
“Whereas the Australians, they have a typical outdoor lifestyle, the prevalence of short-sightedness there is much lower.”