Are You "Sick" of "Virtual Classroom"?

It is a fair question. Before March 2020, most kids and adults probably have not heard of the word "zoom" nor used zoom a day in their life. We all do now. We see children as young as four starring at zoom through their coke bottom glasses. We see older folks sitting on the couch looking down at the screen from 4 ft away. "Zoom" should be the Oxford word of the decade, well, maybe word of 2020 since playing bingo, having happy hours, or a birthday celebration on zoom is the new norm.

As most kids (younger, older, and in between) are having school online this fall (and probably into the Spring of 2021), what do we do to minimize consequences to the eyes?

1. Take a break every hour or so and walk away from the computer (yes, teachers and administrators). Go outdoor, avoid near work during this short break.

2. Have an anti-reflective screen for your computer, laptop or IPad (links at the bottom)

3. Blink more often. We have a habit of starring at the screen and forget to blink.

4. Use preservative-free artificial tears to keep the moisture in the eyes (link at the bottom)

5. For those who are not nearsightedness or mildly nearsightedness, use a drugstore reading glasses of +1 when using a computer or reading would slow down the progression of myopia (nearsightedness).

6. Lastly, at the end of the school day, spend a minimum of 40 minutes outdoor to walk, play, ride your bike and do anything but near work. Studies have shown that outdoor time delays the progression of myopia (nearsightedness) in children.