We all love technology. And we especially love our phones and our computers. But staring at screens all day isn’t good for our eyes. And more and more of us are realizing it.
That’s why I’m delighted to announce Thrive Global’s partnership with eyelove®, an educational campaign from Shire. The mission of eyelove is to educate people about their eye health, particularly dry eye. This Thrive and eyelove partnership is about helping people show their eyes some love by helping them learn how to use their screens responsibly.
And that’s something that’s increasingly hard to do in today’s world. According to Nielsen, American adults spend an average of almost ten hours a day looking at screens. A Shire-sponsored US-only survey of 1,001 adults with self-reported Dry Eye or Dry Eye symptoms found that:
• 82 percent of surveyed adults agreed that screening responsibly is an important part of well-being, but only 41 percent said they actually practice healthy screening.
• 61 percent reported that they continue to use their smartphones even after their eyes start to bother them.
• 83 percent lose track of time while using screens.
• 90 percent said that even though they know that using screens can be harmful to their eyes, not using them isn’t an option.
People are increasingly aware of the need for a healthier relationship with technology and screens. Yes, screens are an inevitable part of our lives and they’re only going to become more ubiquitous. That’s all the more reason to take control of that relationship and take care of our front lines—our eyes.
You can start by committing to a microstep – a small change you can incorporate into your life today. One of my favorites is picking a time each night when I turn off my devices – and gently escort them out of my bedroom. Because our phones are repositories of everything we need to put away to allow us to sleep – our to-do lists, our inboxes, multiple projects and problems. When I disconnect from the digital world, I’m able to sleep better, deeply recharge and reconnect to my wisdom and creativity.
So please visit our special section called “Mindful Screening,” for the latest stories and tips from our contributors about how to give our eyes the love and respect they deserve in a screen-saturated world.
