What is “VDT syndrome”?
You've probably often heard people around you complain, "My eyes are so tired," or "I always feel like there are black things flying in front of my eyes." With the widespread use of communication tools, people are constantly in front of screens. While these tools bring convenience to our lives, they also harm our health. This article will introduce a technology-related disease: VDT syndrome.
VDT syndrome is a condition caused by prolonged exposure to the screens of electronic devices such as laptops and smartphones (VDT: visual, display, terminal), which negatively impacts the eyes and mental well-being. Specific symptoms include eye fatigue, eye pain, dry eyes, and blurred vision. It may also lead to shoulder pain and depression.
Smartphone screens constantly emit radio waves and blue light, putting a significant strain on the eyes when staring at them for extended periods. Furthermore, compared to reading, viewing computer and phone screens involves looking upwards, increasing the surface area of the eyeball exposed to air and making the eyes more prone to dryness. In short, excessive screen time on smartphones and computers is a major cause of VDT (Video Display Delay Syndrome).
Say goodbye to VDT, screen addicts have clever ways to protect their eyes.
1. Lower the screen brightness
For the human eye, a brightness between 120 cd/m² and 150 cd/m² generally strikes a balance between health and visual comfort. However, the brightness of monitors on the market varies considerably, with most mainstream monitors reaching around 300 cd/m². Therefore, for the average user, adjusting the monitor's brightness to around 50% is usually sufficient. Of course, the specific adjustment value will depend on the maximum brightness setting of the monitor itself.
2. Take regular breaks
It's best not to use electronic devices like mobile phones and computers for more than 45 minutes at a time. If you use them for a long time, take a break of at least 10 minutes or look into the distance. For example, you can set up a program on your computer that will automatically display a reminder screen every 40 minutes. At this time, closing your eyes or standing up and walking around to rest will be very beneficial for protecting your eyes.
3. Clever use of eye drops
People who work long hours in air-conditioned, poorly ventilated environments, or those who frequently engage in tasks requiring intense concentration, such as computer users and editors, often experience dry eyes because their blinking frequency decreases significantly when staring at a screen. This leads to a lack of lubrication from the eyes' natural tear film. Simultaneously, prolonged exposure to air accelerates tear evaporation, causing dryness and discomfort, which can eventually develop into dry eye disease. In such cases, preservative-free eye drops such as artificial tears can be used. However, any eye drops can only temporarily relieve eye symptoms; the key is for people to take proper care of their eyes.
4. Play more ball sports
Physical exercise allows the eyes to constantly alternate between looking at distant and near objects, relaxing eye muscles that have become tense from maintaining one posture for a long time, and greatly helping to relieve eye strain. This is especially true for small ball sports, such as table tennis, badminton, and tennis, where the eyes move along with the ball as it bounces back and forth; table tennis is particularly effective in this regard.
5. Wash eyes with cold water
Wash your eyes and face with cold water every morning and before bed. Soak your eyes in clean, cold water for 1 to 2 minutes or splash water around your eyes with your hands, then dry your eyes with a towel, and then gently massage around your eyes with your fingers about 30 times.
6. Do some eye exercises.
Stimulate the eye muscles by blinking repeatedly, and roll your eyes up, down, left, and right in clockwise and counterclockwise cycles. This improves blood circulation in the eye muscles, invigorates and enhances their function, and slows down aging. Specifically, blink about 15 times each time, while gently rubbing your eyes with your hands to moisturize them.
7. Apply a warm compress to soothe the eyes.
When washing your face, first soak a towel in hot water, then gently close your eyes and apply it to your forehead and eye sockets while it's still warm. Repeat this several times to promote blood flow to the eyes and supply oxygen and nutrients to the eye muscles. When you have nothing to do, you can also close your eyes, rub your palms together to warm them, and place them over your eyes for one minute.
8. Acupressure
Every morning after waking up, close your eyes and press your temples with your middle fingers, the Yuyao acupoint (located in the middle of your eyebrows) with your ring fingers, and the Zanzhu acupoint (located on the inner side of your eyebrows) with your little fingers. Press gently for 5 minutes each time to relieve eye muscle fatigue.
Even electric eyes can detect it.
1. Vitamin A. Vitamin A helps nourish the liver and improve eyesight, relieving eye fatigue. Vitamin A is mainly found in the liver of various animals, cod liver oil, and egg yolks. Plant-based foods can only provide provitamin A.
2. Beta-carotene. Like vitamin A, beta-carotene helps nourish the liver and improve eyesight, relieving eye fatigue. Beta-carotene is mainly found in green and yellow fruits and vegetables such as carrots, tomatoes, spinach, leeks, apricots, and sweet potatoes.
3. Vitamin C. Vitamin C is also very beneficial for the eyes. The vitamin C content in the human eye is several times higher than in the blood. As we age, vitamin C levels decline significantly, leading to malnutrition of the lens and eventually causing lens degeneration. Therefore, it is important to eat plenty of vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C, such as kiwifruit, cherries, guava, red bell peppers, yellow bell peppers, persimmons, broccoli, strawberries, oranges, tangerines, and kale.
