How to reduce eye strain due to online classes/studies?

How to reduce eye strain due to online classes/studies?- The widespread outbreak of COVID-19 has led to the adoption of online teaching models by most schools, colleges, and coachings. All of them are now providing daily lectures with the help of online classes. In this time when everything is under lockdown, online classes have come as real support for students to continue their studies without any break. Both teachers and students have started adopting this new model of learning and are studying through it daily like offline classes. Considering the entire situation and the status of online classes in the country, we can say there are many pros and cons of online learning. Eye strain is one of the disadvantages of online classes and it is not possible to avoid it completely. So, here we have provided some tips to reduce eye strain due to online classes/studies. Read the full article to know about the tips to reduce eye strain.

Tips to reduce eye strain due to online classes/studies-

Following are some tips that students should follow in order to reduce eye strain due to continuous online classes of 4-5 hours.

Use Laptops/Tablets- The first thing which students should follow is that they should avoid using mobile phones for online classes/studies. Students are advised to use larger screens like laptops, computers, or tablets as it is useful in reducing eye strain.

Adjust screen brightness- Students should adjust the brightness of their laptop or tablet screens to reduce eye strain. Students are advised to turn down the brightness of the screen and turn up the contrast for better viewing. These adjustments can be done through the settings of the device.

Adjust light in the room- Along with adjusting the brightness of the screen, students should also make sure that the lighting of the room is good for online studies. The perfect lighting of a room should be dimmer than the computer screen to reduce eye strain. Perfectly adjusted lighting of a room reduces glare and makes it easier for the students to see the screen.

Do not look at the screen Continuously- Students are advised not to look at the screen continuously. It is obvious that when a lecture is being delivered students cannot take a break but they can just look somewhere else for just 10 to 20 secs to reduce eye strain. Also, students should give rest to their eyes during a change of lectures.

Take proper rest- Along with following the above tips to reduce eye strain due to online classes, students should also take proper rest after completion of lectures for a day. This will give relief to their eyes and a much-required break.

Avoid playing video games- As the students are already on the electronic devices for at least 4-5 hours in a day due to online classes, they are advised to avoid playing video games and watching videos on mobile for longer periods of time. Students can resort to other recreational activities that do not involve electronic devices like indoor games, listening to music, etc. If it is not possible to avoid using mobile and other devices for recreational activities then students should set a limit for using them.

Other than these tips, students should try to sit in a proper ergonomic position that reduces eye strain. An ergonomic position means a student should sit such that his/her feet are flat on the floor, shoulders are relaxed, the lower back is supported, and arms are at a right angle in such a way that forearms rest on the keyboard in a straight line. Students should also clean computer screens regularly.