Research is showing that our constant screen time is radically changing our eyes. Myopia, which makes distant objects look blurred, now affects 30% of the population and one of the causes is staring at screens too long. Earlier this week I talked about foods that help improve eye health, and today I'm sharing four things you can do to help keep your eyes healthy.

1. Keep screens at least two feet away

Getting away from screens completely is hard to do, especially when so many of us have jobs that require us to work on a screen. Viewing things two feet or closer has shown to increase risk of myopia so viewing things from farther distances can help. Also the bigger the screen the less strain is put on our eyes.

2. 20 20 20 Rule 

The CDC recommends doing the 20 20 20 rule which is every 20 minutes taking a break from the screen and viewing something else at least 20 feet away from you for 20 seconds. They say this helps to give your eyes a rest since staring at screens for too long puts a strain on them.

3. Blue Light Blocking Glasses 

Wearing blue light blocking glasses can help block or reduce some of the blue light from screens. By wearing them constantly, when using your phone, computer or watching TV, it can help reduce eye damage, eye strain and even sleep disturbance that screen time causes.

4. Get outside more 

The American Optometric Association recommends one to three hours of outdoor activities to help protect eye sight.  Research has shown that spending time outdoors does help reduce chances of myopia. This is also important for children as this study showed that children who had additional hours outdoors had a lower rate of developing myopia.