‘Save Your Vision’ month to raise awareness on blue light affecting eye health

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - Taking care of your eyes is more important than ever, with a recent survey finding the average American spends at least seven hours a day looking at screens.

March is “Save Your Vision” month, and Dr. Rasika Whitesell advises to schedule at least a yearly eye exam with your optometrist.

“A lot of people don’t realize that even if you can see clearly, it’s very important to come in every year to get your eye exam because vision is just half the exam,” Whitesell said. “We want to check the health of your eyes as well. Things like glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration can all cause vision loss.”

Whitesell says that a healthy diet can help to protect your vision as well as wearing sunglasses or other UV protection.

“We naturally get blue light from the sun anyways outdoors, but now we get it indoors from our screen,” Whitesell said. “We know that too much blue light in our bodies and systems can affect our circadian rhythm, which means we have a harder falling asleep at night.”

Whitesell recommends to limit using devices using the 20-20-20 rule, which means taking a 20-second break from your device and look 20 feet away away from a screen.

Copyright 2023 WECT. All rights reserved.