During the learning from home phase of 2020, students will be engaging with more online content than ever before. Managing eye health and minimising visual strain and fatigue is of great importance. Simple tips are provided below to assist in managing the visual strains placed on learners.
What does visual fatigue look like?
Often, it's difficult to identify visual fatigue, especially when working with younger students.
Signs that a student may be suffering from visual
fatigue or strain may include;
Sore, tired, burning or itchy eyes
Watery or dry eyes
Rubbing eyes
Squinting, blurred or double vision
Headaches
Sore neck, shoulders or back
Increased sensitivity to light
Difficulty concentrating
Feeling that you cannot keep your eyes open
inability to change focus from near to far objects and vice versa
increase in Nystagmus
avoidance of visual activity
The student may experience fatigue 5-10 minutes after starting a vision-related activity. The differences in onset can vary with:
cause of visual impairment
the time of day
intensity and type of visual activity
previous exposure to the task, for instance knowledge of vocabulary and subject matter of the reading matter; whether the task is a test
lighting and glare (Paths to Literacy; Fitzmaurice, Gale & Lewis, 2004)
While a student may not experience all of these symptoms, it is important to identify and document any of these symptoms that may be present so that a remediation plan can be implemented.
Maintaining Healthy Eyes
1. Good Ergonomics.
Set up a comfortable work station for the child where they have good working posture.
2. Lighting Considerations.
Ensure that devices are not set up with light sources directly in front or behind the screen. Make use of window furnishings, such as blinds and shutters to minimise glare sources.
3. Sharing Screen Time with Outside Time.
4. Following the 20-20-20 Rule.
5. Managing Screen Brightness.
6. Use larger font.
Opt for larger font size (larger than 12), with high contrast, for example, black writing on white background.
7. Visit your optometrist/ ophthalmologist regularly.
Wear current prescription glasses or contact lenses, as directed by an eye care practitioner.
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