Be it Alia Bhatt, Katrina Kaif, Anubhav Sinha, Ameesha Patel and many others glued to their laptops for a new learning or work, several others glued to TV or mobile screens to catch up on OTT content, or even those who constantly give in to the urge of updating or getting updated with social media fodder — celebs are quite representative of the public at large which is indulging in uncontrolled screen exposure during this quarantine time amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
With limited entertainment options at hand indoors, people are turning to the multitude of screens that surround us. But health experts have warnings.
“It’s important to be a wise couch potato during this free time at home. Moreover, people working from home are already exposed to screens for at least 8 hours a day are constantly engaged with their phones and laptops. They must be extra careful when consuming content on OTTs as well as playing online games and put a time cap on these activities,” says ophthalmologist Anant Vir Jain.
According to various studies done by US universities, the safe screen time for adults (above 16 years) is two hours per day, points out Rishi Bhardwaj, head of ophthalmology department at a Gurugram hospital, adding that it is hardly followed by people nowadays.
“The more we stare at a screen our eyes get dry and blinking rates get lowered. That results in the stress and strain in the eyes. More screen time means less physical activity and less exposure to green (natural green colour which makes the eyes soothing),” informs Bhardwaj, stressing that this increased exposure can also impact mental health as well as sleep pattern.
