How to Slow Down The Progression of Nearsightedness and Astigmatism

Performing near tasks (such as staring at a computer monitor or reading) too close, or for an extended period of time, has a tendency to increase myopia (nearsightedness) as well as astigmatism.

Applying Harmon's Rule along with the 20/20 Rule can slow down the progression of these two conditions. Here is how to proceed.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tape measure (optional)

1. Begin by positioning your computer monitor at the recommended distance from your eyes. This should fall anywhere between 20 to 26 inches.

2. For all other near activities or tasks (for example: reading, doing paperwork, playing with handheld video games, texting, sewing), 14 to 20 inches is appropriate. You can also use the distance between your elbow and your wrist as an approximation of this length. This is known as "Harmon's Rule".

3. Follow the "20/20 Rule" (also known as the "20-20-20 Rule"). It stipulates: Every 20 minutes, gaze far away at an object located at 20 feet for 20 seconds.

Tips & Warnings

• It can be very easy for computer users to forget to apply the 20/20 Rule, thus spending countless hours staring at a monitor. You can find an online timer by typing "20/20 Rule Timer" in the searchbox of your favorite search engine. Include the quotation marks for better results. This Timer counts down from 20 minutes. Once it reaches zero, a window pops up with a message to look away for 20 seconds.
• Even if you follow these steps, your vision may still get worse, due to other factors involved, such as heredity. This is only intended to SLOW DOWN the process.

Resources

• Eye Doctor's Blog