Dr. Banik’s tips for protecting your eyes from digital overload

Dr. Rudrani Banik shares 5 simple ways to protect your eyes from digital overload

DOMINATED WORLD WITH MOST AMERICANS SPENDING 7 TO 9 HOURS A DAY STARING AT A DEVICE. THE RESULTS? DIGITAL EYE STRAIN IS NOW AN EPIDEMIC, CAUSING BLURRED VISION, HEADACHES AND EVEN FUELING A SURGE IN NEARSIGHTEDNESS, ESPECIALLY IN CHILDREN. JOINING US TODAY IS INTEGRATIVE NEURO OPHTHALMOLOGIST DOCTOR RONNIE, HERE TO SHARE FIVE SIMPLE WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR EYES AND KEEP YOUR VISION SHARP IN THE DIGITAL AGE. WELCOME, DOCTOR RONNIE, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. AND SO FIRST QUESTION, HOW MUCH SCREEN TIME IS TOO MUCH AND WHAT’S THE REAL IMPACT ON OUR EYES? YEAH. THE TRUTH IS, IN OUR MODERN WORLD, WE SPEND HOURS ON A SCREEN. YOU MENTIONED SOME STUDIES HAVE SHOWN 7 TO 9 HOURS. OTHER STUDIES SUGGEST TEN HOURS OR EVEN MORE FOR ADULTS AND ABOUT SIX HOURS FOR KIDS. NOW, LUCKILY, ALL OF THIS SCREEN TIME, IT DOESN’T DO ANY PERMANENT DAMAGE TO YOUR EYES, BUT IT CAN CAUSE SHORT TERM SIDE EFFECTS. WHAT WE CALL DIGITAL EYE STRAIN. OKAY, AND SO WHAT ARE FIVE SIMPLE WAYS TO PROTECT YOUR EYES FROM DIGITAL OVERLOAD THAT ATTENDEES WILL LEARN AT THE EYE HEALTH SUMMIT? YEAH. SO FIVE SIMPLE THINGS. NUMBER ONE IS TO USE THE 20 2020 RULE. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS EVERY 20 MINUTES, TAKE A 22ND BREAK AND LOOK AT SOMETHING ABOUT 20FT IN THE DISTANCE THAT WILL HELP TO RELAX YOUR EYE MUSCLES. STRATEGY NUMBER TWO IS TO SIMPLY BLINK MORE. WHAT? NORMALLY WE BLINK ABOUT 15 TO 20 TIMES A MINUTE. HOWEVER, WHEN WE’RE ON SCREENS, WE ONLY BLINK ABOUT 3 TO 5 TIMES A MINUTE. AND WHAT ENDS UP HAPPENING IS THAT OUR EYES DRY OUT. AND SIMPLY BY BLINKING MORE MINDFULLY, MORE FORCEFULLY, WE CAN GET OUR EYES LUBRICATED AND REDUCE DIGITAL EYE STRAIN. THE THIRD THING IS TO SIMPLY REDUCE THE LIGHT SETTINGS ON YOUR PHONE. TO REDUCE BLUE LIGHT. MANY PEOPLE THINK BLUE BLOCKING GLASSES ARE NECESSARY, BUT REALLY, THERE’S NO PROOF THAT THEY WORK. INSTEAD, USE THE FILTERS THAT ARE BUILT INTO YOUR PHONE. OR YOU CAN ALSO DOWNLOAD FILTERS FROM YOUR APP STORE. AND THEN NUMBER FOUR IS SIMPLY GET OUTSIDE MORE. WE KNOW THAT BEING OUTDOORS IS ALWAYS HEALTHY FOR US TO HELP WITH VITAMIN D PRODUCTION, BUT IN TERMS OF OUR EYES, THERE ARE STUDIES TO SHOW THAT THERE CAN BE DECREASED RISKS OF MYOPIA FOR CHILDREN BY SIMPLY SPENDING TWO HOURS A DAY OUTDOORS. SO I RECOMMEND THAT BOTH FOR KIDS AND ADULTS. AND THE LAST THING IS NUTRITION. HAVE LOTS OF GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES IN YOUR DIET, LOTS OF OMEGAS TO KEEP YOUR EYES HEALTHY AND STRONG. AND YOU CAN LEARN ALL OF THIS AT THE EYE HEALTH SUMMIT COMING UP IN MAY. WE’RE STARTING MAY 1ST THROUGH MAY 7TH. WE’RE BRINGING TOGETHER OVER 35 EXPERTS TO TALK ABOUT 35 TOPICS. IT’S COMPLETELY FREE. IT’S ONLINE, SO ANYONE CAN JOIN US. THAT’S AMAZING. AND A LOT OF WONDERFUL TIPS THERE. SO IS VISION LOSS UNAVOIDABLE OR CAN WE TAKE STEPS TO PREVENT IT? IT IS NOT UNAVOIDABLE. YES, CERTAIN THINGS CAN HAPPEN. FOR EXAMPLE, TROUBLE READING UP CLOSE WHAT WE CALL PRESBYOPIA. ALSO, CATARACTS HAPPEN WITH AGE. IT HAPPENS TO JUST ABOUT EVERYONE. BUT THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS WE CAN DO PROACTIVELY TO PROTECT OUR VISION AND MANAGE SOME OF THOSE ISSUES. SO THERE ARE LOTS OF GREAT SOLUTIONS, AND YOU CAN FIND OUT ALL ABOUT THEM DURING THE SUMMIT. THE EYE HEALTH SUMMIT. OKAY, THAT SOUNDS VERY INFORMATIVE. AND SO WHAT NUTRIENTS OR FOOD SUPPORT, EYE HEALTH AND HELP PREVENT CONDITIONS LIKE CATARACTS OR MACULAR DEGENERATION? I KNOW CARROTS IS ONE THAT I’VE ALWAYS HEARD WERE GREAT FOR EYE HEALTH. ARE THERE OTHERS? THERE ARE SO MANY MORE AND MANY PEOPLE THINK IF I JUST EAT ENOUGH CARROTS, I’LL HAVE PERFECT 2020 VISION. UNFORTUNATELY, THAT’S NOT THE CASE. SO WE NEED TO HAVE A DIVERSITY IN OUR NUTRIENTS. AND I SAID EARLIER, GREEN LEAFY VEGETABLES ARE GREAT CHOICES. ALSO, COLORFUL PEPPERS FOR EXAMPLE BELL PEPPERS. MOST PEOPLE CHOOSE GREEN BELL PEPPERS, BUT ACTUALLY ORANGE AND YELLOW ONES ARE MORE NUTRIENT RICH FOR OUR EYES AND CITRUS FRUITS, SPICES, CORN. THERE’S SO MANY COLORFUL FOODS THAT WE CAN INCLUDE TO HELP SUPPORT OUR EYES. WOW. WONDERFUL. AND SO LAST QUESTION FOR YOU WHY DO WE RARELY HEAR ABOUT EYE HEALTH COMPARED TO LIKE HEART HEALTH OR BRAIN HEALTH, WHICH YOU KNOW, IS OFTEN AT THE FOREFRONT? YOU KNOW, I WISH IT WEREN’T TRUE. I WISH EHEALTH WERE MORE OF A PRIORITY. AND MANY OF US GO SEE OUR MEDICAL DOCTOR ONCE A YEAR. WE GET OUR LABS DONE. WE GO TO THE DENTIST TWICE A YEAR, WE GET OUR MAMMOGRAMS, COLONOSCOPIES. BUT PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE THAT WE NEED TO BE PROACTIVE ABOUT OUR VISION. WE NEED TO SEE OUR EYE DOCTOR ONCE A YEAR AFTER THE AGE OF 40, AND ALSO WHEN YOU’RE IN THE DOCTOR’S CHAIR, YOU DON’T REALLY GET THAT MUCH TIME FACE TO FACE WITH YOUR DOCTOR TO REALLY LEARN ABOUT WHAT YOU NEED TO DO TO KEEP YOUR EYES HEALTHY. AND THAT’S REALLY ALSO THE MISSION OF THE EYE HEALTH SUMMIT IS TO EDUCATE PEOPLE AND EMPOWER THEM FOR WHAT THEY KNEW TO DO, WHAT THEY NEED TO DO. AWESOME. WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THIS HAS BEEN VERY INFORMATIVE AND EVERYONE CAN JOIN THE EYE SUMMIT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DOCTOR RONNIE AND HER EYE HEALTH TIPS, VISIT WDSU.COM. WE ALSO HAVE A LINK POSTED SO YOU CAN REGISTER FOR HER EYE HEALTH SUMMIT. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US, DOCTOR RONNIE. LOTS OF GREAT TIPS THERE AND I LOOK FORWARD TO JOINING YOUR EYE SUMMIT.

Dr. Rudrani Banik shares 5 simple ways to protect your eyes from digital overload

Dr. Rudrani Banik, MD, a fellowship-trained neuro-ophthalmologist and founder of EnVision Health NYC, is dedicated to improving eye health through integrative approaches. As a best-selling author of “Beyond Carrots: Best Foods for Eye Health A to Z” and “Dr. Rani’s Visionary Kitchen,” Dr. Banik has worked to bridge the gap between nutrition and eye care while also treating neurological conditions and migraines.Dr. Banik is an associate professor of ophthalmology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and co-director of the neuro-ophthalmology service. She is also a member of the American Board of Ophthalmology’s Exam Development Committee and has been recognized as a top doctor by New York Magazine and Castle Connolly from 2017 to 2025.In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Banik is the founder of The Eye Health Summit, a global patient-centered event dedicated to integrative eye health. Dr. Banik has shared her expertise on various media outlets, including The New York Times, “Good Morning America,” “CBS Evening News” and The Washington Post.Dr. Banik offers the following five simple ways to defend your eyes from digital overload:Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This helps reduce strain and allows eye muscles to relax.Optimize your blink rate: Blinking lubricates the eyes, but screen use reduces our natural blink rate. Make a conscious effort to blink often, and use preservative-free artificial tears if dryness persists.Limit blue light exposure: Reduce screen brightness and enable blue light filters. Avoid spending money on blue-blocking glasses, which are often ineffective.Prioritize outdoor time: Exposure to natural daylight, especially in childhood, lowers the risk of myopia. Aim for at least two hours of outdoor activity each day.Fuel your eyes with the right nutrition: Nutrients like lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids are essential for protecting eyes from strain, dry eye and degenerative diseases. Include leafy greens, fatty fish and colorful vegetables in your diet.Connect with Dr. Banik for more eye health tips:X: @RudraniBanikMDFacebook: EnVision Health NYCInstagram: @dr.ranibanik LinkedIn: Rudrani Banik, MDWebsite: www.drranibanik.comRegister for The Eye Health Summit: theeyehealthsummit.com

Dr. Banik is an associate professor of ophthalmology at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and co-director of the neuro-ophthalmology service. She is also a member of the American Board of Ophthalmology’s Exam Development Committee and has been recognized as a top doctor by New York Magazine and Castle Connolly from 2017 to 2025.

In addition to her clinical practice, Dr. Banik is the founder of The Eye Health Summit, a global patient-centered event dedicated to integrative eye health. Dr. Banik has shared her expertise on various media outlets, including The New York Times, “Good Morning America,” “CBS Evening News” and The Washington Post.

Dr. Banik offers the following five simple ways to defend your eyes from digital overload:

Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This helps reduce strain and allows eye muscles to relax.
Optimize your blink rate: Blinking lubricates the eyes, but screen use reduces our natural blink rate. Make a conscious effort to blink often, and use preservative-free artificial tears if dryness persists.
Limit blue light exposure: Reduce screen brightness and enable blue light filters. Avoid spending money on blue-blocking glasses, which are often ineffective.
Prioritize outdoor time: Exposure to natural daylight, especially in childhood, lowers the risk of myopia. Aim for at least two hours of outdoor activity each day.
Fuel your eyes with the right nutrition: Nutrients like lutein, zeaxanthin and omega-3 fatty acids are essential for protecting eyes from strain, dry eye and degenerative diseases. Include leafy greens, fatty fish and colorful vegetables in your diet.