You can best treat eyestrain by putting an end to the conditions that are causing it. Improper lighting, especially when reading or doing other close work, is a frequent cause of eyestrain. Do not face the light; it should come from behind and from the side, so you will not be in your own shadow. Be sure the light bulbs are strong enough (75 to 100 watts) and are not dusty. Hold your book or paper about 16 or 18 inches away from you and a little lower than eye level. Reading when you are lying on your back in bed or propped up on an elbow will strain your eyes, and so will reading for a long time in a vibrating train, bus, or car. Rest your eyes from time to time by looking off into the distance—which is easier said than done, I know, in some places. Avoid glare.
If you are in the bright sun, tinted glasses can protect your eyes— good sunglasses, that is. Poor ones can add to your troubles, especially if you wear them for a long time. Do not wear glasses with irregularities or scratches in them; plastic lenses scratch very easily. Some glasses are too lightly tinted to do any good. Unfortunately, good sunglasses are expensive. The best ones have ground and polished lenses. Choose glasses made by a well-known company. Do not look directly into the sun even though you are wearing glasses, and do not wear them indoors or at night. If you wear prescription glasses, you should have a pair of sunglasses ground to your prescription rather than clipping a pair of possibly inferior sunglasses over your carefully made regular glasses.
Movies can cause eyestrain if the lighting is poor, the film flickery, or you sit too far to the side—or if you are such an addict that you go practically every day. Television will not hurt your eyes unless you have the room totally dark, sit too close or at an angle, or watch steadily for too long a time. For children, I think it is wise to set the limit at an hour, with a good long rest period before the next programme. It is best, too, to mark a spot about six feet away from the set, because children are apt to sit practically next to the screen.
*49\68\2*
