The Eyes Have It

I’ve recently had my eyes checked by my optometrist. This is someone who has tracked and monitored changes in my eyes over the years. She talks to me about current trends in the research she is doing in her field of study. When I mentioned the Cognition and Learning course I’m currently taking, she was quick to reference some research about the connections between the structure and function of the eyes and their impact on cognition, particularly in current work with Alzheimer patients. She also mentioned research she is currently conducting into the eye’s ability to refocus between near point (books, tablets, cell phones) and far point (seeing distances for driving). The impact of prolonged cell phone and tablet use in teenagers is changing the functional ability of the eye to refocus between distances, thus hampering vision, particularly noticeable in those with ‘Netflix’ or gaming addictions. She also mentioned the secondary impact with depleted levels of lutein in the eye, thus jeopardizing eye health in the long term, and increasing the potential for cataracts, macular degeneration, eye strain, and sleep issues as reported in Blue Light – Is there risk of harm?  These issues can potentially impact quality of life, but also an individual’s ability to learn in a variety of settings.

This caught my attention because of current concerns I have with the amount of work I do on the computer, often having difficulty refocusing my eyes after a prolonged session of reading or writing. After this checkup, I have vowed to make two changes to my learning routine – take frequent ‘eye’ breaks to maintain my eye health, and to use the ‘night shift’ on my computer displays to minimize the amount of blue light entering my eyes. After a few days of ‘night shifting’ my monitors, I am noticing a preference for the warmer tones to the digital text.

There may be more to this than meets the eye – potential research implications worth a further look.