5 Tips for Gamer Eye Health
“It’s a beautiful day outside, go get some fresh air.” Absolutely not. I am a gamer gremlin and my place is in my cave. And by cave I mean at my desk and/or couch playing on my PC or Switch or PlayStation 5 that I got my buddy Darnell to buy from a scalper for me. A gamer in their natural habitat can play anywhere from 1-14 hours a day. Lifespans are getting longer and we can look forward to hundreds, hopefully thousands of hours of cutting edge game play over the course of our lives. Imagine what incredible games will come out in the next 50 years. When God of War 23 comes out in 2047, we will be there to witness the blood-soaked glory with technology that hasn’t even been invented yet. Exciting times. But in order to fully appreciate the incredible games that come out in the future and revel in the better-than-ever games that are out today, we gotta take care of our peepers people. Here’s 5 ways you can protect your eye health so you can game until the day it’s game over.
20-20-20 Rule
Gaming means staring at a screen for hours on end. To fully thrive and maintain your eye health, take a break every once in a while and gaze at something far away. Every 20 minutes take 20 seconds to stare at something 20 feet away. 20 minutes is the blink of an eye in gamer time, so if this rule is breaking your flow, take one minute every hour instead. Something’s better than nothing!
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Refresh
Blinking screens can strain eyes, even if you’re not noticing it consciously. Set your devices to the highest refresh rate for silky smooth gaming and keep those peepers perky.
Acting Exercises
You know how a good actor can convey so much with only a glance or a squint of their eyes? Some methods of acting use isolation training to strengthen small groups of muscles to give performers greater control over fine motor movements in the face. Take a few moments each day to strengthen eye muscles by looking up and then down, then side to side, then rolling your eyes clockwise and counterclockwise. You can keep your peripheral vision skills strong and who knows, maybe win a BAFTA award some day.
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Doctor Mario (or whatever your doctor’s name is)
As you may already know, we Cracked writers are not doctors. To really maintain eye health, find a good optometrist. Having the right prescription for glasses or contacts is important for vision longevity and to make sure you’re soaking up every bit of state-of-the-art ray tracing your next gen console can muster.
Palming
This tip helps eyes relax and may even ease your gamer rage. Palming is an ancient technique where you warm your hands by rubbing them together. Then, place the gently cupped palms of your hands over your eyes with the fingertips resting on your brow or forehead and the base of your hands on your cheek bones. Breathe. Nirvana, and good eye health, are yours for the taking.
