A new study uncovers a promising approach.
Scientists have found that certain nutritional supplements may be effective in decreasing symptoms associated with prolonged digital screen time, the American Optometric Association reports.
Nutrients found in leafy, green vegetables help protect against high-energy blue light emitted from digital devices, the organization notes. The researchers found that supplementation with macular carotenoids, lutein and zeaxanthin, increased macular pigment optical density (MPOD) “and, in turn, improved subjects’ headache frequency, eye strain, eye fatigue and other visual performance measures often associated with prolonged digital screen time.”
Researchers from the University of Georgia examined 48 healthy adults with screen time of at least six hours daily, collecting data on their MPODs and other physical indicators, AOA explains. They found that subjects taking a 24 milligrams a day of macular carotenoid supplement experienced significant improvements in MPOD versus a placebo group.
“After six months of supplementation, we saw significant reduction around 30 percent in these symptoms and significant improvement in measures of visual performance and protection,” said lead author James Stringham.
The researchers stated that such supplementation might provide a “benign, nutrition-based therapy for reducing the incidence of many undesirable outcomes associated with excessive (screen time).”
The study was published in the open-access journal Foods.
Read more at AOA