#SayGoodbyetoDryEye with Systane

We're living in a world where we're becoming really dependent on gadgets and technology. I got to admit that the first thing I do as I wake up in the morning is to check my phone. After getting the kids ready for breakfast, I then turn on the TV supposedly to play in the background as the reporter from BBC updates us on the latest news in the region but when I hear something interesting, I'd immediately turn my attention to it. After that, I head to my mini office where I start my daily calls with various people in the team. This goes on for the next 4 hours before I go down for lunch. After lunch, I take an extra hour to play with the kids and I go back again to work up until it's time for dinner. If I'm not staring at my phone, I'd be on my laptop and even if I try my hardest to create time blocks to walk around, grab a drink or to stretch, I know that I have been overworking my eyes especially during this quarantine season. 

There were instances wherein I would get migraine headaches or I would see glaring silhouettes that would force me to give my eyes a break. I've always had pretty good eyesight all my life except for very sensitive astigmatism, I'm one of the lucky few in our family who do not have to wear glasses or contact lens. This is also why I am extra careful and conscious not to abuse this as I have no plans to dealing with bad eyesight especially at this point in time. 

So how do you know if you got dry eyes? Normally, dry eyes can cause a stinging or burning sensation, some would say they feel something sandy in their eyes, it can cause redness and irritation or excessive tearing. 

>This is why I was so excited to join the live session with Dr. James Abraham Lee, who is a pediatric ophthalmologist from American Eye Center, over the weekend as he gave tips on how to manage screen time and how to deal with tired, dry eyes. My parents have long been using Systane Eye Drops and we got lots of mini bottles of these stored all around the house. I never thought of using them because I thought it was something that has to be prescribed by the eye doctor. During the live, I learned that Systane eye drops are safe for everyone to use as it serves as a good lubricant for your eyes. It is then a good idea to always keep a bottle of Systane with you to protect your eyes from drying up. 

In fact, Dr. James answered my question if Systane is safe for kids and it indeed was. There are 3 variants available -- Systane Ultra which is the most basic type, Systane Balance which has extra lubrication and is intended for very dry eyes and the one that I love the most -- Systane Ultra UD which has no preservatives so you can apply this as often as you want and just dispose after use. 

I learned so much in just a span of an hour! Did you know that there's a proper way to relax your eyes in between working or studying? It's called the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second stare at something 20 feet away. It sounds easy but when you're deep in concentration and you don't want to ruin your train of thoughts, it can also be quite challenging. It's a good practice though to ensure your eyes are well taken cared of no matter what. 

I also learned that kids from 3-5 years old are allowed an hour of screen time but it has to be guided by the parents. I guess it's good that we have limited the twins' screen time only at night or when they have their Kindermusik class. I'm glad that they love playing with their toys (and making a mess too!) so I'd take that anytime over having to take them away from the screen. They used to be more addicted to the screen but since Yaya M left last June, Paul and I got to train them to be less dependent on their favorite YouTube videos and we have introduced a lot more activities for them to do during the day like working on their Busy Binders, playing with their toy cars and kitchen set and to just run around the house how normal kids should really be. 

It was such an insightful afternoon and I'm glad that I was able to join this. It's just very relevant to what most of us are experiencing at the moment and we also tend to take our eyes forgranted but I honestly can't imagine losing my eyesight so it's best we take good care of it while we can. It's time we give our eyes that much needed TLC starting today. 

Systane is available at leading opticals and http://www.alcongocontacts.ph