If there is one thing you should cherish above all else, it’s the apple of your eye.
For us gamers, our eyes are the most important part of our bodies, but also the most complex and fragile. Whether you have the eyesight of a golden eagle or the reflexes of a lynx, know that this performance will always be due to the quality and health of your eyeballs.
There’s a lot to know about your eyes so that you can continue to be as fast and precise as a goal scored in the top corner by Mbappé from twenty meters outside the box in FIFA 2020. Yes, there are a lot of habits you need to adopt to take care of your peepers and make sure they are always at peak capacity for big matches.
We’ve put together a guide so that you, too, can become an expert and take care of your eyes like a pro gamer
In this article:
- 5 things to know about eye health
- Our "pro gamer" tips for taking care of your eyes
- Some easy-to-apply tips
The 5 things to know about eye health
1. Eye fatigue
Like the rest of your body, your eyes get tired very quickly, especially after a long day in front of a screen. Never neglect eye strain, as it could play tricks on you and alter your in-game performance.
Several symptoms or behaviors can help you tell if your eyes are exhausted. Generally, the first signs of digital eye strain manifest as:
- Eye irritation
- Excessive blinking
- Dry or watery eyes
- Blurry vision
- Redness in the whites of the eyes.
You’re probably already familiar with these!
As soon as these first signs appear, you should understand that your gamer eyes are asking you to slow down and take a break. Put down your controller as soon as you can and rest for a little while.
To soothe your eyes, there are some cheat codes that will help you rest and regain your visual energy quite quickly.
- Blink slowly to rehydrate and relax your cornea.
- Otherwise, another solution: take a short break in the dark for five to ten minutes (without falling asleep!).
- Finally, one last remedy to consider: warm up your hands and place your warm palms over your closed eyelids. The heat will help relax your eyes.
Another eye-rest method that is extremely simple but more powerful than Gohan, recommended by none other than Jeffrey Anshel, an American doctor of optometry (yes, really): the 20-20-20 rule.
Jeffrey's 20-20-20 rule suggests taking a 20-second break every 20 minutes by looking at something 20 feet (about 6 meters) away.
Admit it: 20 minutes isn't exactly convenient when you're in the middle of a game, but hey, we can adapt the principle a little!
Our team tries to use this technique, but it’s not easy to stick to. We should develop a little wristband that vibrates every 20 minutes—great idea, right? (Send us a message if you're interested; if we get 500 gamers super hyped for it, maybe we could give it a shot!)
2. Sensitivity
Even if someone once told you that you had great eyesight, you should know that your eyes remain extremely sensitive and fragile regarding their environment. As a gamer, your eyes are subjected to specific conditions, especially during matches and intense training sessions.
When you play, both eyes converge on the screen. This prolonged position makes your eye muscles work, while at the same time your pupils are zipping back and forth like ping-pong balls across the screen to track your enemy, check your weapon loadout, monitor your health points, and make sure on the radar in the bottom left that your teammates are properly positioned on the map.
And all this in a fraction of a second! So you can imagine that your eyes eventually take a hit, until they themselves are "game over."
Vision problems are the new plague of the century, and gamers are the first to be sent to the front lines. Eye fatigue, visual exhaustion, migraines, myopia, and astigmatism are all potential enemies you might encounter during your gaming adventures.
Blue light from screens is, incidentally, the new boss in the game of eye pathologies.
Indeed, over a long period, overexposure to this artificial light can affect the quality of your vision. To reduce these effects, always remember to keep a distance of at least one meter from the screen, avoid reflections, and always adjust the screen brightness to a comfortable level. You should avoid spending too much time in the dark in front of a screen.
Otherwise, you can also check out our products to find blue light blocking glasses and lenses to minimize their effects on your retina as much as possible.
3. Smoking and drinking
Cigarette smoke can be irritating to your eyes, as well as those of the people around you or your team. But that’s not all! Smoking can accelerate the aging of the eye’s lens and contribute to the development of eye conditions like cataracts. So, whether you smoke or not, maybe it's time to be a little more mindful of your consumption or that of others around you—it will only benefit your eyes.
Next, just like tobacco, alcohol can reduce the quality of your vision. Look, we’re not going to refuse a beer to celebrate a good match, but it’s good to know that alcohol accelerates retinal dryness and, with excessive long-term consumption, can lead to the same diseases linked to smoking. On the other hand, if you're seeing double after drinking too much, that’s a different problem, and you’d be better off going to bed!
Sunglasses
Sunglasses aren’t just for poker players or celebs trying to escape the paparazzi. No, sunglasses are also essential equipment for gamers. For a player, protective glasses are a bit like Link’s Master Sword: one doesn't go without the other.
We often neglect them, but glasses are the best line of defense against harsh glare. They are also perfect accessories for resting tired eyes, especially during championship days. Today, there are lenses and styles for everyone.
You’ll definitely find what you’re looking for, and most importantly, don't hesitate to take a look—pun intended—at our products designed specifically for the needs of gamers.
Watch out for impacts
If you practice a sport in addition to your gaming, there are a few things to keep in mind. Repeated blows to the head, if you play soccer or practice a combat sport, can damage your eye’s optic nerve (glaucoma). This can impair your vision quality. Look, we aren't asking you to wear Samus Aran's suit from Metroid, but you get the idea.
Your eyes are as fragile as crystal balls, so take care of them as if you were Goku… well, if you were Goku, you wouldn't have to worry about taking a hit—quite the opposite!
Tips for taking care of your eyes
Hygiene isn't just about taking a shower
Visual hygiene should not be neglected, especially for gamers whose eye capacity needs to be engaged constantly. To keep your eyes impeccably clean, there is a first solution: saline solution. These little liquid capsules—available at pharmacies—allow you to keep your eyes hydrated at all times, but also to rinse and clean your retina.
They say if you hydrate your eyes regularly enough, you'll be able to shoot lasers like Cyclops from the X-Men... No, that's not true, I’m kidding... Although, maybe research will find a way for us to do that eventually.
Otherwise, a few good nights of sleep will help reactivate your eye’s energy and provide all the power needed for your future performances.
PS: That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t also take an actual shower!
Protect, prevent, and see better: think about glasses!
To preserve your vision, we can’t say it enough, especially us here at Horus X: protect your eyes with gaming glasses!
Admittedly, we don't yet make glasses that let you see your opponent's attack before they even think of it, but thanks to our high-tech lenses, we promise to reduce and eliminate reflections and the dangers of blue light, which can affect the quality of your eyesight.
Plus, we offer several types of models. We don't have the same model as Shino Aburame from Naruto yet, but who knows? Nothing is impossible in the world of gamers, right?
Train your eyes like you train for matches
You have to realize that the eye is like a muscle; it can be trained to become more resistant, stronger, and more enduring. There are many eye exercises you can do at home to re-educate your eyes, but also to train them to be quicker and improve their reading capacity.
Because we like to take care of you, we’re giving you a very easy tip to try—like in training mode—to boost your skills.
Stare ahead of you and make ten circles in a clockwise direction. Rest your pupils. Then start again, but this time in the other direction. Repeat the exercise about ten times.
I promise you won't get dizzy!
Consult your ophthalmologist like they’re your coach
Seeing a vision specialist is important, especially when your job involves spending hundreds of hours in front of a screen massacring opponents with unrivaled focus. Seeing an eye expert is a bit like visiting Master Splinter.
They are the person you should see about once a year to ensure everything is fine, to check that your pupils are still doing well, and to make sure you aren't going cross-eyed.
Nutrition: eat well to have the eyesight of a royal falcon
Last but not least: nutrition. Remember the chia seeds from our previous article… well, they’re back!
Yes, nutrition plays a very important role in the health of your pupils. Fruits, vegetables, beef or soy, sweet potatoes—all these are foods that will help you out on the long adventure of eye health. Avoid foods that are bad for your eyes as much as possible.
So get your Yoda-head bowl ready (yes, it really exists!) and pour yourself a good amount of chia seeds with a bit of fresh yogurt and some blueberries! Your eyes will thank you!
Learn more: eyes at the heart of medicine
For several decades now, in obscure labs on the edge of the desert, a handful of scientists have been working on new ways to improve human vision... Wait, what? That's not it? Damn, that wasn't the right script...
Okay, fine, they aren't obscure labs in the middle of Nevada, but many ophthalmology experts are focusing on new technologies to boost our vision.
Have you ever heard of super-lenses, for example? Researchers from prestigious European and American schools are working together on contact lenses that can enhance human vision. And it goes even further: some researchers have even created prototypes of lenses that are smart enough to zoom with a blink of an eye.
Optical technologies and progress in ocular medicine are so advanced these days that it is possible to cure most eye diseases.
If you suffer from a condition and are worried about your future in the gaming world, know that there are highly advanced surgical operations available to remedy your nearsightedness or astigmatism. These operations can be partially covered by insurance and present fewer and fewer risks to your eyesight (we advise you to see your doctor for more information if you are interested).
Conclusion
Ultimately, to clarify everything that has been said, never forget that the health of your eyes requires a few good habits:
- Rest yourself and rest your pupils, sometimes just for a few minutes. Use the 20/20/20 rule; it's the best thing you can do if you don't have protection.
- Protect your eyes from blue light and glare with special glasses.
- Do not smoke or drink, or if you do, only in great moderation.
- Monitor your diet or adapt it to boost your vision health.
- Do exercises to make your eyes less lazy and more high-performing.
- Consult an eye specialist at least once a year.
With these few tips and recommendations, you'll ensure your precious peepers stay in better health, while also maintaining a better condition during big matches and very long training days.
