Following the 20/20 Rule as well as Harmon's Rule has been shown to reduce the progression of refractive errors such as nearsightedness and astigmatism. Astigmatism is defined as a cornea that is shaped like a football, thus creating distortion perceived as blurriness. The cornea is the clear layer directly in front of the iris. The iris is the color of the eye. Here are some easy steps to take in order to slow down these two refractive errors.

Performing near tasks (such as staring at a computer monitor or reading, for example) too close, or for extended periods of time, has a tendency to increase myopia (nearsightedness) as well as astigmatism. Applying Harmon's Rule along with the 20/20 Rule can slow down the progression of these two conditions.

Begin by positioning your computer monitor anywhere between 20 to 26 inches from your eyes. For all other near activities (such as reading, doing paperwork, playing with hand-held video games, texting, sewing,etc.), 14 to 20 inches is considered appropriate. You can also use the distance between your elbow and your wrist as an approximation of this length. This is known as "Harmon's Rule".

Follow the "20/20 Rule" (also known as the "20-20-20 Rule"). It simply states: For every 20 minutes spent looking at a near object, stare at 20 feet for 20 seconds.

It can be very easy for computer users to forget to apply the 20/20 Rule, thus spending countless hours staring at a monitor. You can find an online timer by typing "20/20 Rule Timer" in the search box of your favorite search engine. Include the quotation marks for better results. This Timer counts down from 20 minutes. Once it reaches zero, a window pops up with a message instructing to look away at 20 feet for 20 seconds.

Warning: Even if you follow these recommendations, your vision may still worsen, due to other factors involved, such as heredity. This is only intended to SLOW DOWN the process.

Tags & Keywords : Nearsightedness, myopia, astigmatism, computer, monitor, 20/20, slow down