Can You Actually See As Well As You Think You Can?

How good is your vision?

If you are one of the lucky folks who has exceptional vision, you probably even know your vision “number.”

“I have 20/10 vision,” you’ll hear those with hawklike vision brag. And, in a way, rightly so. Those with 20/20 or better vision are becoming less common.

The going estimate is that 6 out of 10 people worldwide need glasses, contacts or have required corrective surgery in order to see properly. Of those people, about 60 percent are nearsighted (meaning they have trouble seeing far away) and about 30 percent are farsighted (meaning they have trouble seeing objects that are close up, as many adults find to be the case as they age and start to require bifocals for reading).

Now, if you are in the nearsighted or “myopic” category, you’re in good—and growing—company. A study published in 2016 estimated that by 2050 half of the world’s population would be nearsighted. That’s up from about 34 percent today, and the culprit probably won’t surprise you.

The study was conducted by an Australian nonprofit eye care institute called the Brien Holden Vision Institute, and the findings were published in the journal Ophthalmology in early 2016.

Researchers estimated that decreased time spent outdoors and “increased near work activities,” among other factors will lead to increased nearsightedness in the years ahead. And, by the way, “increased near work activities” is code for time spent staring at screens, whether looking at one on a phone, computer, TV or otherwise.

But enough about all that. Playbuzz has developed a fun quiz that puts your vision to the test with images that call on perception, color identification and more.

Eye Vision Quiz

Wondering how good your vision really is?  Put those sharp eyes of yours to the test and see how well you do. The quiz asks you to identify hidden animals in photos, choose the color that does not match the others shown and more to evaluate your vision.

Now, it should be noted that this quiz is just for fun. If you are seriously wondering about the state of your eye health or vision, make an eye doctor appointment ASAP! There are even a number of ways to get a free eye exam, so be sure to check those out.

How Does Your Vision Stack Up?

So, how did you do? If you’re one of the lucky ones, the test revealed that your vision is up to snuff. But if your quiz results were less than ideal, you could be suffering from computer vision syndrome. That’s a fancy name for the tired feeling in your eyes after a long day spent staring at a screen, which is, for better or worse, the way of the world now.

Symptoms of computer vision syndrome include dry, itchy eyes, decreased or blurred vision, burning or stinging eyes, sensitivity to light, headaches, and back and neck pain.

If you find you spend a lot of time looking at screens these days, like so many of us do, there are ways to help protect your vision and alleviate symptoms. Upgrading to a sharper display and blinking often are just a few of the recommended tips for minimizing eye strain tied to screen use.

You should take a “vision break” from looking at screens every 20 minutes. Focus on something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. And, you should also take a 15-minute break after two hours of screen use. Go for a walk or grab a cup of coffee!

Another switch you can make is to alter your desk set up so you’re looking down at your computer screen rather than straight ahead. That’s because your eyes aren’t open as wide when you’re looking down.

You should also reduce the glare on your screen by positioning it to avoid overhead light or windows.If you frequently work at night, download f.lux, software that adjusts your computer’s display based on the time of day to ease the strain on your eyes.