Ah, technology. What would we do without it? We can schedule appointments, Instagram our lunch and FaceTime with someone across the country in just a few swipes. Our smart phones, laptops and stylish totes (large enough to fit our iPad, of course) may seem like lifesavers, but our don't-go-anywhere-without-them mentality comes at a price. These modern-day conveniences can lead to once-unheard-of modern-day health issues.

Once the headaches, back pain, carpal tunnel, and squinting settle in, it's easy to realize that our hands weren't made to furiously type at 80 words per minute, our eyes weren't intended to stare at bright pixelated screens for hours on end, and being bipedal is hard enough, even without sky-high heels.

Technology isn't going anywhere (not that we'd want it to), and it's not exactly realistic to unplug and revert to caveman days. Happily, you can do away with most modern health hazards with just a few easy tweaks to your lifestyle -- no unplugging required. Read on to find out how.

The Symptoms: Your eyes feel as dry as the Sahara. They burn, sting and are just plain irritated. Sound familiar? No wonder: According to The Vision Council, nearly 70 percent of Americans experience some form of digital eye strain. At its worst, it could even cause blurry or double vision.

The Culprits: As much as we love our good friend the Internet, our peepers weren't designed for so much screen time, explains Dr. Justin Bazan, optometrist and medical adviser to The Vision Council. "The pixels are hard targets for our eyes to accurately focus on, which fatigues our focusing system," he says. And when our eyes have to work this hard to focus, we don't blink as often as we should.

People naturally blink a few times every second. But gaze into the glow of your screen, and that rate falls to a couple of times per minute, says Dr. Bazan. Though that may seem like no big deal, it can lead to all kinds of eye exhaustion.

Merely living in 2013 doesn't mean you have to suffer. If you're experiencing discomfort, talk it out with your eye doctor at your annual exam (or sooner). In the meantime, Dr. Bazan recommends implementing the universal 20/20/20 rule, ASAP. "Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and look at least 20 feet away. I often tell my patients to use this program to help remind them to do so."

You can also give your eyes some relief by giving them some space. Make sure your computer is about an arm's length away, with the top of the monitor hitting slightly below eye level. Since our eyes naturally point down and in when focusing on something close, this position gives them a much-deserved break. The same goes for your smartphones and tablets. Instead of holding them closer, increase text size and dim surrounding and overhead lighting to reduce glare and strain.

The Symptoms: You find yourself constantly trying (and failing) to shake the pain, tingling, or numbness out of your wrists, and you notice that sharp, shooting pain is inching closer and closer to your elbow by the day. Looked up "carpal tunnel" a fair number of times on WebMD? You're probably one of the many suffering from repetitive strain injury, or RSI.

The Culprits: "RSI is one of the most common problems we see in the hand clinic," says occupational therapist Leslie Diamond, OTR, CHT, director of hand therapy at Shift PT in New York. That's because any motion you repeat over for an extended period of time without proper rest breaks (typing on your laptop, texting and responding to emails on your phone), can cause inflammation and pain. "When you combine repetition with awkward positioning, the probability of tendonitis and other overuse injury rises exponentially," Diamond says. Unfortunately for our fingers and wrists, all of our repetitive actions, from swiping screens to gripping a computer mouse all day, qualify as awkward positioning.

Diamond advises her patients to rest their hands as much as possible. Using headphones to make hands-free calls hands and depending more on Siri is a good place to start. If you're mostly using a mouse all day, she recommends having two different types of mouse devices, so you can switch back an forth without sacrificing productivity.

But if pain, numbness, or tingling is still present after a few days of rest and stretching, head to your doctor. "Over the counter anti-inflammatories, splints, heat, and ice are all great ways to help alleviate the pain, but the underlying cause must be addressed."