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Digital Eye Strain

We seem to be spending more and more time in digital devises now days.  Be it for work, school or even streaming tv content, we seem to be constantly looking at a device.  That’s all cool and convenient but the problem is that it is causing a lot of eye and postural strain.  I often tell my patients that even with perfect eyes or the best glasses, continuous screen time with too few breaks will lead to eye strain.

We use the term Digital Eye Strain (DES) to describe the eye conditions and vision related symptoms that have been linked to using digital devices for prolonged periods.  It is often also referred to as Vision Computer Syndrome (CVS) and Visual Fatigue (VF)

digital eye strain

Who does it Affect?

Around 5 billion people around the world use the internet today – that’s about 63% of the world’s total population.  Internet users are growing globally at a rate of 4.1% annually but the year-on-year growth is thought to be higher in growing economies.  It is estimated that the average internet user spends at least 7 hours online daily. (1) 

Many internet users (92.4%) use a mobile phone to go online some of the time but about 2/3 of internet users in the world’s larger economies still use their desktop computers and laptops for most of their online activities.

How does it make us feel?

Looking at a computer screen or other digital device makes our eyes work harder.  This increased visual demand can make a person more susceptible to developing vision related symptoms including:

  • Eye strain
  • Headaches
  • Blurry vision
  • Dry eyes
  • Red eyes
  • Neck, shoulder and back pain

 

 

tired eyes computer

The amount and severity of visual symptoms that a person experiences has a lot to do with their visual ability and the time spent on devices.  Often, the visual symptoms are temporary and will decline when they stop looking at their screen for a time but sometimes they can persist, with distance vision continuing to be blurry for quite some time.

How do digital devices cause strain?

Viewing distances and angles used on digital devices tend to be different to those used in traditional near tasks.  Because of this, the eye’s focusing and movements required for devices can place additional demand on the visual system and the presence of even a minor vision problem can often significantly affect the visual comfort and performance when using digital devices.  Even when someone has glasses, they may not be the correct lens for their computer distance and they may find themselves tilting their head or leaning forward to see the screen more clearly causing strain to the neck, shoulders or back.  Children often watch tablets while lying on their stomachs, causing even more neck strain.

 

We normally blink about 15-20 times per minute.  Blinking spreads tears over the surface of our eyes which helps to prevent them getting dry and scratchy.  Research has shown that our blink rate is about half of that when we are concentrating on a screen.

The blue light emitted from LED screens has been found to be a cause of cause digital eye strain.

blue light computer

So what can we do about it?

It would be unrealistic to suggest we stop using screens all together but here are a few tips to help reduce the strain we can experience from devices:

  • Try to make sure that your computer screen is an arm’s length away from you.  A lot of people mistakenly believe that its most comfortable to have the screen at eye  level but it is actually more comfortable when the centre of the screen is 10 – 20 degrees below eye level.
 
  • Reduce glare on the screen and try to ensure that your screen is not brighter then the overall lighting around you.
 
  • Adjust your chair height so that your feet can rest comfortably on the floor and you are not hunched over your screen.
 
  • The 20-20-20 rule is so important.  Every 20 minutes you should look at something at least 20 feet away (about 6 meters) for 20 seconds.
 
  • IF possible, you should take a longer break of about 15 minutes after 2 hours of screen time.
 
  • If your eyes start feeling dry, use some artificial tears for instant relief.  You can also try using a humidifier in the room where you are working.
 
  • Making the text bigger on your device can help.
 
  • Get regular eye tests.  You may need a pair of glasses with a prescription more suited to your working distance.
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References

  1. https://datareportal.com/global-digital-overview  [Online]
  2.  American Optometric Association https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/computer-vision-syndrome?sso=y [online]
  3. WebMD  https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/prevent-digital-eyestrain [online]

  4. Amy L Sheppard & James S Wolffsohn – “Digital Eye Strain: prevalence, measurement and amelioration” , BMJ Open Ophthalmol. 2018; 3(1): e000146. Published online 2018 Apr 16