Digital Devices and Your Eyes
In today’s digital age, technology plays a significant role in keeping people connected and occupied. Whether it’s working from home, attending video conferences, taking e-learning courses, reading digital books, binge-watching popular TV shows, scrolling through social media, or online shopping, screens have become an integral part of our daily lives.
While these technological advancements bring many benefits, they can also result in symptoms like eye fatigue, dryness, headaches, blurred vision, and neck and shoulder pain, collectively known as digital eye fatigue.
Computer/Digital Eye Strain
Although extended screen use may not cause permanent eye damage, it can result in temporary discomfort due to reduced blinking frequency. On average, we blink around 15 times per minute—but this “blink rate” can be cut in half when staring at screens or doing other near-work activities (like reading).
Reading from screens is more demanding on the eyes than reading from paper, because sometimes the text doesn’t contrast against the background enough, or the angle of your screen creates a glare, making it more difficult to read. If the font on your screen is smaller than what your eyes would comfortably like to take in, it makes your eyes work harder to focus on the words.
Usually, this discomfort is so slight you don’t notice your eyes are working harder — until several hours or days have gone by. Symptoms of eye strain, which can vary among individuals, may include:
• eye pain (Itching, burning or fatigue)
• headaches
• blurred or double vision
• dry eyes
• light sensitivity
• difficulty keeping eyes open
While prolonged screen use won’t typically cause permanent eye damage, it can make work and everyday life unpleasant.
What is Blue Light?
Blue light, or High-energy visible light, emitted by digital devices can contribute to digital eye strain. Exposure to blue light emitted by digital devices can also lead to dry eye syndrome, headaches, and nausea. Long-term exposure to blue light may increase the risk of myopia (nearsightedness), a common vision condition that can develop gradually, especially in children and adolescents.
If your eyes are feeling strained often, you might want to try wearing blue light glasses. Blue light glasses with special lenses can help mitigate the impact of excessive blue light exposure, potentially improving sleep quality and reducing digital eye strain. Blue light blocking lenses, available from Wise Eyes Optical, may be the ideal solution for your new eyeglasses.
How to Relieve Eye Strain
The best way to reduce eye strain is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Even though spending time on screens might be necessary, a few simple adjustments can alleviate discomfort.
• Follow the “20-20-20” rule. Every 20 minutes, stop and look at an object that is 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
• Use artificial tears to lubricate dry eyes.
• Position yourself about 25 inches or arm’s length away and adjust the height so you are looking slightly downward at the screen.
• Reduce glare and brightness by adjusting the screen brightness, lighting, and text size.
• Wear eyeglasses instead of contact lenses to decrease dryness and irritation when working on a computer for long periods.
• Blink frequently to keep your eyes lubricated.
• Reduce the overhead lighting to eliminate screen glare.
• Clean your screen regularly to ensure better visibility.
• Adjust the settings on your screen to make the colors on your monitor more yellow than blue.
• Some computers also have the option of inverting colors so the background is dark, and the text is white, which may make your eyes feel more relaxed after a few hours.
• Call Wise Eyes Optical to schedule regular eye exams to monitor your eye health.
Care for Your Eyes with Regular Eye Exams
Technology is an important part of our lives, but your eyes are more important! By prioritizing your eye health and making the necessary lifestyle changes, you can significantly reduce the impact of digital eye strain on your vision and ensure a brighter future for your eyesight. Regular eye check-ups are crucial for maintaining eye health and detecting issues early on. Scheduling an appointment with an eye doctor is essential for eye care and overall well-being. Call today to schedule an appointment with the professionals at Wise Eyes Optical.
Contact Wise Eyes Optical
Your Hometown Vision Center Serving Central Pennsylvania
Your local Wise Eyes Optical hometown vision center is here to help you achieve the best possible vision for life. We offer expert eye and vision care including eye-related medical care, custom fitting of eyeglasses and contacts, eyeglass repair, and much more. If you have questions or would like to learn more, reach out to your nearest Central Pennsylvania Wise Eyes Optical office. For assistance, call (717) 242-1915.
