Digital eye strain: an unwelcome guest during COVID.
If you like many people who now find themselves working from home since the COVID crisis, you’ve most likely upped your screen-time, connecting online instead of in the office. Even outside of work-related screen time, we have been staying connected socially with friends and family online. Coupling that with leisure time of Netflix binging, or scrolling social media, screen time for most individuals has increased dramatically during shelter in place mandates.
While most of us are trying to avoid our screen time notifications that are popping up on our smartphones, it is difficult to avoid the symptoms that come along with such an increased demand of device use. Eye strain, eye fatigue, blurry vision, headaches and even dry eyes are all symptoms associated with prolonged computer and device use.
For near tasks, such as computer and phone use, our eyes have to adopt a certain posture to keep what we see clear and also focussed as one single image. Muscles inside the eye are engaging and working together to maintain comfortable vision Now, if we continue to engage those muscles and that system, at some point those muscles are going to fatigue and this is when we start to experience symptoms. So when we look at close objects like our phones and computers, we engage this system and it’s put to work; conversely when we look far, like across a room or out a window, we rest this system. So our near vision engages this system and our distance vision relaxes.
One of my favorite tips on eliminating some of the sytmpoms associated with digital eyestrain is the 20/20/20 rule. This rule states that for every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds and look 20 feet away. That’s only a quick 20 seconds to relax your visual system while working up close. To me, that is a doable goal.
“For every 20 minutes, take 20 minutes and look 20 feet away.”
Another symptom that can occur with digital and up close work is dry eyes. This is because our eyes actually blink less when we are focussing on a device and up close. We actually blink 60% less when staring at a screen! Blinking lubricates the front surface of eyes, helping our eyes stay comfortable. Blinking also helps keep our vision clear with each blink. Now while I would like to just say the easy answer is to blink more but, I feel like that is an unreasonable expectation to achieve. Who concentrates on blinking? No one because it is sometimes involuntary! One way to combat dry eyes related to computer and device use is the use of artificial tears, alongside the 20/20/20 rule. Preservative free artificial tears can be used as needed through out the day, especially on those particularly longer days in front of a screen.
Digital eye strain also encompasses the effects of blue light. Blue light emitted from any back lit screen has definitely been a trending topic in the last several years. Limiting the amount of blue light absorbed into the eye thru blue light glasses and screen protectors have grown increasingly popular. And for good reason. Blue light is a short high energy wavelength of light that actually comes from several sources. The largest source of blue light is the sun along with devices like computers, smartphones, LED lighting and televisions. When blue light enters the eye, it scatters. Think of it like visual noise. The eye has a hard time processing this “visual noise” and perceives it as glare. It is thought that over a prolonged period of time, this glare creates strain on the eyes and discomfort. While a lot of patients notice a difference in eyestrain symptoms with blue light filtering glasses, it’s important to note that there isn’t any research that provides evidence to validate this. Considering prescription computer glasses that includes anti-glare, is a great option for patients and often times, the blue light filter can be of added value to patients.
Other simple options to help our eyes combat the effects of digital use? Adjusting your screen to a more comfortable distance is an easy fix by either moving your computer to arm’s distance or pulling your smartphone away. Adjusting the brightness on your device is another simple solution that can help reduce glare.
Most importantly, if you are experiencing eye strain, discomfort, or dry eyes, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor to discuss your symptoms in detail. Your eye doctor can tailor treatment options that best fit your visual needs through out the day while eliminating and reducing any symptoms experienced.
As always, stay happy and healthy, friends!
Dr. Jen Wademan
