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Experts say if you spend a period of two hours or more in front of a modern digital screen in a single day, you are quite likely to develop digital eye strain and show some of the symptoms associated with the condition, most notably physical discomfort around the eyes. Now in 2017, there are very few jobs (not to mention the number of screen-based recreational activities) which involve using a computer monitor for less than 2 hours per day.
All in all it’s not very surprising that more people are suffering from eye strain in America today than ever before. The great news is that we are well-positioned to offer advice and treatment to alleviate digital eye strain symptoms and improve your comfort at work and at home.
Ever feel tired or like your eyes are struggling to focus on the page when you sit on the computer for a while? Consider having an eye exam to get a diagnosis.
Eye strain can manifest itself with a variety of different symptoms, all of which serve to cause an unpleasant discomfort around the eye. You could experience any of the following:
When using screens, our blink rate tends to substantially lessen, which in turn means that you could experience dry eye type symptoms. The most important thing to do if you have any problems with your eyes, is to pay a visit to our clinic for a comprehensive eye exam – it’s the only way to get an accurate, useful diagnosis upon which treatment methods can be recommended. It’s worth coming in for this exam on top of your annual appointment if you experience a sudden change in your ocular health.
There are a whole bunch of different ways to combat digital eye strain. The following are tips and pointers which you can apply at home or in your office to either reduce symptoms or as preventative measures against future development.
Glasses which are designed for use with computers can be optimized on two fronts. Most commonly, glasses can be prescribed to focus at a slightly longer distance than reading glasses, since computer monitors tend to sit 20-30 inches from our eyes. This eases the effort required by our focusing muscles and helps reduce eye strain.
Alternatively they can also be designed to absorb a certain amount of blue light emitted by most monitors. This blue light has been linked with the development of quite severe problems with our retinas in the long term (source*).
If your monitor is the sole source of light in the room – as is commonplace when using your device at home – it will be very difficult for your eyes to focus. Instead, try using soft ambient light – such as a lamp – behind or to the side of your screen; as with computer glasses, this will reduce the effort required by your eyes to focus.
If your monitor is the sole source of light in the room – as is commonplace when using your device at home – it will be very difficult for your eyes to focus. Instead, try using soft ambient light – such a lamp – behind or to the side of your screen; as with computer glasses, this will reduce the effort required by your eyes to focus.
It is recommended that the display text on your screen be three times the size which you can read from your normal viewing position. It’s worth testing this distance and optimizing your computer settings accordingly.
To help reduce the strain on your eyes during the day, try to take a 20-second break every 20 minutes or so and focus your eyes on an object or piece of text that is 20 feet or further from your chair. This lets the eye muscles relax and should help alleviate symptoms.
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