Tips for Protecting Your Eyes While Staring at a Screen

Protecting Eyes While Staring at a Screen

 Tips for Protecting Your Eyes While Staring at a Screen All Day

People may experience temporary blurred vision and other symptoms, including headaches, redness, itching, and fatigue.

The nature of some jobs requires sitting in front of a screen all day, and therefore, the eyes are likely to be negatively impacted. After hours of emails, video calls, and spreadsheets, a person can experience symptoms such as headaches, dry eyes, or discomfort and blurred vision, according to Time magazine.

Occupational Hazard

"It's an occupational hazard in a digital society," says Dr. Douglas Wisner, chief of cataract and primary eye care at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

Two Main Reasons

Amy Watts, director of vision rehabilitation at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, says there are two main reasons. The first is that the eyes blink much less than usual when focusing on a screen, which leads to dryness. She adds, "Eyelids are like windshield wipers on a car; they ensure the surface is smooth and clear. When you don't blink often, it feels like raindrops are piling up on the windshield, making it difficult to see."

She continues, "The second reason is that the eye muscles become fatigued after hours of training to focus on a fixed point." Watts says, "All of these muscles must work very efficiently... to see clearly. These muscles become tired as the day goes on, leading to blurred vision." These problems can lead to temporary blurred vision and a host of other symptoms, including headaches, as well as redness, itching, fatigue, or general discomfort in the eyes.

Digital Eye Strain

Taking visual breaks throughout the workday is the most important thing you can do. Experts often suggest following the 20/20/20 rule, which states that every 20 minutes, you should look at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds or more. But recent research suggests that the 20/20/20 method may not be enough to prevent digital eye strain, and that longer breaks—say, five minutes every hour—may be better.

"In general, the message is: Take a break and don't focus on your computer screen for eight hours," Watts says. "This helps to relax your focus and give your muscles a little rest." (Short breaks are also a great opportunity to get up, stretch, and move around, which can improve overall health.)

Treat Dry Eyes

Watts says eye drops can also help treat dry eyes caused by blinking infrequently. Eye drops can be used to treat symptoms you already have, but they work best when used preventatively. If you experience blurry vision at the end of the day, Dr. Watts recommends applying drops every few hours throughout the day. Just be sure to use preservative-free products, as drops containing preservatives can irritate the eyes. Finally, make sure the lighting is bright and your screens are clean. A dirty or smudged screen makes it harder for your eyes to focus, which can cause faster fatigue.

Blue Light Glasses

"The best we can say is they don't cause any harm," says Stephen Reed, MD, president of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. But there's insufficient data on these products, and published studies suggest they don't significantly reduce eye strain.

For his part, Dr. Wisner says it's best to limit screen time before bed, as using devices at night can interfere with sleep. "Not getting good sleep is also a cause of chronic fatigue and then eye strain. It all adds up," he adds.

A Modern Problem

Dr. Wisner says that most of the time, digital eye strain isn't a sign of a serious problem or damage, but rather an understandable side effect of using the eyes in a way they weren't designed to work. "For hundreds and thousands of years, humans haven't been doing these things with their bodies, like sitting at a desk and staring at a computer or reading all day," he explains.