Common concerns about digital screens and eye health  

Our eyes focus, in part, by using little muscles to change the shape of a lens inside your eye. When you focus on any one object for a long period of time, those muscles can feel strained. It’s similar to when you stand for too long—eventually your legs get tired and you want to sit. Staring at a screen for long periods of time can cause feelings of discomfort, fatigue, headaches, blurry vision and even double vision—all symptoms of overuse of the your eyes. There are a few other things that can exacerbate the feelings of eye strain, like screen glare, poor screen contrast, poor coordination between your two eyes, and sitting too close or too far from screens. Uncorrected astigmatism, farsightedness, and presbyopia may also cause eye strain when using digital screens.

Give your eyes a rest

Take frequent breaks and follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look away from your screen for 20 seconds at something 20 feet away.

Reduce screen glare

For glare, position your screen away from windows and bright lights, use an anti-glare screen filter, adjust the screen height to be slightly below eye level, and adjust your screen's brightness and contrast to match your surroundings.

Schedule an eye exam

Vision can change over time. Schedule yearly eye exams to make sure that you have the right prescription with your contacts or glasses.

Do you know how often you blink? Blinking tends to be something we do without thinking about it, but it plays a role in your vision and eye comfort, and when we stare at screens, we blink up to 60% less. Since blinking is what helps keep our eyes moist, this can lead to dry eyes. Also, the tear film of the eye helps keep vision clear, so in addition to discomfort, dry eye can contribute to blurry vision.

Practice blinking

Since staring at screens reduces your rate of blinking, you may have to build the habit of blinking more frequently

Use artificial tears

Artificial tears can relieve dry eye symptoms for a short period of time

Follow the 20-20-20 rule

Every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Improve your environment

Depending on where you live, you could be experiencing the effects of air pollution and/or low humidity. Air purifiers and humidifiers can help with these issues.

Digital screens give off high energy, short-wavelength, blue and violet light. While the largest source of blue-violet light is actually the sun, there is concern from scientists and citizens alike that exposure to these rays from LEDs and screens may affect your vision. Even so, there’s no scientific consensus on the matter yet, so for now, be sure to talk to your doctor about your concerns.

Something to consider

If you have concerns about blue-violet light, talk to your doctor. They may recommend things like blue-light filtering glasses or contact lenses, changing your screen settings, and/or taking more frequent breaks.*

Tips for managing nearsightedness

• Take frequent breaks from near work
• Spend more time outside³
• Set regular eye exam
• Consider using specialized lenses or glasses for nearsightedness