Why Your Eyes Need Time Away From The Screen

It’s No Surprise That Digital Eye Strain (DES) Impacts More Than 50% Of Both Children And Adults.

As a society we have become we’ve become obsessed with our digital devices. If we are not staring at a computer screen, we are using our smart phone or tablet.

Working and schooling from home has seen a spike in device use, with 60% of adults using digital devices for at least 2 hours daily and more than 65% of adults using at least 2 devices simultaneously.

When reading from a computer screen or handheld device, text is not as precise or sharply defined, the level of contrast of the letters to the background is reduced, and the presence of glare and reflections on the screen may make viewing difficult, causing the eyes to work harder.

Constantly focusing on a screen or device a few inches away causes the small muscles that control our eyes to lose their ability to contract and relax, leading to increasing difficulty focusing on distant objects. Whilst using our digital devices we are also less likely to blink, causing dry and irritated eyes.

Other Contributing Factors To Digital Eye Strain Include:

• Poor lighting

• Glare

• Bad posture

• Improper viewing distances.

• Poor seating posture.

Parents are being urged to watch for signs of digital eye strain in their children during home-schooling lessons. According to HCF data, a 21% increase in school-aged children claiming for glasses or contact lenses was reported between 2015 and 2020.

“Does My Child Need Blue-Light Filtering Glasses?”

Although the blue light glasses are very useful, by turning screens off an hour before bed, using the 20/20/20 rule you can prevent eye strain in your children.

It is also very important to remember not to let screen time interfere with two things; sleep & exercise.

Remember The 20-20-20 Rule.

For every 20 mins your spend on a screen you should try and look at something that is 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Taking frequent breaks to look at faraway objects during screen time significantly lessen eye strain and alleviate the symptoms.