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Everyone feels tired after a long day of work. But have you ever gotten home from working on your laptop and realized your back and neck are sore? The problem may not be your office chair; you may be suffering from the result of digital eye strain.
Digital displays are everywhere these days, and while in a lot of ways that’s a great thing, our bodies aren’t built for long days sitting at a screen. In addition to body strain, we move our eyes four times more than normal; up to 20,000 eye movements per day. We also stop blinking normally.
As a result, the eyes, eye muscles and body become stressed and fatigued. This is computer vision syndrome or digital eye strain.
Digital eye strain often causes dry eye, blurring, and eye fatigue; but the symptoms affect more than just your eyes. It’s also common to experience neck pain, back pain, headaches, and even trouble focusing on the task at hand. When you’re dealing with digital eye strain, your productivity suffers as well as your body.
Most digital displays emit significant amounts blue light. Within this is a particular band called blue violet. Blue violet light can cause retinal damage over time.
Myopia (or nearsightedness) had been on the rise in kids over the last few years. Some scientists believe that this unsettling trend is due to kids spending more time in front of a screen, and less time outside.
Our clinics and staff are ready to diagnose and treat your symptoms. There are several different types of dry eye. Many times there is an eye muscle imbalances present as well which can be measured and managed. Your eye doctor will determine a specific treatment plan for you.
With proper diagnosis, management and education, we can help make your digital work day more comfortable.
Unless you were to stop using digital displays altogether, there’s little chance of completely avoiding digital eye strain. But if you apply these strategies at home and work, you can significantly reduce the strain, and enjoy a much more comfortable digital experience.
Investing in computer glasses is a good way to reduce the impact of blue light on your eyes. Special blue light lenses are designed to filter out blue light, meaning the time you spend in front of your screen has less of a negative impact on your eyes.
Just like any muscles, the muscles in your eyes need a break every so often. The 20/20/20 rule is a good way to give them a quick rest; every 20 minutes, look off in the distance ( say 20 feet or more) and blink regularly for about 20 seconds. Focusing at distance relaxes your eyes while the blinking rewets them. Now you are ready to go for another 20 minutes!
You can optimise your workspace to lessen the chance of digital eye strain. Make sure your monitor is positioned an arm’s length away from your face without any glare to interfere with your vision. Your head, neck, and torso should be aligned in a straight line with your elbows relaxed and close to your body. The top of your screen should fall just below eye level.
