Tips to relieve digital eyestrain caused by digital device use
Following on from our article "Tips to relieve digital eyestrain caused by digital device use" the BBC published "Five ways to avoid lockdown eyestrain"
2nd February 2021
Tips to relieve digital eyestrain caused by digital device use
Blink more
Staring at a screen for longer periods slows reduces the frequency of blinking which means poorer spread of tears leading to dry & tired eyes
Reduce Glare
You can tone down the intensity of screen brightness & change the background from white to a dull grey or off white.
Reduce the surrounding lighting in the room to eliminate light source reflections on the screen.
Glare reduction screens are available at most office outlets.
Clean your screen
Remove smudges & dust to reduce glare & improve contrast.
Adjust your screen
Adjust your screen at eye level or just below eye level
Increase text size to allow for more comfortable scrolling / reading.
Put a time limit on screen time.
Consider limiting the amount of time spent on a digital device (easier said than done). Spending just 2 consecutive hours looking at a digital screen can cause eyestrain & fatigue.
Try the 20-20-20 break
Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break & look at something 20 feet away.
Intermediate computer glasses
Wear computer glasses (intermediate) for longer periods of work solely on the PC, particularly in the case of varifocal wearers, as you don’t have to raise your chin to catch the reading area preventing neck issues developing.
Tinted Lenses
Tinted lenses are another option to help reduce both harsh office lighting & balance colours since they help filter out blue & violet light emitted by many digital devices.
The School of Optometry University of Montreal
-Wearing a blue light control lenses helped reduce symptoms of eyestrain by half during prolonged computer exposure
-After wearing blue light control lenses subjects with symptoms of eyestrain due to prolonged computer exposure felt a significant improvement in dry eyes, sticky eyes & reduction in feeling of sand /gritty sensation.
-Improved vision in low contrast situations