How to Avoid Digital Eye Strain

Sure—we’ve all heard it before: “Limit your time looking at screens!” We often hear this from doctors say or news anchors reporting on the latest study. Sometimes though, reality and best practices don’t always mashup and as much as as we’d like to be outside in sunny weather 24/7, most, including us in the Jonathan Paul office, spend a good deal behind the computer looking at a digital display.

If you use a digital screen of any kind daily, you probably have experienced eye strain or soon will. It is becoming more and more common in adults and children with the progress of technology and as children are now being given cell phones and tablets at very young ages.

According to a survey conducted for the Vision Council, 70% of Americans say they have experienced symptoms of digital eye strain.

Symptoms of digital eye strain may include:

• dry, red, irritated eyes
• fatigue
• eye muscle strain and aching
• blurry vision
• problems focusing
• headaches
• neck and shoulder pain

If you use a digital screen of any kind daily, you probably have experienced eye strain or soon will. It is becoming more and more common in adults and children with the progress of technology and as children are now being given cell phones and tablets at very young ages.

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms when using digital screens, make an appointment with your eye doctor and try these 10 tips:

• 20-20-20 Rule. This rule is becoming more well-known – every 20 mins, look at something 20 feet away for 20 secs. This will give your eyes a break from the screen to help prevent or alleviate eye strain.
• Clean your screen. The more clear your screen, the less you have to struggle to focus. This also eliminates leaning in to see better, which can cause more strain in your eyes, neck, and back.
• Change your typeface. Shift from serifs to easier-to-read fonts like Arial, Verdana, etc. According to James Sheedy, PhD, the curvy design of serifs like Times New Roman (with tiny tails on the ends of letters) “may slow word recognition and force you to stare harder and longer, contributing to eye fatigue.”
• Blink more. THINK “BLINK”! People often stare at screens and don’t blink as often as they would while looking at objects in real life and in natural light. This can cause eye strain and dry eye symptoms. If you remind yourself to blink while using digital screens, you may be able to alleviate some eye strain issues.
• Adjust your settings. All digital screens have adjustable settings. This is another way you can take control of eye strain. Feel free to change your background color from brighter whites to cooler, darker colors like grey. Also, changing font size and font type (as outlines above) can help. Lastly lowering screen brightness can be very helpful in making eye strain less painful.
• Get some distance. Sitting too closely to the screen or allowing yourself to lean in towards the screen can worsen eye strain. A helpful hint: Extend arm as if you’re high-fiving the screen and don’t lean in from there. To help yourself see the words, you can zoom in on web pages, change font sizes, or wear proper prescription glasses to resist the urge to lean in towards your monitor.
• Rearrange your workspace. Many variables effect eye strain, including proper posture, viewing angle, and lighting of surroundings. This is where freedom in office and workspace customization can really help. It is not recommended to tilt your monitor screen. However, adjusting your monitor height by placing it on a desk riser to be directly in front of your face and slightly below eye level can greatly help ease eye strain. Additionally, natural light in your surroundings or non-florescent lamps/lighting (if you have no office window) can also ease strain. If your monitor lighting is too bright compared to surrounding light, this can also cause strain.
• Maintain proper posture. Sitting up straight is always helpful to overall body strain and soreness from sitting at a desk, but can also help eye strain. When you remind yourself to maintain posture, it helps you automatically keep your distance from the screen.
• Make your breaks more natural. Although some weather conditions may prevent this, taking your lunch break outside can be a relieving break from florescent office lights. For people who may prefer to avoid the great outdoors, simply sitting by a window while you eat or take a break can make a difference in your daily eye strain.
• Fight technology with technology. Other options to relieve eye strain include investing in monitor screen covers, computer glasses, or possible replacing your monitor. Some specialty screen covers are made to reduce the glare of your monitor by using certain filters and coatings. Computer glasses are made with anti-glare and anti-reflective coating to reduce eye strain – and can sometimes include prescription lenses, which are more expensive. Another option is to replace your CRT monitor with an LCD screen monitor, which usually has anti-reflective coating included.