Eye doctor tips to help with digital device use overload

It's been a year since the pandemic hit and millions of people have spent countless hours on remote work and school, as the lockdown from the novel Coronavirus maximized digital device use in every home across the world. How has this been affecting vision? Below are the top 3 vision trends I have seen in my practice due to increased digital device use:

1. Changes in prescription (especially children)

As kids spend more time looking at a screen and less time outdoors, the risk of myopia increases. Myopia is the vision condition that causes blurry vision at distance, also known as near-sightedness.

Children have been noticing print looking fuzzy, or goes in and out of focus, and sometimes can lead to poor performance in school.

2. Increased eyestrain

Prolonged use of digital screens has been leading to eye fatigue and aches, which causes more pressure on the eyes as you view your screen for long periods of time without the proper visual correction.

Some factors that increase eyestrain include the glare, font size, contrast and range you are from the screen.

3. Dry eyes

The ocular surface can get extra dry with reduced blink rate when staring at screens, and increased eye fatigue causes patients to feel ocular irritation and sensation to rub their eyes.

Dry eyes can have many different causes and can express differently per person, but most patients describe red, irritated eyes or excess tearing as the most common symptoms.

Left: My 6 year old niece Ayah as she focuses on virtual learning.

Tips to help with digital device use:

1. Computer screen position and range: ensure your monitor(s) are few inches below eye level, and keep screens about 20-28 inches from your eyes (about arms length away).

2. Lighting and glare: keeping room likes on helps distribute light evenly in the space and position your screen to prevent direct glare and light from the screen to reflect straight into your eyes.

3. Posture at the desk: prevent a visit to the chiropractor and be conscious of your back, shoulders and neck posture when seated or standing at your desk.

4. Blinking and lubricating your eyes: keeping a bottle of artificial tears to soothe your eyes helps tremendously, as well as blinking frequently to keep the surface of your eyes replenished.

5. Visual breaks from the screen: we like to advice the 20-20-20 rule, which means for every 20 minutes on the screen, take a 20 second visual break by looking at something 20 feet away. This allows your eye muscles to take a break, and if you would rather take a quick stretch/walk that is even better.

6. Blocking Blue Light: to avoid changes in your sleep schedule, reducing blue light exposure during the evenings is helpful in regulating good nights rest by shutting down your devices few hours before bed. Blue light during the daytime should also be minimized by adding a filter to your eyeglasses that blocks 20-50% of blue light.

Most importantly, make sure you and your family are sticking with the annual eye exam routine to ensure you are wearing the optimum prescription for your eyes.

written by: Laheqa Suljuki, O.D.