How Screens Cause Digital Eyestrain
Blinking your eyes helps to spread tears and moisture across the eye. Typically, humans blink about 15-20 per minute. Researchers have discovered that we blink half as much when we are reading, watching or playing on a screen.
Digital Eyestrain Prevention
You won’t need to cut out screen time completely but, there are a few things you should do:
- Make sure your computer screen is about 25 inches, or an arm’s length, away from your face. The center of the screen should be about 10-15 degrees below eye level.
- Cut glare by using a matte screen filter. You can find them for all types of computers, phones, and tablets.
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
- Take a longer break of about 15 minutes after every 2 hours you spend on your devices.
- Use artificial tears to refresh your eyes when they feel dry.
- Try putting a humidifier in the room where you most often use a computer or other device.
- Make sure the lighting in the room you’re in is bright enough. You don’t want your device to be brighter than the surroundings.
- If you wear contact lenses, give your eyes a break by wearing your glasses.
- Get regular eye exams. You might need to use a different pair of glasses when you’re working on a computer.
Adjust Your Devices
You can also make sure your devices are set for eye health.
- Raise the contrast on your screen.
- Make text larger.
- Change the brightness of the screen. It shouldn’t be lighter or darker than your surroundings.
- Lower the color temperature of your screen. That means it will give off less blue light, which is linked to more eyestrain.
- Raise the device’s refresh rate. That will cause less flickering of the screen.
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Sources: webmd.com
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