Excessive Glare: Our eyes aren't meant to stare directly at light for long periods of time, which is why the glare from the light of your cell phone screen can cause eye strain. Using your phone in the dark to check your emails or social media only exacerbates these negative conditions.
In general, viewing digital screens makes the eyes work harder than they would normally when viewing a piece of paper for example. This is because the text typically isn't as sharp. Also, the contrast between the background and the words or images isn't as high, making your eyes strain to differentiate between the two.
Phone screens, and other digital devices, generate blue light differently than natural sources. As a result, the blue light scatters more in the eye, creating more visual noise. The overstimulation leads to eye strain.
Take eye breaks.
Throughout the day, give your eyes a break by looking away from your monitor. Try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
Digital eye strain occurs when you spend too much time staring at a screen, and it can result in everything from headaches and neck tension to dry eyes and blurry vision. Plus, it's fairly common: According to the Vision Council, over 27 percent of people have experienced headaches as a result of digital eye strain.
They may last a few hours to a few days. If you suffer from migraines – a type of headache that causes severe throbbing or pulsing pain on one or both sides of the head – screen time can aggravate any associated light sensitivity. Eye strain, brightness, blue light and screen flickering can be migraine triggers.
Follow the 20-20-20 rule.
The American Optometric Society recommends taking breaks during screen time sessions. Specifically, every 20 minutes take a 20 second break to look at an object or person that's 20 feet away. If you're looking at a screen for longer than two hours, consider resting your eyes for 15 minutes.
Eye strain from phone use is much the same as computer eye strain symptoms. Mobile phone eye strain may cause the following symptoms: Dry eyes. Irritation.
Digital eye strain can cause temporary pain, burning, and some other symptoms. The good news is that true eye strain doesn't tend to last too long. Taking a break from looking at screens will typically help resolve your discomfort within an hour or so.
Eyestrain symptoms include: Sore, tired, burning or itching eyes. Watery or dry eyes. Blurred or double vision.
The American Optometric Association recommends the 20/20/20 rule: look away from the screen every 20 minutes, focus on an object at least 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds. In addition, children should walk away from the screen for at least 10 minutes every hour.
Experts say adults should limit screen time outside of work to less than two hours per day. Any time beyond that which you would typically spend on screens should instead be spent participating in physical activity.
The short answer to this common question is no. The amount of blue light from electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, LCD TVs, and laptop computers, is not harmful to the retina or any other part of the eye.
If you find yourself gazing at screens all day, your eye doctor may have mentioned this rule to you. Basically, every 20 minutes spent using a screen; you should try to look away at something that is 20 feet away from you for a total of 20 seconds.
Most times, eye strain will disappear on its own. In those cases you do not need to see your physician. Eye strain is usually treatable with some simple lifestyle changes and awareness of the tasks that irritate the eyes.
If you experience eyestrain that's severe or lasts a long time, discuss the condition with your doctor. You may need corrective lenses, or it could be a symptom of a more serious condition.
If your eye strain symptoms persist even when the eyes are no longer doing intense visual tasks, you should see your optometrist for investigation. There are many symptoms in common with other, more serious eye conditions such as: Benign or malignant tumours of the eyes or brain. Optic neuritis.
Give your eyes a break: Remember to blink and follow the 20-20-20 rule. Take a break every 20 minutes by looking at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Looking into the distance allows your eyes to relax.
Constant exposure to blue light over time could damage retinal cells and cause vision problems such as age-related macular degeneration. It can also contribute to cataracts, eye cancer and growths on the clear covering over the white part of the eye.
Though blue light glasses aren't effective at preventing digital eye strain, there is no harm in wearing them. “It is not harmful to wear them all day,” says Dr. Bajic.
In addition to headache, a burning sensation and dizziness have been commonly observed among MP users. Burning sensation and dizziness accompanying headache were also frequently observed in our study.
Here's the big question: should you try dark mode to make using your devices more comfortable? The anecdotal evidence from patients suggests that it can be helpful for their headaches, migraines and photophobia, and so it may be worth testing out to see how it affects your neurological symptoms.
Ocular Migraines – Different from regular migraines, ocular migraines can temporarily produce flashing lights, blindness, light sensitivity, vomiting, and nausea. Though rare, ocular migraines may lead to permanent vision problems if not treated.
Clinical Research for Blue Light Glasses
One pilot study revealed that participants with blue light glasses saw improvement in symptoms caused by computer vision syndrome—namely headaches, eye strain, and blurry vision. Others have centered on the positive impact that these lenses can have on sleep and productivity.