We Spend 34 Years of Our Lives Staring at Screens. Here’s How to Protect Your Eyes.
Screens may be inescapable, but eye damage isn’t.
Somehow, I’ve managed to make it to nearly 30 years old without my eyes turning square. This has come as something of a shock, given my parents’ (casually traumatising) warning that this would happen if I spent too much time glued to a screen — which I definitely have.
Studies show that the average adult will spend 34 years of their lives staring at screens — that’s nearly 5,000 hours a year looking at phones, laptops or televisions. Whilst it’s pretty shocking when spelled out that way, it’s not really surprising. We live a digitally mediated existence, where everything from work and education through to relationships and leisure are fundamentally experienced through screen-based technologies. With the pademic-induced lockdowns, this is more true that ever. Living through a screen is no longer a choice, it’s the only option.
Unfortunately, I can’t shake the idea that too much screen time will ‘ruin my eyes’. The warning was probably little more than my parents’ way of reclaiming the television for themselves, or making sure me and my brother occasionally went outside and saw daylight — but maybe there’s a grain of truth. If there is, what are we supposed to do? Throw away our laptops? Over my dead, blind body.
The other pandemic
On one hand, digital eye strain — or computer vision syndrome — has been identified as an emerging public health issue. Over 90% of digital device users report symptoms relating to eye discomfort and vision problems, including: red, dry, itchy or painful eyes; and blurred or double vision. Typically, symptoms worsen as more time is spent looking at a screen.
As the American Optometic Association explains, viewing content on a screen makes the eyes work harder. Compared to a printed page, letters are less sharply defined, and we often have to account for glare or reflections. Viewing angles and distances can also be more demanding for our eyes. Uncorrected or under corrected vision problems can be a contributing factor to eye strain, as they can be exacerbated by the extra worked needed to view a digital display.
Whilst unpleasant, the good news is that digital eye strain will not permanently damage your eyes. There are, however, concerns about the blue light emitted by screens. This has been identified as a cause of eye strain, but also potentially longer-term effects on our retinal health, such as accelerated age-related macular degeneration. Blue light is the closest to invisible ultraviolet light (UV) on the electromagnetic spectrum, and we know that UV light increases the risks of eye cancers and cateracts. Whilst screens expose us to significantly less blue light than the sun, the problem arises due to their close proximity, and the amount of time we spend using them. Children and people who have had cateract surgery are potentially more at risk as their eyes are less effective at blocking out UV and blue light.
Ultimately more research needs to be done, but it might be worth limiting exposure to blue light anyway, due to its disruptive effect upon sleep (though this has recently been disputed).
The secrets to happy eyes
The bottom line seems to be that significant screen time poses no serious threat to the long-term health of our eyes — take a deep sigh of relief, and re-embrace your smartphone. Eye strain is still a miserable experience though, so let’s see what we can do about that.
1 — The 20–20–20 rule
This one’s probably the most impactful, and thankfully it’s pretty simple to remember. For every 20 minutes spent looking at a screen, look at something that’s 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This acts like a rest break for your eyes, and allows them to relax. A 2013 study of 795 students revealed a significant reduction in digital eye strain symptoms when participants periodically refocussed on a further away object.
To kill two birds with one stone, pair your eye break with a quick stretch. This can help to avoid the back and neck problems frequently associated with too much screen use.
2 — Blink more
When we’re looking at a screen, we blink around 66% less. Blinking is our natural way of keeping our eyes moisturised, so it’s not surprising that excessive screen time is causing our eyes to dry out and sting. So make a conscious effort to blink more, or build it into your 20–20–20 eye break routine. If that doesn’t work, have some eye drops on hand.
3 — Use a blue light filter
The latest versions of MacOS and Windows 10 now have in-built features to reduce the amount of blue light at night — read up on Night Shift for Mac, and Night light for Windows. Alternatively, F.lux is a free app that similarly changes the colour temperature of your display throughout the day, reducing the amount of blue light in the evening. It’s available on MacOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.
BUT, because nothing is ever easy, I’ll also include this link to a study from the University of Manchester suggesting that cooler screen tones in the evening might actually be better for our health. Sigh.
In any case, the good news is that many newer monitors on the market come with in-built blue light blocking technology to help reduce eye strain, so it might be partially taken care of for you.
4 — Get your lighting right
If your screen glows brighter than your surroundings, your eyes have to work harder to see. Ideally, you want the brightness of your screen to match the ambient light of the room you’re in — which should be about half as bright as a typical office. A quick trick here is too match the white on your screen to a white piece of paper. Crucially, you don’t want your screen to glow brighter than your surroundings, as this makes more work for your eyes.
5 — Reduce glare
Glare and reflections can make it harder to see objects on your screen, so try to eliminate them as far as possible. Typically light sources behind or above you are the biggest problems. To make things easier, you can also apply an anti-glare cover to your screen.
6— Position your self correctly
A computer screen should be between 16 to 30 inches away from your eyes, with the top positioned at your eye level, or slightly below. The screen should also be tilted away from you, at a roughly 10 to 20 degree angle. Overall, you want to be looking ever so slightly down at the screen.
Establishing the correct distance and position aren’t just about protecting your eyes, but also your posture — if you have to bend, lean or tilt to see properly, this can be another cause of back and neck pain.
7 — Stay on top of your check ups
As mentioned earlier, untreated or under treated vision problems can contribute to digital eye strain. Make sure to schedule regular examinations with an optician to check your overall eye health, and make sure any glasses perscriptions are up to date.
For many of us, significant screen time is part of daily life — at least for the time being. Thankfully, the risk to our eye health is low, and protective measures are easy to implement (imagine if I’d suggested — gasp! — spending less time on your digital devices).
Do you have any other tips and tricks to make screen time easier on your eyes? Let me know!
