3 Tips to Beat Digital Eye Strain

Most of us are spending more and more time on our digital devices these days.  The new normal has been translated into trying to do everything we enjoy doing, only now we are using a device to do it.

No more in-person conferences, hello Zoom meetings.

No more coffee dates with friends, hello FaceTime.

No more shopping in stores, hello Amazon.

No more dinner at restaurants, hello Door Dash.

No more doctor's visits, hello telehealth.

Some of these things may be blessings, but they are leading to more complications down the road.  We are spending more and more time on digital devices to help us live our lives with less person to person contact. 

When we spend time using computers or digital devices, the number of times we blink per minute decreases.  The complication I see showing up the most for my patients is an increase in dry eye symptoms.

Our use of digital devices is not going away.  Even when we are able to do more things in person again, we will still constantly be on our devices, so the best time to learn some tactics to help combat dry eyes is actually yesterday.  The next best time is right now.  Here are three tips to help keep your eyes feeling comfortable and seeing clearly.

#1) Set Up Your Computer for Success

If you are going to spend some significant time on your computer each day, set yourself up for maximum comfort.  There are several things to keep in mind when getting your computer set up, but the most important thing is the position of your monitor.

Your monitor should be at least an arm's length away from you.  The closer you get to your monitor, the more work your eyes have to do to see clearly.  Go ahead and push your monitor away from you until you can just touch it with your fingertips.

Second, you want to be sitting so that you can look down at the monitor.  Your eyes will be more comfortable in down gaze.  When you look up at things, you will have to bend your neck and you may even dry your eyes out more because more of the white of your eye is exposed to the air.

If you would like more information on getting your computer set up properly to avoid digital eye strain, please download the Digital Eye Strain Relief Guide here.

#2) Obey the 20 x 20 x 20 Rule

In short, this rule means that every 20 minutes, you take 20 seconds to look 20 feet away.  It is important to reset your vision and give your eyes a break from concentrating up close. Make sure that you refocus your eyes on that distant object.  Look at the object for at least 20 seconds.

If you would like more information about how this rule can help decrease your digital eye strain, check out this blog for all the details. 

#3) Avoid Sleep Disruption

The culprit here is the blue light being emitted from your electronic devices.  Blue light is good for us.  It is an important part of stimulating the body's circadian rhythm.  

Blue light comes from the sun.  When we see blue light in the morning, it stimulates the body to release serotonin.  Serotonin is a chemical in the body that helps regulate our mood.  It makes us happy and wakes us up.  The body needs that chemical in the morning to get ready for the day.

This sounds great, but...  Your electronic devices emit blue light all day long.  When Serotonin is present in the body, Melatonin is repressed.  Melatonin's role is to make the body get sleepy and stay asleep.

So, when there is too much serotonin at night in the system it is hard to go to sleep and stay asleep.  Do your body a favor and set an electronics curfew.  Stop using all electronic devices at least one hour before you plan to get into bed.  If you need to use your electronics within an hour of bedtime, try wearing blue blocker glasses.  These glasses reduce the amount of blue light reaching your eyes and some say they can also reduce eye strain.  

CONCLUSION

We all love our digital devices.  These devices make our lives easier.  Our use of digital devices will not decrease in the next few years, so protect your eyes and your vision by learning how to use these devices safely.  Learn a few tips to help your eyes stay comfortable while using your devices.

Download the Digital Eye Strain Relief Guide here.  Use the tips to set up your workstation and stop fighting with your eyes.  You deserve to have clear, comfortable vision all day long.  Don't let your tired and irritated eyes hold you back from doing the things you love.