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It used to be said that you should only spend 2 hours maximum in front of a screen. Nowadays, we spend hours on our screens, whether we like it or not. To an extent, how much screen time you get is within your control – such as how much you’re doomscrolling or watching shows or TikToks.
However, many people have jobs that necessitate spending hours in front of a screen. This can cause people to worry about their screen time and how it’s affecting their eyes, because even if they don’t watch TV or go on their phones for fun, they’re still getting hours of screen time.
Here is what you need to know about how screen time affects your eyes, computer vision syndrome, and what you can do to protect your vision.
How Does Screen Time Affect Your Eyes?
Worried about how screen time affects your vision? You’re not alone – and such worry isn’t unmerited.
When we use electronic devices, we tend to blink less than normal, due to being laser-focused on the screens. This can lead to dry, scratchy, burning, and/or tired feeling eyes. The reason for this is because when you blink, tears are spread across the surface of your eyeballs. This helps to keep your eyes hydrated. Blinking less thus causes your eyes to be less hydrated, leading to the aforementioned issues. This isn’t exclusive to screen-time, but can occur whenever you do something visually demanding and that requires intense focus, such as reading.
Plus, when you use a small device, like a phone, or when you get tired after spending hours at your desk, you tend to lean closer to the device. The closer your screens are to your eyes, the harder your eyes have to work in order to focus on what you’re looking at. Doing this for long periods of time can lead to eye strain and headaches.
This has led to an increase in dry eye and eye fatigue – also known as computer vision syndrome. While the term may sound dramatic, it’s just the name given to eye issues that can result from prolonged computer use, like dry eyes, blurry vision, headaches – everything we’ve mentioned before.
Can Screen Time Worsen Your Vision?
Before screens were as prevalent as they are now, people complained less about computer vision syndrome. While this may seem like a “duh” statement, bear with us a second. It used to be that if you worked in an office, you’d spend a lot more time getting up and moving around to answer calls, talk to people, pass messages along, and the like.
Now, though, people rely on emails and chats to do this. Thus, while before you were able to break up how much time you were spending in front of a screen, now, it’s common for office workers to spend their entire shift in front of a screen, only getting up for bathroom breaks and lunches.
Since we’re all spending more time than was previously recommended on our screens, it’s only natural to be concerned about screen time worsening your vision. However, there is little evidence that screen time can cause long-term damage to your eyes. That said, if you’re experiencing computer vision syndrome, you don’t just have to grin and bear it. There are things you can do in order to give your eyes a break – more on this in the next section.
Some people have cited needing a change in glasses prescription as a reason for why screens worsen your vision. However, there’s actually a reason why this is. When you have a change in your prescription, it’s going to be the most noticeable when you’re spending hours doing something visually demanding – like working on a screen.
That said, studies have shown that people who put less visual demand on their eyes, like those who spend a lot of time outside, tend to have slower vision changes than those who conduct a lot of visually demanding tasks.
How Can You Protect Your Vision While Using Screens?
In theory, there’s no difference between reading something in print versus on a screen. It’s not like screens emit toxicity. However, they do emit blue light. This can impact your sleep patterns, which is why it’s recommended that you avoid screens in the hours leading up to bedtime.
Blue light does not cause computer vision syndrome, but rather, the constant focusing does. When we look at screens, we tend to blink less than when we’re reading print – thus why it’s called computer vision syndrome not reading vision syndrome.
Fortunately, there are things you can do in order to protect your vision while using screens.
- Use the 20/20/20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This gives your eyes a break.
- Be mindful of how close you are to your screen. The closer you are, the harder your eyes have to work. Ideally, keep your screen about an arm’s length away.
- Make a conscious effort to blink more. Blinking is subconscious, hence why it’s so easy to get dry eyes while on a screen. Consciously blinking more can help moisturize your eyes.
- Use artificial tears. These can help with dry eyes. Be mindful of these, as some artificial tears are not good for using contact lenses.
- Use blue light glasses. As previously mentioned, these won’t do much for computer vision syndrome, however if you spend a lot of time in front of screens, the blue light can throw off your circadian rhythm. Your body needs sleep in order to be healthy. Using blue light glasses makes it easier for you to fall asleep and get the rest you need, especially if you spend a lot of time in front of screens.
Blue-Light Blocking Glasses In Northern Utah
Wolcott Optical is here to help you protect your eyes with our blue-light glasses. Regardless of whether screen time is a necessary part of your job or you just want to keep your eyes protected while dinking around on the Internet, blue-light glasses allow you to be able to worry less about how much your screen time is impacting your sleep patterns.
We carry a wide selection of blue-light blocking glasses to ensure that you can find frames that suit your individual style and personality. Contact us today to learn more.
