What is Digital Eye Strain?
With the advent and continuous rise of digital technology, a large number of people spending more than 2 hours on the screen, experience eye discomfort and irritation. This collection of symptoms due to higher digital technology is called as Digital Eye Strain referred by The Vision Council.
Digital Eye strain is not the result of one single behavior, but could be caused due a number of factors. Due to the feature of small prints and pixelated images which can be difficult to read, digital devices can cause eye strain by the efforts made to focus.
Additionally, the angle and the distance at which the device is held from the eye is also important. Holding at an incorrect angle with improper distance can add up to the problems. Digital devices also emit High- Energy Visible light or blue light which can cause an increase in eye strain. Besides eye strain these lights can negatively affect the eyes in other ways too. It is postulated to cause Cataract and Age-related macular degeneration.
- Red, dry or irritated eyes
- Blurred vision
- Eye fatigue
- Back, neck and shoulder pain
- Headaches
In case, your use of digital devices is high and you are experiencing these symptoms, there is absolutely no need to panic. There are a few measures that could be taken to prevent experiencing these symptoms.
The most effective way to prevent eye strain is to limit the use of digital devices. In case that option isn’t available to you, there are some other ways too. Problems in the body like eye, shoulder, neck or back pain may be indicators of the occurrence of eye strain but before the body starts giving out signals, try the measures which can prevent it in the very first place.
- Maintain proper distance between the eyes and the screen.
- Increase the number of blinks and take regular breaks.
- Consider adjusting screen settings
- Adjust surrounding lights.
- Place the screen at a proper angle.
- Keep the screen clean.
- Increase text size.
- Wear anti-glare glasses.
With more and more of our daily time being spent on digital devices, it has become essential for us to look out for symptoms and take the required measures to keep our eyes healthy. Whilst, consulting the doctor at the earliest in case the problem still persists.
