Discomfort of living with digital eye strain

Your eyes allow you to gawk at that funny hat your aunt got you, smile at the rays of sunlight peaking through the clouds, and give you that first impression of the person with whom you’re going to spend the rest of your life.

These days your eyes also look at a lot of new things, such as the screen you are staring at to read this article.

Technology enables us to get answers with a click of a button, but according to a new study, looking at a screen for hours at a time can cause digital eye strain.

Digital eye strain is the temporary discomfort you get after staring at a computer, smartphone, TV screen, or other electronic device screen for two or more hours, according to The Vision Council, a global voice for vision care products and services. Digital eye strain causes red, dry or irritated eyes, blurred vision, and eye fatigue, along with general body aches and headaches.

“Demanding office hours and technological advances have increased the amount of time my patients are spending in front of digital devices. But the daily grind is exhausting on more than just the mind; it strains and fatigues eyes,” vice chairperson of the board of directors of The Vision Council, Raanan Naftalovich, wrote in an article on the council’s website.

Lisa Jeziorny, optometrist at Drs. Long and Dunlap Optometrists, said she often sees patients who complain about “tired eyes,”  especially after a long workday According to Jeziorny, the tiredness is sometimes caused because people need corrective lenses. But at other times, frequent breaks is all they to let their focusing system relax.

Junior Dan Strasser can talk of experience. A film studies major, Strasser spends four to five hours in front of a screen every day.

According to The Vision Council, 33 percent of people spend three to five hours in front of a digital device, 32 percent spend six to nine hours, and 28 percent spend 10 or more hours in front of digital devices throughout the day. Of those people, 70 percent of adults in the U.S. said they experienced digital eye strain.

It is not always easy to reduce the time you have to spend in front of a screen, but there are ways to make it easier on your eyes.

“I heard that you should try and match the brightness of a computer screen to the brightness of the room,” Strasser said. “I've found that has helped with the eye irritation that comes with staring at a computer screen for a long time.”

Dry eye is also an easily correctable problem. Jeziorny said an easy solution is artificial teardrops.

The computer is part of our lives now, so we need to figure out ways to combat the system, Jeziorny said. “It’s just making sure you’re blinking more often and taking frequent breaks so that your focusing system doesn’t get locked up.”