A Modern Problem to Consider

You may have noticed your eyes feeling tired or irritated after a long day at the office. Or maybe you’ve got a headache after staring at your phone for hours. If so, there’s a good chance you’re experiencing digital eye strain.

Also known as computer vision syndrome (CVS), this modern eye condition results from too much time spent staring at digital screens. Although the demands of the day sometimes require you to keep the laptop open, some strategies can help you cope with the visual stress of devices that drain your visual energy.

Visit us at York Mills Eye Care for a comprehensive eye exam to assess your digital eye strain. An exam can help confirm it is not a more serious condition.

Assess Your Eye Strain

a woman looking at her computer screen and you can see the reflection of the screen on her eyes

Symptoms of Digital Eye Strain

Try to notice a pattern if your vision is feeling strained throughout the week. Your discomfort could be related to overexposure to screens. Digital eye strain can be characterized by the following symptoms:

Dry eyes
Headaches
Eye fatigue
Blurred Vision
Neck pain

How to Manage Digital Eye Strain

An eye exam at our practice can help determine the cause and severity of your symptoms, but you can try some strategies at home to help yourself. If vision discomfort persists, please schedule an appointment so we can treat you professionally.

Healthy Posture for Your Vision

Poor posture can impact your eye comfort. Your eyes will notice a difference when you maintain proper posture at your desk. Your computer screen should be at eye level, within an arm’s length (between 16 to 30 inches). Find a desk about 30 inches tall and set your computer screen to an 80-degree angle.

Keep your chair height about 16 to 20 inches off the ground. If it feels uncomfortable to sit up straight, try using a footrest. Difficulty seeing your screen with proper posture is a strong indication that you need an eye exam.

The 20-20-20 Rule

The 20-20-20 rule is a really simple strategy to reset your eyes that you can do any place and at any time of the day.

Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away. That’s it! So take 20 seconds after reading this webpage.

Let Your Smartphone Be Smart

Most cell phones and tablets have a dark mode or night setting that limits the blue light it emits. These features can normally be set to turn on at a certain hour of the day, or on some devices, automatically react to environmental lighting.

Learn how to use dark mode on Apple devices here.

Learn how to use night mode on Android devices here.

Block the Blue Light

Almost all backlit digital screens emit blue light waves. This frequency of light waves has been shown to negatively affect sleeping patterns and other facets of health. And it may be a contributor to digital eye strain. Even if you don’t use prescription eyewear, there could be an advantage in using blue-light-blocking glasses while you’re on your computer.

At York Mills Eye Care, we can add a blue-light-blocking coating to virtually all our lenses. We also carry specialty contact lenses with blue-light-blocking abilities. If you suffer from digital eye strain, let us diagnose your symptoms and build a game plan to balance your daily demands with your visual comfort.

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Where to Find Us

Our Address

97 Wilson Avenue
North York, ON M5M 2Z9

Contact Us

Phone: (416) 485-5233
Fax: (416) 789-5824
Email: [email protected]

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