Digital Eye Strain In Kamloops, BC

What Causes Eye Strain?

When looking at any object, or reading text, our eyes cleverly focus so that we can perceive that object clearly. Our focusing muscles, when fatigued, struggle to perform this task efficiently and this manifests itself as the known symptoms of digital eye strain.

Using screens forces our eyes to work harder than normal, hence the increase in eye strain across Canada as our daily dependence on screens rises.

Learn to Look the Other Way – Literally

The simplest, easiest and cheapest way to reduce your symptoms is to take a 20-30 second break a few times an hour. Focus on a distant object, relax your eye muscles and then get back to work – this tiny change in routine has been proven very effective for easing mild symptoms.

In fact, most treatment options revolve around simple, easy-to-implement changes:

• Desktop ergonomics – If you work at a laptop, your screen is probably far too close to your eyes – this makes focusing even harder for your tiring muscles. Try to have your screen at eye-level, but 2 feet or so away. You can even adjust your colour settings to boost contrast and limit brightness to lessen the load.
• Lighting – Glare is a key factor. If you can prevent sun or lamp light from reflecting off your screen onto your eyes, you’ll notice an almost immediate difference. Consider adding soft, warm background lighting in behind your monitor – this helps your eyes focus more naturally, reducing fatigue.
• It should go without saying (but we never assume when it comes to your eye care!) that you should never use a laptop or smartphone in a dark room. This will accelerate eye strain substantially, as well as making it much harder to fall asleep.
• The 20 20 20 rule – It’s easy to remember. Every 20 minutes, take a break from looking at your screen. Pick something that’s roughly 20 feet away and look at it for 20 seconds. This will help keep your eyes from getting tired and limit the damage of staring at a screen.
• Computer glasses – The only change which may require some investment, computer glasses are designed to:
  • Focus at the optimal distance, which is slightly further than reading prescriptions
  • Absorb near-ultraviolet light (optional) as this has been linked to eye health issues
  • Absorb unwanted glare