Digital eye strain is common in our tech-heavy lives
A doctor has explained the six things you should do if you're getting headaches from too much screen time.
Digital eye strain – also known as computer vision syndrome – is a relatively new type of condition and you can probably guess what the culprit is.
Excessive phone use has actually been given its own medical name.
Thanks to all the advancements in technology, a lot of us end up spending eight hours a day in front of our laptops.
When you think about how much time people also spend on their phones or watching TV, it really adds up to a huge amount of hours looking at screens every week.
Digital eye strain is commonplace in our technology heavy culture (Getty Stock Images)
Which is why it's no surprise that so many of us have eye-strain related conditions.
Research by Boots indicates that approximately 75 percent of British adults acknowledge an enhanced quality of life from wearing glasses. It is commonly thought that the time spent in front of screens is a significant factor in the growing demand for glasses.
How do screens relate to headaches and vision problems?
Spending a lot of time looking at screens can cause problems like eye strain, bad posture in your neck and head, trouble seeing things far away, and headaches.
If you experience digital eye strain, you might also feel things like throbbing pain on one side of your head, feeling sick, dizziness, being sensitive to light, tightness in your neck and shoulders, dry eyes, and sometimes even migraines.
What causes digital eye strain?
Digital eye strain gets its name from the word ‘digital,' which hints at what causes it. There isn't just one reason for this issue, but spending too much time in front of screens, being in a bad posture, and not keeping a good distance from your screen can all lead to headaches related to screen time.
There are things you can do the limit your risk (Getty Stock Images)
So, what can you do to stop headaches from screen-time?
MedicalNewsToday suggests six easy practices you can adopt in your daily routine to lower the chances of experiencing headaches caused by digital eye strain.
These are:
- Taking regular screen breaks away from your laptop. The 20-20-20 is usually advised for this, which means you spend 20 seconds looking away from your screen every 20 minutes, making sure the screen is around 20 feet away during this time.
- Using appropriate background lighting. It is recommended that you use your device in indirect or shielded lighting and avoid having bright or glaring lights nearby.
- Wearing glasses with a blue light filter
- Avoiding unnecessary screen exposure
- Keeping an appropriate distance from the screen. A distance of 50–100 cm between the eyes and the screen is ideal, with the top of your screen at – or just below – eye level.
- Minimising glare and reflections on the screen
Minor changes to your daily life can help with digital eye strain (Getty Stock Images)
Headaches from looking at screens and tired eyes can be helped with some pain medicine you can buy at the store and eye drops. But if the problems keep happening or get worse, it's a good idea to see your eye doctor or regular doctor.
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
