Digital Eye Strain

Putting Your Eyes First

Canadians spend upwards of 11 hours a day looking at digital screens. From computers to tablets to smartphones, we heavily depend on our devices in every aspect of our lives.

With this frequent use, we have become more susceptible to digital eye strain than ever before. Book an appointment at Trailside Eye Care to learn how you or your family’s eyes are responding to your daily screen time.

Repetitive Stress Versus Digital Eye Strain

Repetitive strain injury is a well-known danger to workers. Sitting the wrong way at a desk or in the driver’s seat or long hours standing and performing the same motions can all take their toll on your body. The danger lies in the way your muscles lack a low impact posture, rest, and manageable loads for extended periods of time.

Working on a computer, especially with poor technique and posture, can cause repetitive stress to not only your body but your eyes as well. Your eyes use several muscles to focus your vision, and long hours spent looking at a digital screen can cause them stress. Digital eye strain is a form of repetitive stress on your eyes.

Your eyes rely on several critical muscles that flex to focusing your eyesight. You likely don’t even notice, but using a computer over long periods force your eyes to work harder than they’re used to.

Device use causes extra stress on your eyes because people often:

Don’t blink enough when looking at a screen.
Angle their screens improperly.
View devices with glare or reflection.
Use devices with poor contrast and brightness.

Symptoms

Digital eye strain can cause symptoms like:

Neck pain
Back pain
Dry Eyes
Difficulty focusing
Drooping eyelids
Excessive tearing
Blurry vision
Double vision
Sensitivity to light
Burning eyes
Headaches

Causes of Digital Eye Strain

Focusing Your Vision

Digital eye strain is largely caused by chronic stress from concentrating on one spot for too long. When your work depends on reading carefully, searching through buttons and text, or squinting at fine details—you’re bound to experience eye strain. Excessively working your eyes can cause repetitive stress on your ocular muscles and your iris.

Forgetting to Blink

According to the Canadian Association of Optometrists, people blink approximately 41% of their normal rate when viewing a screened digital device.

The hydration and oxygenation you get from blinking are important. When you don’t blink, you can develop dry eyes, causing irritation, redness, and other problems. And digital eye strain can aggravate dry eye symptoms.

Scattering Effects of Blue Light

Digital screens have cold, white light output, and blue light makes up a higher concentration of that white light. Blue light scatters more than other wavelengths when it hits oxygenated particles like air or water. This scattering light can put an extra burden on your eyes, making them work harder to filter and focus on a blue-light heavy display.

Melatonin Reaction to Blue Light

The blue light emitted by various digital screens won’t cause permanent damage to your eyes, but it may interrupt your circadian clock and impact your sleep.

Blue light from most digital displays is a high-energy visible (HEV) frequency with neurological effects. Your brain is hardwired to release waking chemicals while lowering melatonin levels in response to this light, effectively rousing you from your sleep when it detects blue light, no matter what time of day it is.

Working Safely & Preventing Digital Eye Strain

Like other parts of your body, eye muscles benefit from the relaxation sleep provides. During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep cycles, your eyes dart around quickly.

When the stresses of digital eye strain and reduced sleep quality cumulate together, eye strain symptoms become worse, not better. Managing blue light from artificial sources, especially before you sleep, can help.

For even more control these artificial sources, ask us about blue light filtering layers on our lens coatings!

Relax Your Eyes

Make sure you adopt proper workplace ergonomics while working on a computer to reduce the strain computer work can put on your eyes.

When working with a digital screen for an extended period, position it at a 45-degree angle down from your eye level. With your head straight and your eyes relaxed, you should feel more comfortable.

Many optometrists recommend following the 20-20-20 rule to give your eyes a break. Every 20 minutes, relax and look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

Book Appointment

Our Location

Centre Wellington, Ontario

We’re eager to see all of our patients, but please confirm an appointment before visiting. Booking ahead is the safest measure for ensuring a qualified staff member is available to help you from start to finish.

You can find us on Beatty Line in beautiful historic Fergus, Ontario.

Our Address

6420 Beatty Line North Suite 102
Fergus, ON N1M 2W3

Contact Information

Phone: 226-383-8880
Fax: 226-486-2465
Email: [email protected]

Hours Of Operation

Monday

9 AM – 4 PM

Tuesday

9 AM – 5 PM

Wednesday

9 AM – 4 PM

Thursday

9 AM – 6 PM

Friday

9 AM – 1 PM

Saturday

Closed

Sunday

Closed

What Are Our Patients Saying?

Dr. Elder is so friendly and knowledgeable, she was quick to get me in when I had an issue with a growth in my eye and is always takes the time to get to know me so she can give the best solutions for eye care or eye wear. Highly recommend this office to anyone looking to go to a better eye doctor!

She is exceptional! Kind, personable, smart, efficient. Extremely talented doctor – actually look forward to seeing her! Also great with kids.

Dr. Elder has been great at helping me with my ocular health. She is very personable while having a high degree of professionalism. I am very comfortable around her and will be continuing to see her for all of my eye health needs!