Digital Eye Strain: Symptoms & How To Prevent It

The problem is that for most of us, closing the laptop at the end of the working day doesn't mean we stop looking at screens.

We pick up our phone, watch television, use a tablet, or perhaps spend the evening on another computer playing video games.

Modern life tends to revolve around screens, and our eyes often move from one screen to another from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to bed.

So what exactly is digital eye strain? Part of the problem is simply that we ask our eyes to do the same thing for too long.

When you look at something close to you, the focusing system inside your eyes has to adjust.

Your eyes also turn slightly inwards so that they remain directed towards the same point.

This is a perfectly normal process, but if you hold that close focus for several hours, particularly while while reading small text or trying to see a badly positioned screen, it can become uncomfortable.

You may notice this more if you wear glasses or contact lenses and your prescription is no longer quite right for you.

A minor problem that doesn't bother you while you're walking around or watching television may become much more obvious after a few hours of detailed screen work.

age can play a part too from around our 40s the lens inside the eye gradually becomes less flexible making close focus more difficult you may find yourself holding your phone farther away or increasing the text size when reading a computer screen can present an awkward middle ground it may be too far away for your reading glasses but too close for your distance vision and if you keep moving your head backwards and forwards in an attempt to find the right position your eyes may not be the only part of you that feels tired by the end of the day.