Digital Eye Strain | La Mesa Optometry

Taking a Necessary Break

In today’s digital world, your eyes get put under a high amount of stress. Digital screen usage has become an essential aspect of daily living, whether for work or entertainment. Your eyes need a break like the rest of your body, and at La Mesa Optometry, our doctors want to help you get over the effects of digital eye strain.

Stepping away from the screen for breaks is crucial and can help keep your eyes healthy. When the effects of digital eye strain settle in, we are here to help.

Contact us to schedule an appointment and find relief from digital eye strain today.

Book Appointment

Insights into Digital Eye Strain

Digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome, can affect your eyes when you spend long hours in front of a computer, phone, tablet, or other digital screen. If you’re dealing with other vision issues like myopia, astigmatism, or presbyopia, the effects of digital eye strain can be magnified.

Common signs and symptoms of digital eye strain can include:

Blurred vision
Headaches
Neck & shoulder pain
Dry eyes

Regular eye exams with our team are important to monitor the effects of digital eye strain on your eyes. Untreated symptoms of digital eye strain can worsen over time and lead to other more serious vision issues.

Helping You Manage Digital Eye Strain

The first step in overcoming your digital eye strain issues is visiting us for a comprehensive eye exam. An eye exam lets our doctors take a closer look at your eyes, discuss your symptoms, review your screen time habits, and recommend management methods to help you find relief.

Anti Fatigue Lenses

Many people view digital screens for long hours, from working on tasks to watching videos. Like exercising any muscle, our eyes can get tired from overworking. Anti fatigue lenses are designed to help accommodate for near and immediate visual tasks.

The bottom of the lens features a section or “boost” to help eye muscles relax. It also supports the eye’s ability to switch between distances, which can contribute to fatigue.

Blue Light Blocking Coating

Blue light is a form of light with short, high-energy wavelengths. The wavelengths are next to UV radiation on the light spectrum. Although less powerful than UV light waves, our eyes are less able to filter blue light—which can be a problem when we’re exposed to a lot of it.

Blue light is all around us, from the sun to digital screens–and as we spend more time in front of screens, we spend more time with blue light. Lenses with quality blue light blocking coating can help reduce our exposure and prevent symptoms associated with digital eye strain.

The 20-20-20 Rule

Focusing on your screen for long periods without a break can dry your eyes and cause strain. Giving your eyes a break is crucial, and the 20-20-20 rule allows for some well-deserved rest.

The 20-20-20 rule involves:

Looking away from your screen every 20 minutes
Focusing on something 20 feet away
Looking at the object of focus for at least 20 seconds

Keep Your Lighting in Mind

The lighting of your workstation can contribute to digital eye strain. Lighting that is too dim or too bright can affect your eyes negatively, and finding a good balance is essential.

Adjusting your screen brightness to prevent squinting or straining your eyes is helpful. Glare is also a contributing factor to eye strain and is important to consider at your workstation. An anti-glare screen can be an excellent solution.

Correct Your Posture

Viewing your computer screen at incorrect angles can alter your posture and cause unnecessary stress to your eyes and body. Your screen should be about arm’s length away from your eyes and at eye level or slightly below.

Taking Back Your Eye Health

Digital eye strain can steal your productivity and leave you feeling tired and worn out. At La Mesa Optometry, we want to help you overcome the effects of digital eye strain. Our doctors encourage frequent breaks mixed with management techniques to keep your eyes healthy.

We can help you manage digital eye strain—schedule an appointment today to find relief.

Book Appointment