BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – Screen time has become a term we use more frequently with most people having a smart phone.
A recent study reveals that the average person spends 7 hours on screens everyday, which could cause some irritation to our eyes.
“Those symptoms tend to be stinging burning tearing redness even light sensitivity which can be worse if you’re using a computer a lot,” Dr. Juli Larson, a Physician Ophthalmologist with New England Vision said.
Screens haven’t been around long enough to know if it creates long term damage on our eyes or physical health, but too much of anything isn’t good.
Dr. Larson says that changing small habits throughout our day can greatly improve our eye health.
Now that we’re becoming a more plugged in society a good way to protect your eyes is by taking the 20-20-20 rule which is every 20 minutes, you focus your eyes on something 20 feet or more away for 20 seconds or more.
It might sound silly, but even sometimes when we stare or focus too long on something it can strain our eyes heavily, causing them to become dry and uncomfortable. A common theory is that blue light glasses help with this, but Dr. Larson says this actually might not be the case.
“If they have any benefit I think that it’s probably minimal, they may help with some glare or frankly just having glasses in front of your eyes may minimize evaporation so maybe help with some dry eye symptoms that people have from extended computer use but I personally don’t use them,” Larson said.
Mohsin Syed is a student at Champlain College, and he says his screen time is around the national average. He is sometimes guilty of doom-scrolling on social media, and notices eye strain after prolonged screen use.
“If you have the screen all the way bright and it’s just in your face that can be really irritating for yourself,” Syed said.
Scott Vogel works with AI, and says he uses six computer monitors at work, but forces himself to take a break for his eyes.
“I time the amount that I spend in front of a screen. So I do something called pomodoros, which is a measurement of time that you engage, and I go 33 minutes and 33 seconds on a screen and then I have to walk away from it,” Vogel said.
“Being on a screen a long time not only affects your vision to some degree, but also your overall health, so I would say in moderation it’s a good thing but too much is not a good thing,” Larson said.
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