Now that we are more remote, more and more of us are spending an increased amount of time staring at screens. Not only that, but the quality and size of the screens we may be using at home are probably not as crisp or as large as those at work. We are also more likely to be using laptops, tablets, or our phones over desktops and working in environments where the lighting is less optimal for screen use than we’re accustomed to. It is no wonder then that we have noticed an increase in the number of people complaining about visual fatigue issues associated with prolonged screen use.

Here are a few tips that may help alleviate these symptoms and allow you to watch screens for longer experiencing less fatigue. Firstly, I will list some tips for everyone using screens and then some specific to those of us that need glasses to be able to focus on them effectively:

Tips for all screen users:

• Ensure that your workstation is set up correctly with the screen clean and a little below eye-level and directly in front of you.
• Ensure that the screen is free from glare caused by sun or artificial light shining directly onto it.
• Increasing the font size slightly will reduce the effort required to view it.
• Observe the 20-20-20 rule; every 20 minutes take a 20-second break looking at 20 feet. In other words; every now and then stop looking at your screen and gaze into the distance briefly.
• Think Blink. When working on screens we tend to blink less, which along with the electrostatic charge on screens can lead to our eyes drying and hence discomfort and blur. Just being aware of the need to blink can alleviate this.
• Ensure that your screen brightness is at the minimum brightness that you can see it effectively. Therefore, don’t over bright it, as all you do is expose yourself to more blue light than necessary.

Some further advice for spectacle wearers:

• Ensure your lenses are clean.
• It is important to ensure that you have up to date prescription lenses with a minimal amount of scratches.
• Lenses should have reflection free (anti-glare) coatings as these aide visions by reducing glare on the lenses.
• Anti-fatigue lenses like Hoya’s Sync range reduce eyestrain and have been developed specifically for screen use.
• Blue light filters which can be incorporated in lenses reduce exposure to the blue light emitted from LED screens and are recommended in conjunction with the filters now often found on phones and tablets.
• For those who need a progressive (multifocal) lens, those with wider intermediate and reading zones e.g. free-form lenses, make life on a screen a whole lot more pleasant.
• Occupational lenses not only increase fields of view and range of clear vision when compared to reading glasses but may be even preferable for progressive lens wearers too. Typically, they provide clear vision for intermediate and near visual tasks but still leave the distance vision foggy; unlike progressive lenses, which allow clear vision at all distances. However as occupationals only consider 2 zones (near and intermediate) they can provide wider fields of view than many progressive lenses which consider 3 zones (distance, intermediate and near). Therefore, they can be easier to use when on screens for protracted periods of time.

Here’s a great video for reference:

I hope you have found these tips helpful. If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to ask me via email or contact our offices. We are currently still open but not sure how much longer this will go on for so we want you prepared. Even when our office doors are closed, we plan to still be able to answer your queries, do emergency repairs, and provide advice on all things eyes related.

Please be mindful that as Coronavirus is transmittable through our eyes the need for good hygiene when touching in or around our eyes is paramount.

Together we shall get through this.

Stay Safe

Dr. Aron Wohl

To learn more about the measures we are taking to ensure your safety visit – https://eyeqjamaica.com/covid-19

Ministry of Health coronavirus fact sheet – Fact Sheet – COVID-19