Health Matters: Digital Eye Strain

How much time do you spend on your phone? What about on your computer? Doctors say, spending too much time in front of the screen can take its toll on your eyes. “Digital eye strain is related to smartphone use, computer use, even video games. Anyone can experience digital eye strain if they are spending a significant amount of time on their smart device or their computer, it can be adults or kids,” explained Lee Health pediatric ophthalmologist Dr. Shauna Berry.

Digital eye strain can cause headaches, red eyes, dry eyes, blurry vision, even neck pain. “You might experience eye pain, your eyes might feel tired or fatigued, they might feel dry, just because when we’re looking at something and concentrating, especially something that’s near, we’re not blinking as much so the eyes actually dry out quicker. We’re seeing a lot of dry eyes in the pediatric population just because of all the smart device use,” she said. Making it important to take frequent breaks and limit your time on your device. ‘’Limiting it to no more than 2.5 hours a day. Taking breaks every 20 minutes to look at something far off into the distance just for 20 seconds, that will help alleviate it. That’s called the 20-20 rule,” Dr. Berry said. It’s also important to get your annual eye exam to have your vision evaluated.

View More Health Matters video segments at LeeHealth.org/Healthmatters/ Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health – Caring People. Inspiring Care. Visit LeeHealth.org

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