Digital eye strain

Many people who spend long hours on computers, tablets or phones notice that their eyes feel tired or uncomfortable. This is often called digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome. You might have:

• Tired, sore or aching eyes
• Dry, burning or itchy eyes
• Blurry vision, or trouble shifting focus between near and far
• Headaches
• Neck, shoulder or back pain
• Being bothered by bright light

These symptoms usually get better when you rest your eyes. Screen use can make your eyes uncomfortable, but it does not cause lasting damage.

• Blinking less. When you focus on a screen, you blink less often and less fully, so your eyes dry out.
• Focusing up close for a long time. The muscles inside your eyes work hard to keep something near in focus.
• Glare and poor lighting. Bright windows, harsh overhead lights, or a screen that is too bright or too dim make your eyes work harder.
• Poor screen position. A screen that is too close, too high or at an angle strains your eyes and neck.
• An outdated prescription, or none at all. Even a small vision problem can make screen work tiring. Some people need glasses set for the distance of their screen.
• Needing reading help with age. From around your 40s, the eyes lose some of their ability to focus up close. Screens can feel harder to see, even if they never bothered you before.
• Trouble with focusing or eye teaming, which makes it hard for both eyes to work together up close.
• Dry eye or contact lenses, which screen use can make feel worse.

See your eye doctor if your symptoms keep coming back, don’t get better with rest, or get in the way of work or school. Book a visit too if you often get headaches when you read or use screens, or if a child complains of tired eyes or blurry vision while doing schoolwork.

Get care right away for sudden vision changes, double vision or eye pain. These are not caused by screen use alone.