Digital Eye Strain

As little as 2 hours in front of a digital device can cause Digital Eye Strain. Australians, on average, spend 10 hours a day looking at some form of screen.

As strange as it may sound, Digital Eye Strain is not a rare, crazy sci-fi condition. Digital eye strain (also called Computer Vision Syndrome) is the temporary discomfort following two or more hours of uninterrupted digital device use.

In fact, it is a very common condition that many Australians experience due to the nature of our work which nowadays is becoming more and more dependent on computers. Even after work or school, a lot of us sit back and “relax” by going online, which means more screen time for our eyes.

More than 50% of computer operators experience eyestrain, headaches and blurred vision. These problems occur along with other visual symptoms related to the increase of sustained near point visual stress that is associated with the use of computer screens.

Visual stress can also magnify complaints of general body fatigue, reduce work efficiency and increase error rates as the day progresses.

Our optometrists know that many of us depend on our digital devices for many things. We’ll test your eyes, talk about your lifestyle and offer practical solutions to help you experience comfortable, relaxed vision and improve your clarity, focus and performance.

Signs and Symptoms You May Have Digital Eye Strain Include…

Tired, strained-feeling eyes

Pain in the neck, shoulders or back

Dry eyes

Frontal headaches

Sore, irritated eyes

Dull stretching pain around the eyes

Eyes that are slow to focus

Blurry vision

Excessive tears

Double vision in some cases

Increased light sensitivity

Why Should You Be Concerned?

Your eye muscles are working hard whenever you have to focus up close. Being overworked looking at fixed distances for prolonged periods of time leads to digital eye strain.

Fluorescent and LED lights as well as LED screens found in TVs, computers and mobile phones emit high amounts of blue light. Blue light from these devices cause strain to the eye, especially when used extendedly or held close to the eye.

Glare from the screen can cause eyestrain and headaches. Too much blue light also causes premature eye aging.

Too much time in front of our computers may lead to postural problems such as neck pains or back pains. Uncorrected astigmatism or long-sightedness can also be a contributing factor for tired eyes in front of the computer.

How Can We Help?

Assess Your Visual Demands

Our optometrists do more than just remind you to take regular breaks for your eyes. We’ll assess your symptoms using a variety of evaluations and eye tests which emphasise the visual demands associated with computer use.

Check for Refractive Conditions

We’ll assess your prescription to see if any refractive condition needs to be corrected. If you already suffer from astigmatism, long-sightedness, presbyopia, aging eyes or diabetic eye problems, your digital eye strain may worsen.

Evaluate How Your Eyes Work

When your two eyes aren’t working together as a team, this exacerbates digital eye strain. We’ll check for clinical findings that link with poor eye teaming or focussing skills. If such is the case, we may recommend vision therapy to make your vision more comfortable.

Provide World-Class Lens Solutions

We provide different lens solutions developed by the world’s top manufacturers to help relieve your eyes and prevent digital device fatigue. These lens innovations all consist of technology that help to filter potentially harmful blue light from entering your eyes.

Are you staring at some sort of digital device for long periods of time? Let our eyecare professionals help you achieve comfortable vision all day long.

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