Parked in front of a screen all day and feeling the consequences? This is what you can do to prevent discomfort and keep your eyes healthy.
These days, most jobs require people to look at screens, whether you’re a graphic designer on the computer all day or a content creator editing hours of footage.
For the most part, we’re all aware that we need to take regular screen breaks to give our minds, muscles and eyes a rest, yet many of us still struggle with occasional blurry vison, headaches and twitchy eyes.
So, if screen breaks alone can’t fix these issues, what can and how can they be prevented? We spoke to the experts to find out.
Is modern life causing increased eye strain?
Headaches and eye strain existed before the advent of computers and smartphones, of course, but according to Mr Alastair Stuart, medical director and consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Optegra Eye Health Care, there’s been an increase in cases of eye strain. “More than half of people believe this has been caused by the large amount of time we spend using screens, including tablets, laptops and smartphones.”
Optegra has linked excessive screen use, poor lighting, intense focus on small text or unbroken stretches of reading and phone scrolling with a range of symptoms, such as eye twitching, headaches and dry eyes.
So much so that computer vision syndrome (CVS) is now recognised as a valid eye condition, with an estimated 50% higher prevalence among regular computer users.
Though these symptoms are rarely cause for concern, Mr Stuart says they’re “signs that the body is overloaded” and can be bothersome if they persist.
Common symptoms of digital eye strain (DES) can include:
- Headaches and blurred vision
- Sore, dry, itchy or burning eyes
- Increased light sensitivity
- Neck, shoulder or back discomfort
- Difficulty concentrating or focusing clearly
Why does excess screen time contribute to dryness, blurred vision and headaches?
Prolonged screen use reduces blink rate significantly, says Mr Mfazo Hove, consultant ophthalmic surgeon at Blue Fin Vision. “Under normal conditions, we blink around 15 to 20 times per minute, but this can drop by 50-60% during sustained digital focus.”
And it’s not just blink frequency that’s affected, but blink completeness. “Many people perform partial blinks during screen work, which fail to spread the tear film adequately across the ocular surface,” Mr Hove explains.
This results in tear film instability (the protective and lubricating layer essential for clear vision and comfort), increased evaporation, dryness, irritation and fluctuating blur — symptoms he feels we tend to ignore all too easily.
Headaches then arise from a combination of “sustained accommodative effort” and “subtle optical factors” that become significant under prolonged work.
Read more: Are your devices affecting your sleep? Here’s what you can do about it
The link between eye strain, posture and headaches
We often joke about our poor posture when sitting in office chairs, but it’s likely to be a major contributor to any headaches and eye strain we feel — even long after the working day is over.
Mr Hove says it’s all about “visual ergonomics”. If you’re screen positioning is poor, meaning too high, too close or off axis, “the visual system is forced to compensate”.
You do this instinctively by adjusting your head and neck, rather than gaze direction. This forces “sustained contraction of the cervical and suboccipital muscles” — a well-established trigger for tension-type headaches that patients often attribute entirely to the screen rather than to the postural adaptation it’s produced, according to Mr Hove.
In office-based environments, where you’re spending up to nine hours at your desk, this cumulates across the working day.
When should you see a specialist?
“Most screen-related headaches are not eye problems, they’re predictable posture problems created by sustained visual demand,” says Mr Hove. Once you understand this and adapt your set up with simple rest and simple changes, you should see symptoms getting better.
However, Mr Hove advises that if symptoms persist beyond screen use, worsen progressively over weeks, are asymmetric or involve aspects beyond fatigue and dryness, you should book a clinical assessment. These include consistent blur that doesn’t clear, significant light sensitivity, eye pain or double vision.
As for eye twitching, that’s another story. “Involuntary eyelid twitching is almost always benign and driven by fatigue, caffeine and stress,” explains Mr Hove. “It typically resolves with rest. Just be wary if it persists or spreads to other parts of the face.”
Read more: Upgrade your home office with one of these standing desks that cost under £100
Daily habits to reduce headaches, eye strain and twitching
Outside of specific conditions, most symptoms of poor eye health are predictable and preventable — they can be attributed to cumulative fatigue and poor screen setup more than anything.
“Applied reactively, these habits provide temporary relief. However, when they’re built into a structured daily routine before symptoms appear, they can prevent cumulative fatigue from developing in the first place,” concludes Mr Hove.
Tips on improving eye health:
1. Follow the 20-20-20 rule
Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This releases the ciliary muscle from sustained near-focus contraction and allows recovery before fatigue accumulates.
2. Blink consciously and completely
Make a deliberate effort to blink fully during intense screen work. Complete blinks restore the tear film, partial blinks don’t.
3. Optimise screen position
The centre of the screen should sit slightly below eye level and at arm’s length. This reduces ocular surface exposure, slows tear evaporation and avoids neck extension.
4. Match screen brightness to ambient lighting
Avoid a bright screen against a dark background or working in strong direct light as the visual system works hardest when contrast between screen and surroundings is high.
5. Stay up to date with your prescription
An outdated glasses prescription (even one that’s acceptable for general use) can become symptomatic during sustained screen work. A second pair of lenses optimised for screen distance are worth considering for screen use at work.
6. Take structured breaks
Short, regular breaks are more effective than infrequent long ones — the aim is to interrupt fatigue before it builds.
7. Keep your posture in check
Sit with your feet flat, back supported and screen directly in front of you. Small, consistent adjustments remove a significant proportion of screen-related headaches.
8. Lubricate proactively
Preservative-free artificial tears used before discomfort develops are more effective at maintaining tear film stability.
9. Vary your tasks
Alternate screen work with tasks that involve distance vision or movement to allow genuine recovery time for the visual system.
Feature image: Pexels
