We all rub our eyes after staring at a screen for too long. Whether we’re studying, working, or (let’s face it) scrolling, using a phone or laptop for too long makes our eyes feel uncomfortable.
A common piece of advice, and something I try to live by, is to look away from the screen every twenty minutes, mainly because I vaguely remember someone telling me at some point that it was a good idea. However, I wondered: is there any science behind this fact? I thought I’d investigate.
Why does staring at a screen hurt my eyes?
You may wonder why using a screen for too long makes your eyes feel funny. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, people blink less while looking at their screens. “We normally blink about 15 times per minute,” the organization says, “but this ‘blink frequency’ can be halved when we stare at screens.”
This idea is supported by a 2022 research review written by Kirandeep Kaur of the Aravind Eye Hospital and Post Graduate Institute of Ophthalmology in India, and other collaborators. The paper, which reviewed nearly thirty studies from around the world, aimed to explore the causes of what she calls “digital eye strain.” The article states that reduced blinking is one factor, but also mentions other factors, including “the contrast level of letters compared to the background of digital screens, glare and reflections on the screen, incorrect distance and viewing angle to digital screens, poor lighting conditions and incorrect posture during use.”
All these things mean that extended screen time makes our eyes feel dry and overall uncomfortable – “dry eyes, itching, foreign body sensation, tearing, blurred vision and headaches,” according to the study. The article is careful to say that more research is needed to determine whether screen time leads to lasting damage, but states that the discomfort is very real.
Does it help to look away every 20 minutes?
Research shows that looking away from your screen every 20 minutes can actually reduce eye strain. The idea is even recommended by the CDC, which recommends a specific plan: “Every 20 minutes, look about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds.” The idea is to reset your focus and blink rate to reduce the symptoms of eye strain.
Kaur et al.’s article suggests that this really helps reduce eye strain, but there are other things you can try. Recommendations from the article include limiting your screen time to four hours or less per day, having ambient lighting in the room beyond just your screen, and wearing glasses instead of contact lenses during extended screen sessions.
Software that reminds you to look away
If you feel better after looking away from your computer but have a hard time remembering to actually do it, there is software that can help you. The free and open source application called Stretchly works on Windows, macOS and Linux computers. It periodically takes over your screen and reminds you to look away from the screen. What I like about this application is how flexible it is: you can set the time between breaks and the length of the breaks as you want. I highly recommend it to anyone who experiences eye pain after a particularly long work session.
