Digital Eye Care

20 September 2023

Today’s National Eye Health Week theme is Digital Eye Care – the aim of the day is to encourage people to be aware of how they can prevent eye strain and screen fatigue when spending long hours at a time looking at a computer, laptop or tv.

Recommended key steps to take to protect eyes from the adverse impacts of staring into a screen include:

Checking lighting levels

Too much or too little light can cause problems – an extra lamp on your desk, changing the angle at which you work can make instant improvements – as can using the blue light filter options on digital devices

Applying the 20-20-20 rule

Frequent breaks are a good antidote. The 20-20-20 rule is a good place to start: every 20 minutes, take a break of at least 20 seconds, and look at least 20 feet away (about six metres) into the distance. This well prevent your eyes from becoming too dry – because we blink only two thirds as many times as usual when looking at a screen, which reduces the natural lubrication to the eye.

Taking regular off-screen breaks

The best break of all is to walk away from the screen completely and do something completely different, like cooking or exercising, or mindful, like meditation or breathing exercises.

Click here to read NHS guidance on reducing eye strain when working from home

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Find out more about National Eye Health Week here