You've probably noticed screens are now a big part of daily life. From smartphones and tablets to computers and TVs, screens are everywhere.
But did you know that too much screen time can lead to dry eyes? Let's dive into how screen time affects your eyes and what you can do to keep them healthy.
Screen Time and Dry Eye
You might be wondering, "How does looking at a screen make my eyes dry?" When you focus on a screen, you tend to blink less often — sometimes less than half as much as usual. Blinking is important because it spreads tears over the surface of your eyes, keeping them moist and comfortable. Fewer blinks mean less moisture, which can lead to dry eye symptoms.
Dry eye is when your eyes don't produce enough tears or the tears evaporate too quickly. This can cause discomfort, redness, and blurry vision.
For young adults who spend hours on screens every day, dry eye symptoms are becoming more common.
Too Much Screen Time and Eye Health
Young adults and teens are among the heaviest users of digital devices. Studies show that they can average anywhere from 4 to 9 hours of screen time per day for leisure activities. This includes time spent on smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs, and gaming devices.
While screens are useful tools for education, communication, and entertainment, spending too much time on them can harm young adult’s eye health. Extended screen use can cause dry eyes, digital eye strain, and blurry vision. The more hours young people spend staring at screens, the less time they have for things like outdoor activities, which are essential for healthy vision.
To put this into perspective, if a young adult spends 9 hours a day on screens, that’s more than one-third of their day. Over a week, this adds up to 63 hours — more than a full-time job.
Why Does Too Much Screen Time Dry Out Eyes?
Screens demand a lot of visual attention. If you're engrossed in a video game, typing a message, or binge-watching a show, you might not realize how hard your eyes are working. Here are some reasons why screen time can dry out your eyes:
- Reduced blinking. Concentrating on screens makes you blink less. Normally, we blink about 14-17 times per minute. While using screens, this can drop to five times per minute.
- Close viewing distances. Holding screens too close forces your eyes to focus more intensely. This strain can contribute to dryness.
- Blue light exposure. Screens emit blue light, which can scatter more in the eye and potentially contribute to eye strain.
- Environment. Staring at screens indoors often means exposure to air conditioning or heating, which can dry out the air and your eyes.
Screen time can both cause and exacerbate dry eye symptoms. For some, the dryness starts after increasing screen use. For others who already have dry eye disease, screen time can make the symptoms worse.
The main culprit is reduced blinking and prolonged focus, which strain the eyes and reduce tear production.
Screen Time and Young People’s Vision
Young adults are especially at risk because they're spending more time than ever on screens. On average, they spend about 9 hours per day looking at screens. Here's how that can impact their vision:
Dry eyes. Screen time can cause or worsen dry eye symptoms. When you focus on screens, you blink less often, which reduces the spread of tears across your eyes. This can lead to:
- A gritty or burning feeling
- Red, irritated eyes
- Blurry vision
Dry eye may seem like a minor issue, but it can become a long-term condition if not properly managed.
Digital eye strain. Digital eye strain, sometimes called computer vision syndrome, is another common problem for younger adults. It happens when their eyes work too hard for too long while looking at screens. Symptoms include:
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Sore, tired, or itchy eyes
Digital eye strain is more likely when young adults use screens for gaming, hold devices too close to their face, or spend more than 5 hours a day on screens.
Myopia (nearsightedness). Spending long hours looking at screens up close is linked to the causing and worsening of myopia. Myopia makes it harder to see things clearly at a distance.
- Teenagers who spend a lot of time focusing on screens are at higher risk of developing myopia.
- Myopia often gets worse during the teenage years, especially if they don't take regular breaks from close-up activities.
- Teens who are nearsighted often spend more time on screens than those with normal vision, making them more prone to having dry eye symptoms.
Eye muscle issues. Excessive screen time can also affect how the eye muscles work. One condition linked to heavy screen use is esotropia, which is when the eyes turn inward, causing a cross-eyed appearance.
- Esotropia has been reported in teens who spend more than six hours a day on smartphones, especially when they hold the device less than 12 inches from their face.
- Symptoms include double vision and difficulty focusing.
- Cutting back on screen time often improves the condition, but severe cases may require medical treatment, including eye muscle surgery.
Minimize Your Screen Time and Protect Your Vision
Reducing your screen time might seem tough, but small changes can make a big difference in their vision. Here are some tips on how to get off of the screen and reduce your symptoms of dry eye:
- Set screen time limits: Aim for no more than two hours of recreational screen time per day.
- Schedule breaks: Use alarms or apps to remind you to take breaks.
- Engage in other activities: Replace your screen time with hobbies like reading books, sports, or spending time outdoors.
- Create screen-free zones: Keep your devices out of your bedroom and during meal times.
Also consider these three rules if you spend a lot of time on screens. They’re easy to remember and can make a big difference in preventing dry eyes, eye strain, and other vision problems caused by screen use.
The elbow rule. Keep your screen or book at least as far as the distance from your eyes to your elbow to reduce strain. Try this at home: Make a fist, place it near your eyes, and extend your elbow out toward your screen. Wherever your elbow ends is the closest your screen or phone should be. This rule helps you keep a healthy distance between your eyes and the screen. If it's any closer, your eyes are forced to focus harder, leading to fatigue and possibly worsening nearsightedness and dry eye symptoms.
The 20/20/20 rule. Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something at least 20 feet away. During the break, look out a window or across the room at something far enough away so your eyes don’t have to work hard to focus. Set a timer on your phone or computer as a reminder. This rule will remind you to take regular breaks from your screen to give your eyes a rest. Focusing on something far away relaxes the muscles in your eyes that work hard to focus on close-up tasks. This reduces eye strain and helps your eyes recover from prolonged screen use.
The two-hour rule. Keep your leisure screen time — like watching videos, playing games, or scrolling social media — to less than 2 hours per day. Use a screen time tracking feature on your device to monitor how long your spend on apps if necessary. Set limits for apps you use most, or plan screen-free times, like during meals or before bed. This rule helps you limit the amount of time you spend on screens for fun. Reducing recreational screen time allows your eyes more time to rest.
Other Ways to Prevent Dry Eye in Young People
Beyond reducing screen time and following the three simple rules, here are more strategies you can use to prevent dry eye.
- Blink more often. Make a conscious effort to have them blink fully and frequently.
- Adjust screen settings. Increase the font sizes and adjust contrast to reduce strain.
- Maintain proper distance. Keep screens at least an arm's length (about 20-28 inches) away from your eyes.
- Check your posture. Make sure you sit up straight and ensure your screen is at eye level.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of water to support tear production.
- Use artificial tears. Over-the-counter eye drops can provide temporary relief.
- Humidify the environment. Use a humidifier to add moisture to the air.
- Wear sunglasses outdoors. Protect your eyes from wind and sun, which can dry them out.
When to See the Eye Doctor
If you have persistent dry eye symptoms, it's important to consult an eye care professional. They can:
- Provide a proper diagnosis. Determine if you have dry eye disease or another eye condition.
- Recommend treatments. Suggest artificial tears, prescriptionmedications, or other therapies that can help improve tear production or reduce tear evaporation
- Offer personalized advice. Help you develop a plan to manage screen time and eye health.
Taking care of your eyes now can help ensure they stay healthy for years to come.
Show Sources
Photo Credit: Moment/Getty Images
SOURCES:
Common Sense: “Two Years Into the Pandemic, Media Use Has Increased 17% Among Tweens and Teens.”
PubMed Central: “Increased Screen Time as a Cause of Declining Physical, Psychological Health, and Sleep Patterns: A Literary Review,” “The effect of blue-light blocking spectacle lenses on visual performance, macular health and the sleep-wake cycle: a systematic review of the literature.”
Cleveland Clinic: “Blinking.”
My Kids Vision: “Screen time in teenagers: how can we manage it?”
Harvard Health Publishing: “Curbing nearsightedness in children: Can outdoor time help?”
