Dry grapes without their peels. A sticky gumball that fell on the ground and collected dirt. Two hard-boiled eggs without their shells being held in front of a box fan.
Those are some examples of what my eyes have felt like following hours spent staring at a computer (and a phone, and then a different computer). Given our collective affinity for scrolling and screens, I know I’m not alone.
As it turns out, staring at our phones, tablets and laptops for too many hours a day isn’t great for our eyes. It can cause symptoms of digital eye strain, which stems from the hard work our eyes have to put in while navigating a screen. Fortunately, there’s no evidence to show this causes lasting damage.
According to the American Optometric Association, using phones, computers and other devices requires specific, but particularly demanding, “skills” of our eyes, including ocular mobility, coordinating moving from one position to the next; accommodation, the ability to switch focus from one distance to the next; and vergence, aiming the eyes toward the nose and away from the nose, depending on distance.
“Our eyes were not designed to use computers and digital devices, especially for long periods of time,” Dr. Robert C. Layman, a past president of the AOA, said in an email last year.
“As a result, many people who spend long hours reading or working on screens experience eye discomfort and vision problems.”
In the world we live in and with everything awesome that’s available at our fingertips, it’s probably not realistic to cut out screen time completely (though it can be done).
Here’s what being plastered to a screen can do to your eyes, and how to safely peel them away.
Read more: Watching TV Can Strain Your Eyes. Here Are Some Tips for Avoiding Discomfort
Eye strain and blue light: What too much ‘screening’ does to your eyes
There’s been a lot of debate over blue light, which we get in large doses from the sun, and in smaller amounts from our screens. Exposure to blue light signals to our bodies that it’s time to feel awake, which is one reason using your phone before bed can be one of the biggest sleep disruptors, because it messes with our sleep-wake cycle.
While research does show that exposure to blue light over time from the sun can increase the risk of diseases that cause vision loss, including macular degeneration and cataracts, the risk hasn’t yet been shown to carry over to the light that comes from our electronic devices, according to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation. Research available tends to show damage to retinal cells at 3 microwatts or more, the AMDF says, compared to the typical 1 microwatt of light that comes through our screens.
Dr. Matt Starr, clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said in an email last year that blue light, by itself, “does not cause permanent damage to the eyes.”
Layman, however, said that overexposure to blue light can cause digital eye strain, which in some patients can lead to age-related vision problems.
Effects of blue light aside, eye strain is a common and uncomfortable problem. While it may be experienced “a little bit differently from person to person,” it’s a group of symptoms that come from staring at a screen for a long time, according to Starr.
“Common symptoms include blurry vision, foreign body sensation, itchiness, headaches and dry eye,” he said.
Interestingly, Layman says that screen time can also lead to a higher risk of infection in some cases, because we blink less when staring at a screen.
“Blinking helps create and spread tears across the cornea, which is what keeps your eyes hydrated,” Layman said. “When the eyes don’t have enough tears to rinse away foreign matter, they become more prone to infection.”
