Digital Eye Strain Could Be Behind Your Tired, Dry Eyes and Headaches
An ophthalmologist explains why screen time can cause digital eye strain, dry eyes, headaches and neck tension — and how screen distance, blinking and the 20-20-20 rule can help.
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Digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome, can leave you with tired, dry eyes, headaches and even neck tension after hours spent looking at screens.
On the latest episode of the Live + Well podcast, host Melissa Magsaysay described herself as “somebody with very tired eyes who looks at a screen a lot like many people do.” She asked board-certified ophthalmologist Dr. Dagny Zhu what all that screen time is actually doing to our eyes.
“Not only do you get the effects on the eyes, but you get neck tension, the headaches,” Zhu said. Much of that discomfort, she added, comes down to how our screens are set up in the first place.
Why screens can leave your eyes dry and gritty
When you’re focused on a screen, you blink far less than you realize. “You’re staring at a screen, you blink half as much as you normally would,” Zhu said. As the surface of the eye dries out, it can create “a gritty sensation, like sand in your eyes.”
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Redness can follow. “The redness is your eyes telling you, hey, something’s going on,” she said.
If dry or red eyes aren’t improving with lubricating drops, Zhu recommends seeing an eye doctor instead of covering up the redness with whitening drops.
What is screen time doing to your eyes? Dr. Dagny Zhu explains digital eye strain, myopia, and how to protect your vision. Watch the full episode now.
Why digital eye strain can cause headaches and neck tension
Those headaches often start with the work your eyes do to hold close focus, and they tend to get more noticeable with age.
In your 40s, Zhu explained, the natural lens inside the eye begins to stiffen, making it harder to focus up close. “You just don’t have that same zoom focusing power,” she said.
The focusing muscles work harder to compensate. “It’s probably causing associated tension headaches,” Zhu said.
Holding things farther away and taking more breaks can help. And if you need reading glasses, she said, wear them instead of straining to see what’s in front of you.
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Your screen setup matters
Zhu said poor screen positioning is behind much of the headache and neck tension that come with computer vision syndrome. She recommends keeping monitors around eye level and enlarging the font when needed so your eyes don’t have to work as hard.
For screen height, “anything eye level or lower would probably be fine,” she said.
Distance matters too. Most people hold reading material about 16 inches away, Zhu said, but she recommends keeping screens at least 20 inches away when possible.
“Basically, the further you put it, the better,” she said, as long as you can still see comfortably. “The closer you put things, the more your eyes have to work to focus up close.”
The 20-20-20 rule can give your eyes a break
Zhu’s easiest recommendation is the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look away from your screen at something about 20 feet away for about 20 seconds.
“You’re basically just resetting your focus and allowing those muscles to relax every 20 minutes,” Zhu said, “and also just giving your eyes a break from the screen.”
Do blue light glasses help digital eye strain?
Zhu is lukewarm on blue light glasses. “There is some value, but usually not to the extent that it’s often marketed,” she said.
Research is mixed on whether they actually reduce eye strain, she said, though some of her patients feel more comfortable wearing them. “Most of my patients do tell me they feel less strain when they’re wearing their blue light blocking glasses,” she said. “So I say, hey, if you feel better, go for it.”
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Where blue light clearly matters is sleep. “The main issue with that is the blue light coming from your phone and suppressing your melatonin,” Zhu said.
If you can’t put the phone down before bed, she recommends at least switching it to night mode to cut down on blue light, and setting limits on the apps that keep you scrolling.
“You got to put some guardrails on for yourself,” she said.
Listen to the full episode of the Live + Well podcast with Bobbi Brown on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
