digital eye FATIGUE
Technology connects us to the world and to each other, which makes it a bigger part of our lives than ever before. While technology provides convenience on many fronts, long hours spent in front of your screen can cause digital eye fatigue. Blue light emitted from screens is one factor.
QU'EST-CE QUE LA LUMIÈRE BLEUE?
Blue light is 1/3 of visible light, abundant in all light sources. Blue light is the highest energetic light reaching the retina (CIE
203:2012). Blue-violet light, from 400 to 455 nm, is one contributing factor of retinal ageing (ISO-TR-20772:2018).1
The most powerful source of blue light is the sun, by far. Natural light entering through windows also increases our indoor exposure to blue
light. Advances in technologies have led to an increased exposure to artificial blue light (screens, LEDs, etc.) over time. Cold white LEDs
contain 35% of Blue Light.
Digital devices fit so naturally into our daily lives that it's easy to forget how "unnatural" it is for our eyes to stare at a digital
display for hours. With the increased use of these devices, we are exposed to more blue light overall from both natural and artificial
sources.
WHAT IS DIGITAL EYE
FATIGUE?
Digital eye fatigue refers to a wide range of physical symptoms you may feel when working on a digital device for a prolonged period of
time. Eye fatigue symptoms vary because everyone has different habits. However, the most common symptoms are blurred vision, general eye
discomfort, squinting, dry eyes, shoulder and neck stiffness, and headaches.
If you're using a digital device for more than two hours at a time, you may be feeling the effects of digital eye fatigue. Fortunately,
there are ways to reduce digital eye fatigue and its symptoms.
WAYS TO PREVENT
SANTÉ
DISCOMFORT
The average screen time in the U.S. is over seven hours per day2. If you're using a digital device for more than two hours at a time, practice these habits to help ease the effects of blue light, prevent eye discomfort and fight digital eye fatigue:
- Break up your screen time. Make the 20-20-20 rule a habit. Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break to look at something 20 feet away.
- Revamp your workstation. You should be close enough to high-five the screen. Sit in your chair and extend your arm so your palm is resting comfortably on the monitor; it should be about 20 to 26 inches away. Une bonne posture prévient les maux de dos, d'épaules et de cou.
- Ajustez la position de votre écran. Reduce computer eye fatigue by positioning the screen directly in front of your face — never tilted — and slightly below eye level.
- Trouvez le bon éclairage. Réduisez la lumière d'en haut et d'autour de vous; elle fait concurrence à votre écran et obligent vos yeux à faire plus d'efforts pour voir. Utilisez des sources de lumière indirecte pour réduire les reflets éblouissants.
- Personnalisez les paramètres d'affichage de votre ordinateur. Bump up the text size and adjust the screen brightness. Vous pouvez même ajuster la température de couleur pour réduire la quantité de lumière bleue émise par un affichage couleur.
- Blink often. Remind yourself to blink to reduce dryness in your eyes. Il s'agit d'un des conseils les plus importants : respirez. Clignez des yeux. Respirez. Clignez des yeux.
- Do not take phones and tablets to bed. Avoid using digital devices an hour before trying to sleep. The blue light from your phone's display may keep you awake.
- Passez un examen de la vue. N'oubliez surtout pas de dire à votre optométriste combien de temps vous passez devant un ordinateur ou un appareil. Your eye doctor can evaluate any symptoms of digital eye fatigue and discuss lens options or lifestyle changes to avoid future discomfort.
Many adults who use digital devices regularly and experience eye discomfort do little, if anything, to ease their symptoms. Schedule an eye exam to make sure you're doing everything you can to reduce digital eye fatigue symptoms.
SOURCES
- Qu'est-ce que la lumière bleue? Eyesafe. Accessed December 2022
- Alarming average screen time statistics (2023). Exploding Topics. January 2023.
- 1.1 Marie M, Forster V, Fouquet S, Berto P, Barrau C, Ehrismann C, Sahel JA, Tessier G, Picaud S. Phototoxic damage to cone photoreceptors can be independent of the visual pigment: the porphyrin hypothesis. Cell Death Dis. 2020 Aug 29;11(8):711.
- 1.2 Marie M, Bigot K, Angebault C, Barrau C, Gondouin P, Pagan D, Fouquet S, Villette T, Sahel JA, Lenaers G, Picaud S. Light action spectrum on oxidative stress and mitochondrial damage in A2E-loaded retinal pigment epithelium cells. Cell Death Dis. 2018 Feb 19;9(3):287.
- 1.3 Arnault E, Barrau C, Nanteau C, Gondouin P, Bigot K, Viénot F, Gutman E, Fontaine V, Villette T, Cohen-Tannoudji DA, Sahel JA, Picaud S (2013) Phototoxic Action Spectrum on a Retinal Pigment Epithelium Model of Age-Related Macular Degeneration Exposed to Sunlight Normalized Conditions. PLoS ONE.
See also:
Prendre rendez-vous pour un examen de la vue en 3 étapes faciles
Choisir votre emplacement
Prendre rendez-vous
Ajouter au calendrier
Clavardez avec nous
Clavarder Obtenez des réponses instantanées
de la part d'un membre de notre équipe du service à la clientèle