As screen time continues to increase, it’s important to pay attention to our eyes! We can take practical action steps each day to help reduce eye strain.
Many of us are spending more time in front of electronic devices. For some people, it may be helpful to take a meditation break with the eyes closed. However, some of us are naturally more visual and prefer to meditate with our eyes open. There are a few visual meditation practices that actually require the eyes to be open. “Gazing into the distance” is one visual meditation practice that is particularly beneficial right now. When we spend hours looking at a screen (e.g. our computer, cell phone, kindle or iPad), the muscles of our eyes are contracted. Being engaged in close up vision for long periods of time puts strain on our eyes. We can give our eyes the opportunity to relax regularly, by taking moments to look out into the distance.
You can also practice alternating your attention between an object that is close up and something that is out in the distance. For example, we can look at our hands at a book distance in front of us, then look across the room and notice what we see (e.g., a wall, a picture, a couch or chair). And then look at our hands again, keeping them in front of us as if we are reading a book. This practice helps us be more conscious of where we direct our attention and it also helps us remember to take a break from looking at things close up. If you have the opportunity to look out a window and appreciate a view further into the distance, you may also find yourself opening to a new perspective! Taking breaks from our computer screen can help to inspire renewed vision and creativity!
Another eye exercise is to look up at the ceiling, centre, down at the floor, centre. Then look to the right, centre, left, centre. Or roll your eyes clockwise then counter clockwise. Another option is to look up diagonal right, centre, then look down diagonal left, centre. And look up diagonal left, centre, then look down diagonal right, centre. We can do this without moving our head; keeping our spine neutral, neck long, shoulders relaxed. It helps to maintain awareness of our breath during these eye exercises, paying attention to both the in breath and out breath.
Some people feel comfortable reading a book close up, yet in front of a computer they may experience digital eye strain. It can happen because our eyes follow the same path over and over.
When we work at a computer, our eyes need to focus and refocus all the time. They move back and forth as we read. We may need to look down at papers and then back up to type. Our eyes react to changing images on the screen this can challenge our eye muscles. Also the screen adds contrast, flicker, and glare. Other things that may cause eye strain include fast moving videos and certain types of screen savers that have images rotating quickly around. Some types of marketing screen advertisements may also cause discomfort if they have images quickly popping in and out. Students or employees may feel distracted by visual stimuli in the room, particularly if there are multiple screens displaying a variety of images at different speeds in the same area.
Before we return to our computer screen, we can set the intention to look away from the screen every 20 minutes. This practice seems to be most effective when we can look 20 feet into the distance, for about 20 seconds. We can set an alarm to help remind us to look away every 20 minutes. The volume of the alarm can be low, just loud enough to hear it. Then when we face our screen again, we can take a moment to adjust the brightness of our screen if needed, to match the level of ambient light around us. This keeps our pupils from expanding and contracting continually. We can also adjust the contrast on our screen to reduce strain on our eyes. In addition, we can increase the font size on the screen.
As we look at the screen in front of us, it’s important to be aware of our posture. Poor posture may contribute to muscle tightness and headaches associated with eye-strain. We can place digital media 18-20 inches away from us to help prevent eye-strain. If we are working at a dining room table or kitchen table, we may need to elevate our laptop. If it’s positioned too low, we may be leaning forward and putting unnecessary strain on our back and neck. We can place a few books underneath our laptop to elevate the laptop to a level that allows us to look directly at the screen. Another option is to put a cushion or pillow under our seat and a rolled-up towel behind our low back. This provides lumbar support and is helpful if you have low back pain.
As you become aware of you posture, notice any unnecessary tension in the body. Are you dealing with a forward head position? If so, bring it back a bit. Is there tension in your arms and hands? If so, can you type with less force? Can you type more gently and take breaks every so often to rotate your wrists, or do other types of arm and hand exercises. Sometimes our arms and hands might get tense before we start to slouch. Learn what the pattern is for your body and make any needed adjustments to prevent any further tension. Relax the shoulders and be aware of them rising toward your ears or rounding forward. Lengthen from the base of your spine to the top of your head and keep your core engaged.
If you often need to work with paper documents while you type, you may want to get yourself a document holder. This helps eliminate frequent twisting and bending of the neck to refer back and forth between your documents and the computer screen. These micro movements can put strain on your eyes as well as your neck. A good document holder keeps your papers closer to eye level and your screen, preventing you from having to look down or to the side while you continue to type.
If you chair is adjustable, adjust the chair height so your feet are flat on the floor and your knees are in line (or slightly lower) with your hips. Sit up straight and you may want to keep your hips far back in the chair. Some people find it most comfortable if the back of the chair is somewhat reclined at a 100- to 110-degree angle. However, any prolonged sitting position, even a good one, can be tiring. You can shift forward to the edge of the seat with a straight back then alternate with sitting back against the support of the chair, if switching your position feels best for you! Avoid unbalanced postures such as crossing the legs unevenly, leaning to one side, tilting the head, or hunching the shoulders forward. And ensure the keyboard is close and directly in front of you.
Standing up while we work in front of a computer screen is also an option. We can stand up while we are on calls or when we are on a Zoom meeting. We can create a stand up desk by putting a number of books underneath our lap top so it’s high enough for us to look directly at the screen in a standing position. To help your neck stay relaxed and in a neutral position, put the monitor directly in front of you, a few inches above eye level. Be at least 20 inches (or an arm’s length) away from the computer screen. Some people may find it challenging to stand up and maintain focus while typing on a computer; if that’s the case for you, listen to your body and either alternate between sitting and standing, or remain in a seated position and try to get up and move around a bit every 60 minutes. Standing up to get water is sometimes all we need to re-focus our attention. If you need to remain seated, you can still do shoulder rolls, neck rolls, gentle spinal twists, and a bit of stretching right in your chair.
Scrolling too quickly can also put strain on the eyes. Always scroll consciously, at a pace that your eyes can adjust. There is no script for what that perfect speed might be. Everyone is different. Get to know what speed feels most comfortable for you, and stay aware of your posture and breath as you are scrolling. Also understand some of the scrolling isn’t actually necessary. Depending on the task there may be other options, such as moving out of a certain area and then using the arrow key to go down. And for social media, instead of scrolling you can often use the search function to go where you want to go.
Another step to decrease eye stain is to be aware of the moisture in our eyes. Check in with yourself and notice if your eyes feel dry. We blink half as many times when we are staring at a digital screen. Blinking is how our eyes get the moisture it needs to the surface. Our eyes can feel irritated when they get dry. We may even experience eye fatigue as a result. Some people use a humidifier to add moisture to the air. Another option is to put a towel in warm water and place it on the eyes for about 5 minutes. Eye drops are another way to bring more moisture to the eyes. The one that works best for me is called Hylo Gel. There are many options at the pharmacy; choose one that works for you!
The final tip to decrease eye strain is to check in with yourself regularly. When you look at the screen in front of you, do you see clearly? Is there enough moisture in your eyes? How do you feel? What do you sense? What is your experience as you look at the screen? Are you aware of your posture and your breath? Do you need food to refuel or more water to stay hydrated? Can you change up your activity if needed? While the data may suggest we need to look away from our screen every 20 minutes, everyone is unique and it’s important to listen to our body. If it feels better to look away for a moment every 10 or 15 minutes, then do so.
As we start to think about a new vision for our future and reimagine the new norm, let’s make sure we take care of our eyes and continue to support our health and well-being. And if you are open to close your eyes once in a while during the day to help decrease strain on your eyes, you can leverage that closed eye time to “look within”. In yoga, we talk about the “third eye”. Whether you practice yoga or not, you can tap into that intuition and insight. We can open to access our “vision within” and begin to navigate life more intuitively!
