Dry eyes through using computer and mobile screens

It is common to suffer dry eyes if you are using a computer of mobile phone for any period of time, and the problem is made worse in many offices by the drying effect of air conditioning and wearing contact lenses.

When we look for a prolonged time at a digital screen, our eyes become fixated and our blink rate reduces by at least one third of its normal frequency. This reduces the frequency at which tears are lubricating our eyes, and this makes them feel dry. Recent studies, including the Osaka study have also linked regular screen use with causing reductions in the amount of protective substances in mucins in tears.

It is recommended to punctuate your digital scrfeen use by frequent breaks to give your eyes some time to recover, but with the pressures on many office workers to maintain high levels of productivity, this often does not happen.

Regular computer users are recommended to wear Moisture Chamber Glasses, which are designed to keep your eyes moisturised by reducing the evaporation of tears.

How screen hours have increased since the pandemic

In this video, John discusses the effects of the pandemic on our eyes and what we can do about it.

In particular, the second half of the video explains how a significant increase in 'screen hours' is linked to a surge of people suffering from dry eyes and computer vision syndrome.

How screen hours have increased since the pandemic

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