One day after Sarah Hinkley had been working on her computer for about five hours, she noticed her eyes started to burn and feel dry. “My focus became blurry, like I was looking through a haze,” she says. As an optometrist, Hinkley knew exactly what was wrong. She was suffering from digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome.
It’s becoming a widespread problem as more people spend hours each day looking at computers, cellphones, iPads, tablets and other electronic devices, says Hinkley, a spokeswoman for the American Optometric Association and an associate professor at the Ferris State University Michigan College of Optometry. “It is rampant, especially as we move toward smaller devices and the prominence of devices increase in our everyday lives.”
In fact, almost 70% of U.S. adults say they have experienced some of the symptoms of digital eye strain, according to a survey conducted for the Vision Council, a trade group for vision care products and services. About 60% of respondents say they spend at least six hours looking at screens daily.
