Online gadgets causing ‘digital eye strain,’ say experts

Online gadgets have now become an integral part of most people’s activities, whether for work, entertainment, or staying connected with friends and peers.

This dependence on gadgets has worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic and led to increased incidents of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) or digital eye strain, experts warned during a webinar.

Dr Saurabh Choudhry of ICARE Eye Hospital, explained how CVS impacts those working on screens for long hours.

“It is a new type of disease that has started to take shape as more and more people started working in front of computer screens and felt symptoms like redness, irritation, difficulty in focusing and others,” he said. The webinar was organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham).

Dr G V Divakar of Divakar’s Speciality Hospital, and Asian Research & Training Institute for Skill Transfer, said the use of online devices such as phones and laptops has significantly gone up during the pandemic by almost 75%.

He said the increase of screen time is occurring in both children and adults due to online classes and work from home, leading to CVS.

“Prolonged exposure to screens can lead to developing symptoms of CVS where a user gets headaches, redness, etc. When you look at the screen for too long, the blinking rate reduces and can lead to symptoms of dry eyes. To avoid that, we should reduce the duration of screen time, resolution of the screen and can also use supplements like eye drops,” he said.

Divakar suggested that gaps in between the sessions are mandatory for children to avoid developing CVS.

“The normal screen time should be maximum 30-35 minutes at a stretch. It is advisable that teachers take classes for 3035 minutes and then give a gap of 15 minutes before resuming classes,” he advised.

Meanwhile, experts advised a 20-20-20 rule to avoid CVS consequences for professionals who are working from home.

“For professionals, we suggest that you take a break every 20 minutes for about 20 seconds and look at something 20ft away. This will relax the muscles and then they can start working again. You can also opt for automated methods where the screen goes dark every 20 minutes and you are forced to take a little break. This will enhance blood circulation to the eyes, neck and back so everything is taken care of by following the 20-20-20 rule. Other factors like the lighting of the room, position of the body, quality of the computer screen also need to be taken care of,” Choudhry said.

Other panellists highlighted the need for more awareness among the public to acknowledge the eye conditions.

Dr Mahipal Singh Sachdev of the Centre for Sight and president of All India Ophthalmological Society, said parents should let their children undergo eye tests as early as one year after birth.

“It should be well established that after a child is born, after it is one-year-old and for every year it is in school, it should undergo eye checkups and wear glasses if needed. If you need glasses for refractive error correction and do not wear it then it can affect your performance in school and college. Awareness needs to be increased as it is only in India that the largest cause of blindness is cataract, a completely reversible disease,” he said.

Anil Rajput of Assocham spoke about best practices to keep eyes protected.