Computer Vision Syndrome

Digital eye strain, fatigue dryness blur from screens

Overview

Computer vision syndrome, also called digital eye strain, is a group of eye and vision related symptoms associated with prolonged use of computers, tablets, smartphones, and other digital screens. Symptoms include tired or aching eyes, dryness, irritation, blurred vision, difficulty refocusing, headache, and neck and shoulder pain. Several mechanisms contribute. People blink less often and less completely while concentrating on a screen, which destabilizes the tear film. Sustained near focus places a continuous demand on accommodation and convergence. Glare, reflections, poor contrast, small text, and uncorrected refractive errors or presbyopia add to the load, and posture related to screen position contributes to musculoskeletal complaints. The symptoms are generally temporary and are not associated with permanent damage to the eyes. Ergonomics, breaks from sustained near work, and correction of refractive errors are the factors most discussed in the literature, while research has not shown that blue light filtering lenses meaningfully reduce digital eye strain.