Subscribe

EYE HEALTH

Our eyes weren’t made for this much screen time – here’s what you can do

For most of us, screens are an integral part of daily life. We rely on smartphones, laptops, tablets and other screens for our work, social connection, education, and entertainment.

South Africans have the highest screen time of any nation, at an incredible average of 58.21% of their waking hours. That eye-watering number is from a 2023 Electronics Hub report, based on data from 45 nations.1 The Digital 2023 Global Overview Report was similar, showing that South Africans spend an average of 9 hours and 38 minutes online – also the highest in the world based on their sample.2 Digital eye strain, anyone? Not to mention the other possible health consequences of excessive screen time.

What is digital eye strain and how can we prevent it?

Digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome affects an estimated 60 million people globally. Digital eye strain refers to a collection of uncomfortable symptoms that are the result of prolonged screen time. Eye-related symptoms include irritation, a burning sensation, tearing, dryness, strain, and headaches behind the eyes. Other common symptoms include neck and shoulder pain.12

Students seem to be particularly vulnerable to digital eye strain because of the long hours they spend working on assignments. In a 2020 study on 290 South African university students during the COVID-19 lockdown, the average screen time was 13 hours per day, and 64% of the study population experienced digital eye strain.13

Protection from excess blue light exposure can prevent vision problems

Blue light comes from the sun, LED lights and digital screens. Excess blue light exposure is linked to vision problems including age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. The macula is the part of the eye that enables high-resolution focus and colour vision, and it has built-in blue light protection. It is naturally yellow in colour, due to the concentration of carotenoids, mainly lutein and zeaxanthin.3 This yellow macular pigment acts like internal sunglasses – filtering light and protecting your eyes from excess exposure to blue and ultraviolet light.4,7 Macular Pigment Optical Density (MPOD) is a measurement to assess the health of your macula. Dietary and supplemental sources of lutein and zeaxanthin have been shown to increase MPOD.3,4

Vital Eye Health offers unique nutritional support for your eyes. Vital Eye Health is a high-potency supplement, providing:

  • Lutein and zeaxanthin to support MPOD, protecting your eyes from blue light exposure.
  • Taurine, vitamin C, beta carotene and selenium as antioxidants. In different ways, these ingredients have been shown to protect against oxidative stress, visual fatigue and discomfort in the eye and may prevent age-related visual decline.5,6,7,11
  • A range of B vitamins, as well as zinc and omega 3 fatty acids. Apart from playing essential roles in the normal healthy function and protection of the eyes, these ingredients also support many health aspects, including immunity, cognitive health and reproduction.8,9,10,11

How to protect your eye health

The National Eye Institute and other experts recommend general eye health tips like the ones below.14,15

  1. Get regular eye checks. Eye strain may be related to vision problems. Your eye doctor can identify if some of the strain you experience can be alleviated with glasses. Eye checks also detect eye diseases that can affect your vision.
  2. Take care of your general health. Eye health concerns, like vision loss or blindness are possible risks in conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.
  3. Wear sunglasses to protect against UVA and UVB radiation from the sun.
  4. Quit smoking. Smoking increases your risk of macular degeneration and cataracts.
  5. Eat healthy foods, including sources of omega 3 fatty acids and dark leafy greens. Healthy eating and targeted supplementation – like Vital Eye Health – can help by providing nutrients and antioxidants that are known to support eye health.
  6. Try the 20-20-20-20 rule to decrease dryness and fatigue:
  • Take a break every 20 minutes.
  • Take your eyes off the screen for at least 20 seconds.
  • Look at an object at least 20 feet (6 metres) away.
  • Close your eyes or blink rapidly for an additional 20 seconds to counteract dryness.

While the 20-20-20-20 rule is an easy to remember, research suggests that such short breaks may not actually prevent eye strain or long term vision loss, and we should take longer breaks of 5 minutes or more every hour to really protect our eyes.16,17 Either way, remembering to take breaks may ease eye discomfort. Adding another 20 to the mix might also help: what about 20 seconds of standing or doing some movement like shoulder rolls?

A bit of eye strain may not feel that important now, but it is uncomfortable, and it could have long term effects on your vision. Other than taking care of your general health and getting regular eye exams, the best advice for preventing digital eye strain is probably to step away from our screens for anything other than strictly necessary screen time (work or studying). Realistically, engaging in more screen time than pure work time is inevitable, making it even more critical to do all that we can to support our eye health.

references

  1. Electronics Hub. The average screen time and usage by country. [2024 Apr 18; cited 2024 May 31]. Available from: https://www.electronicshub.org/the-average-screen-time-and-usage-by-country/
  2. We are social, Meltwater. Digital 2023 Global overview report. [Cited 2024 May 31]. Available from: https://wearesocial.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Digital-2023-Global-Overview-Report.pdf
  3. Wilson RW, Sandberg KA, Foutch BK. Macular pigment optical density and visual quality of life. J Optom. 2021 Jan-Mar;14(1):92-99.doi: 10.1016/j.optom.2020.07.008.
  4. Wilson LM, Tharmarajah S, Jia Y, Semba RD, Schaumberg DA, Robinson KA. The effect of lutein/zeaxanthin intake on human macular pigment optical density: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Adv Nutr 2021;12:2244–2254; doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmab071
  5. Duan H, Song W, Guo J, Yan W. Taurine: A source and application for the relief of visual fatigue. Nutrients 2023, 15, 1843. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu15081843
  6. Lim JC, Caballero Arredondo M, Braakhuis AJ, Donaldson PJ. Vitamin C and the lens: New insights into delaying the onset of cataract. Nutrients 2020, 12, 3142; doi:10.3390/nu12103142
  7. Johra FT, Bepari AK, Bristy AT, Reza HM. A mechanistic review of β-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin in eye health and disease. Antioxidants 2020, 9, 1046; doi:10.3390/antiox9111046
  8. Merle BMJ, Barthes S, Féart C, Cougnard-Grégoire A, Korobelnik JF, Rougier MB et al. B Vitamins and incidence of advanced age-related macular degeneration: The Alienor study. Nutrients 2022, 14, 2821. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14142821
  9. Serhan HA, Alma’aitah HW, Irshaidat S, Ameer MA, Asghar MS, Tahir MJ. Ophthalmic manifestations of nutritional deficiencies: A mini review. J Family Med Prim Care 2022;11:5899-901.
  10. Gilbert R, Peto T, Lengyel I, Emri E. Zinc nutrition and inflammation in the aging retina. Nutr. Food Res. 2019, 63, 1801049. https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.201801049
  11. Pellegrini M, Senni C, Bernabei F, Cicero AFG, Vagge A, Maestri A et al. The role of nutrition and nutritional supplements in ocular surface diseases. Nutrients 2020, 12, 952; doi:10.3390/nu12040952
  12. Al-Atawi SK. Risk factors of digital eye strain among computer users at Al-Baha University. Afr Vision Eye Health. 2023;82(1), a815.
  13. Munsamy AJ, Naidoo S, Akoo T, Jumna S, Nair P, Zuma S, Blose S. A case study of digital eye strain in a university student population during the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa: evidence of an emerging public health issue. J Public Health Afr.2022 Sep 7; 13(3): 2103.
  14. National Eye Institute. Keep your eyes healthy. [updated 2021 May 19; cited 2024 Jun 4]. Available from: https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/healthy-vision/keep-your-eyes-healthy 
  15. Weill Cornell Medicine. Tips to promote eye health in the digital age. [2024 Jan 9; cited 2024 Jun 4]. Available from: https://weillcornell.org/news/tips-to-promote-eye-health-in-the-digital-age
  16. Pucker AD. Fighting myopia with intermittent nearwork breaks: 20 seconds every 20 minutes might not be enough time. Optometry and Vision Science 100(1):p 31-32, January 2023.
  17. Johnson S, Rosenfield M. 20-20-20 Rule: Are these numbers justified? Optometry and Vision Science 100(1):p 52-56, January 2023.

[S0] Vital® EYE HEALTH softgel capsules. Each capsule contains 250 mg Salmon oil (Salmonidae) providing 26 mg Eicosapentaenoic Acid and 17 mg Docosahexaenoic Acid; 125 mg Vitamin C; 20 mg Vitamin B3; 13,4 mg α-TE Vitamin E; 10 mg Zinc; 7,14 mg Beta Carotene providing 1190 µg RE Vitamin A; 5 mg L-Taurine; 5 mg Vitamin B1; 5 mg Vitamin B2; 5 mg Vitamin B6; 20 mg Marigold flower oil providing 3 mg Lutein and 1 mg Zeaxanthin; 50 µg Selenium and 5 µg Vitamin B12. Health supplement. This unregistered medicine has not been evaluated by SAHPRA for its quality, safety or intended use. APPLICANT: Vital Health Foods (Pty) Ltd, Reg. no.: 51/03081/07. Lavender Lane, Kuils River, 7580, South Africa. Tel no.: (+27) 21 900 2500. Please refer to the detailed professional information (PI) for full prescribing information.