The full picture on digital eye strain.

Digital displays have become a regular part of daily life, used for work, connection, entertainment, and everything in between. But, for many, screen time can easily add up to nine hours or more a day¹.

This much screen time can sometimes lead to digital eye strain, also referred to as computer vision syndrome (CVS): a mix of symptoms like dry eyes, blurred vision, headaches, or neck and shoulder pain, related to near work tasks, such as computer work.²

With up to 66% of people worldwide experiencing the symptoms³, it’s highly common — but doesn’t need to be permanent². A few straightforward changes to how you work and spend time on screens can help reduce the discomfort or avoid it entirely.  

Due to the global tendency for increasing screen time, valid across social and age groups, symptoms of digital eye strain may be overlooked and simply accepted as a part of daily life. Transitioning from study to work to fun seems saturated with pixels, so especially if you are an office or remote worker, student, passionate gamer, a content creator – long hours of screen time and thus experiencing symptoms associated with digital eye strain may be nothing new to you.

Extended focus demands put your eyes to work.
To focus on a screen, your eyes engage muscles that control focus and alignment. The longer you stay locked onto a nearby screen, the longer those systems stay active.

Engaging with a screen for two or more continuous hours a day increases your risk to develop digital eye strain.² Due to typical high social media use and gaming among teenagers and young adults – being significant contributors to extensive screen time – the risk of digital eye strain is especially pronounced in this age group.⁵

But it's not just about screen time: how close you hold your device matters too. Holding your smartphone at the typical 30 cm distance keeps your eyes under more strain. Shifting the screen farther away—ideally beyond 35 cm for phones and over 60 cm for computers—can help reduce digital eye strain.⁶

Reduced blinking dries out your eyes.
Blinking triggers tiny glands that release an oily layer to stabilize your tears – keeping your eyes moist. But when you focus on a screen, your blink rate can drop from the standard 15 to 20 times per minute down to just 5 to 7 times.^{[7, 8]} Remember, infrequent blinking can increase the risk of dry eyes².

Longer sessions, such as hours of computer work, gaming, smartphone usage, or binge-watching a TV series, can affect both blink rate and completeness. While people actively engage with screen tasks, the percentage of incomplete eyelid closures raises, further contributing to fatigue, ocular dryness, and light sensitivity. These compromised dynamics affect the tear film, which can become less stable, increasing the risk of dry eyes.⁷

Variable lighting and contrast.
When the brightness and contrast of your surroundings are constantly shifting, moving between different screens, or between a screen and the room around you, means your eyes are always adjusting to changes in light and detail. Over time, this constant need to adapt can lead to feelings of visual tiredness and eye tension, making it harder to stay focused and comfortable.⁹

Glare and reflection.
Glare and reflections from windows, overhead lights, or even glossy surfaces can create extra visual noise – unwanted visual input that makes it harder for your eyes to focus clearly. Instead of seeing a crisp image, glare and reflections can interfere with your view, reducing both visual comfort and clarity. This can strain the visual system especially during long periods of screen use.²

The full-body impact of eye strain.
Ever noticed that when your vision struggles your body posture changes to compensate? For instance, digital eye strain symptoms such as headaches, neck or shoulder pain, can be the result by poor seating posture². You may lean forward, hunch your shoulders, or crane your neck while working on a screen without realizing it. The symptoms of CVS don’t just affect how you feel— they can also impact your productivity³.

Follow the 20-20-20 rule.

Give your eyes regular resets throughout the day. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet (about 6 meters) away for at least 20 seconds. This habit relaxes your eyes and helps prevent eye strain².

Keep your eyes hydrated.

Maintaining a well-hydrated cornea can contribute to eye comfort. Adequate moisture reduces friction during blinking, helps stabilize the tear film, supports oxygen supply, and prevents dry, scratchy eyes. This can be especially relevant for people who spend long hours in front of screens or in low-humidity environments, as it might help alleviate symptoms of eye strain.⁷

Adjust your environment and workstation setup. ^[2,8,10]

• Reduce glare by positioning screens away from direct sunlight, windows, or overhead lights or use anti-glare filters.
• Balance room lighting with screen brightness for close-up work. 
• Set up your workstation to support ergonomic head and body posture.
• Keep your monitor about an arm’s length away, with the top of the screen at or slightly below eye level. When using a laptop – you might need some additional props to position the screen at the correct height. 
• Increase text size rather than leaning closer. 
• Reduce screen luminance in low-light settings, such as in the evening.

Read more about how you can set up your workstation to help your eyes

Get your eyes checked regularly.

Accurately addressing potential refractive errors is crucial, because uncorrected or wrongly corrected vision problems can increase the severity of digital eye strain symptoms². When you don’t wear vision correction but need some, wearing lenses with an outdated prescription, not tailored to your lifestyle, or a frame that doesn’t sit right, your eyes may not be set up correctly to keep up with your digital life.
You can pre-check your eyesight online with ZEISS Online Vision Screening.