Today’s average adult consumes five times the amount of information daily than adults did fifty years ago. How are we able to take in so much information in such a small amount of time?

According to the New York Times, up to four hours of an adult’s day are spent looking at TV screens, almost five hours staring at laptops, three hours using gaming devices, and more than four hours on smartphones.

With all of this screen usage, we have to consider the consequences that come from having our eyes glued to these devices.

Digital screens strain the eyes much more than reading print material, mainly because people tend to blink less while focused on screens. Concentrating the eyes on a computer screen or other digital displays reduces a person’s blink rate by a third to a half, which tends to dry out the eyes (according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology).

Let’s take a look at the common case of a person working remotely through their laptop. The person will look approximately 30,000 times at their screen, keyboard, and documents. In that time, this tech savvy individual will blink about seven times per minute, compared to the average of 10-12 blinks from someone who encounters less screen time.

“This decrease in blinking reduces the amount of tear film and causes visual discomfort” (Ocular Health Section). When tears become too scarce, the person will experience dry eye symptoms which can cause a stinging sensation in the eyes.

World Eye Care Foundation’s eyecare.live brings you the latest information from various industry sources and experts in eye health and vision care. Please consult with your eye care provider for more general information and specific eye conditions. We do not provide any medical advice, suggestions or recommendations in any health conditions.