The Devices That Impact Our Eye Health

Worldwide, on average, we spend 9 hours and 45 minutes looking at digital devices. We’re often warned about the impact of digital devices on our eyes and in recent years our eyes have come under increasing pressure due to the proliferation of technology and the fact that we tend to sit in front of screens, both big and small all day.

To investigate if there is any truth in the claim that digital devices damage eye health, the Lenstore team measured the percentage of device ownership and time spent on each device per day, as well as reviewed studies on the correlation between the use of digital devices and Computer Vision Syndrome / Digital Eye Strain (DES) across 40 countries to see which devices cause harm to our eyes the most.

75% of UK GPs & Opticians See More Eye Health Problems Now Than 10 Years Ago

To understand the views of those with first-hand experience of eye-health - namely GPs and opticians, our investigations found that 75% of GPs and opticians say that they see more eye health problems now, compared to 10 years ago, and 19% of GPs state that the overuse of technology is to blame for eye health issues.

In fact, 77% of UK adults say that their eyes feel strained after a long day at work and 80% of European millennials using digital devices have experienced related eye fatigue. This is not surprising when data has shown that we are now spending more time glued to our screens than we do sleeping.

As we spend more time on devices, it seems we are experiencing more symptoms of poor eye health. Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) / Digital Eye Strain (DES) is now recognised as a valid eye condition related to the overuse of digital screens with 90% of people who spend 3 or more hours a day at a computer, potentially affected by the condition.

The Philippines Is The Country Most Likely To Have Poor Eye Health Due To The Use of Digital Devices

Once it was clear that there is a direct correlation between the use of digital devices and Computer Vision Syndrome / Digital Eye Strain (DES), we conducted a worldwide study of 40 different countries, comparing usage rates of different devices to calculate which have the greatest impact on our eyes.

Our research found that the following 10 countries are most likely to have poor eye health as a result of the amount of time they spend every day looking at digital devices.

Top 10 Countries With the Highest Screen Time

With over 14 hours per day spent looking at screens, the Philippines tops the list of countries with a population most at risk from digital device related eye health issues, beating the nearest country, Brazil by 45 minutes. Thailand, South Africa and Mexico all rank alongside in the top five countries who spend the most time putting their eyes under strain by staring at screens for a large proportion of their day.

Globally, Smartphones Are The Devices Impacting Our Eye Health The Most

Our research found that the devices which are impacting our eye health the most are smartphones. On average 94 percent of people, in the 40 countries we studied, own a smartphone and spend an average of 3.22 hrs per day on the device.

There are 5.2bn people using mobile phones globally and 4.54bn users of the internet worldwide. The typical user spends 40% of their waking life using the internet and around 6 hours and 43 minutes per day on the internet each day.

Mobile devices accounted for more than half the time we spent online in 2020 but most internet users still use a combination of mobiles and computers to access the internet and this accounts for nearly half of all screen time.

Average Screen Time by Device in the Top 10 Countries

Smartphone ownership is most prolific in Malaysia, Taiwan, Russia and Poland, and daily internet usage is highest in the Philippines, Thailand and Colombia.

Europeans’ Eyes Impacted More By Laptops and Computers than Mobile Phones

Europeans spend less time on devices than their international counterparts. On average the top 10 European countries for digital device usage spend 9.01 hours looking at screens per day - this is 28% less than the top 10 countries in the rest of the world.

Romania is the European country that spends the most time overall looking at screens, followed by Poland, the UK, Italy and Ireland which all rank in the top five European countries for hours spent looking at screens.

However, it is Brits whose eyes are most likely to be impacted by game console screen time. The UK, which ranks third in Europe for time spent on all types of devices, ranks the highest in Europe for time spent looking at screens while playing games.

Interestingly, the top ten countries in Europe buck the global trend for general device usage and spend more time looking at computer/laptop screens and watching TV than they are on mobile phones.

Women are More Likely To Be More Affected By Digital Eye Strain, Caused By Mobile Phones, Than Men

Women are more likely to be more affected by Digital Eye Strain (DES) caused by mobile phones than men, as women spend more time on these devices. The average woman spends 3 hours and 18 minutes on her smartphone per day, whereas the average man spends just 2 hours and 24 minutes.

This is further supported by the 2016 Digital Eye Strain Report, where respondents self-reported symptoms of DES prevalence related to eye health. The report found that 69% of females reported self-reported DES symptoms, compared to 60% of men.

Using two or more devices simultaneously increases symptoms of DES with 75% of individuals who used multiple devices simultaneously, reporting a prevalence of symptoms.

Top 10 Countries Whose Residents Eyes Are Most At Risk From Use Of Mobile Phones

Staring at Blue Light Continuously For Long Periods of Time May Cause Digital Eye Strain

The key issue around smartphones is their use of blue light. According to optical chemistry research at The University of Toledo (UoT), being exposed to blue light causes the retina to set off a chain of reactions that leads to toxic molecules being created in the photoreceptor cells, transforming vital molecules in the eye’s retina into cell killers which can lead to age-related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness.

Dr. Ajith Karunarathne, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UoT, advises those who want to protect their eyes from blue light, to wear sunglasses that can filter both UV and blue light out and that they avoid browsing on mobile phones or tablets in the dark.

Other research has found that while digital devices cause CVS / DES, the light from screens will not lead to eye disease, such as macular degeneration. In January 2020, the American Academy of Ophthalmology published an article stating digital eye strain is "not caused by blue light" and the light from screens will not lead to eye disease such as macular degeneration.

However, according to Phillip Yuhas, a professor and optometrist at Ohio State University, it’s not the devices but it’s how we use them that's the problem and the same symptoms could be experienced when reading a book for too long.

Says Yuhas: "People hold phones inches away from their face, forcing both eyes to turn in toward the nose, straining their muscles in the process and when we stare into screens, we forget to blink, causing our eyes to dry out. We’re exposed to more blue light outdoors than we are from any tablet or computer. Companies are "trying to find a boogeyman" in a spectrum of light when the evidence is not there."

South Africans’ Eyes Are Most at Risk Of Being Affected By Computer Usage

Our study has found that the countries most at risk from poor eye health as a result of computer usage are South Africa, Brazil and the Philippines where hours spent on these devices significantly exceeds the worldwide average of 3 hours and 21 minutes.

Many individuals report visual symptoms during office work and specifically computer use. One study that determined the prevalence of symptoms in office workers, examined the association between the symptoms and both dry eye disease and other demographic factors. It found that visual symptoms associated with computer use occur frequently and are strongly associated with ocular surface disease.

The key symptoms being as follows:

7 Ways to Look After Your Eyes When Using A Computer

Help is on hand from research that has been conducted to show you how to minimise the effects CVS / DES on daily eye health. There are steps we can all take to reduce the impact of using a computer or digital device on your eyes. Here are our top tips for ensuring eye comfort:

General device usage tips to reduce eye strain include keeping your screen a minimum of an arm’s distance away; increasing the font size so it's easy to read and applying the "20-20-20 rule" - for every 20 minutes look at an object 20 feet away, and focus your eyes on it for 20 seconds. This will relieve your eyes from the brightness of your screen.

When using a computer there are a number of steps you can take:

Step 1: Locate the computer between 40 and 76 centimetres (16 to 30 inches) from your eyes.

Step 2: Ensure the top of the computer is level with, or slightly below, your eyes.

Step 3: Make sure the screen is tilted away from you at a 10-to-20-degree angle.

Step 4: Check that there are no distracting reflections on the screen, such as from a window.

Step 5: Adjust the font size on your screen so it’s easy to read.

Step 6: Use document holders for reading or reference materials. Place them close to the screen at the same distance from your eyes. This will enable your eyes to remain focused as they move between the screen and the documents.

Step 7: Use a character size that is easy to see. Character size is an important factor since it determines the distance at which you view the monitor.

Methodology

In order to reveal the correlation between the devices we use the most and their impact on our eye health, we measured the percentage of device ownership and the time spent on each device per day, based on the Hootsuite The Global State Of Digital 2020. We then reviewed studies on the correlation between the use of digital devices and Computer Vision Syndrome / Digital Eye Strain (DES), including the 2016 Digital Eye Strain Report and The Vision of Britain report, overlaying these findings.

We reviewed metrics including the use of digital devices, the amount of time people spend looking at screens, the prevalence, measurement and amelioration of digital eye strain and blue light certification for phones.

Sources

• https://hootsuite.com
• https://www.ft.com
• https://www.optegra.com
• https://bmjophth.bmj.com
• https://coopervision.co.uk
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
• https://www.researchgate.net
• https://bmjophth.bmj.com