Blue light seems to get most of the attention when it comes to discussions around screen time and our eyes. And while it is an important factor that can negatively impact our sleep it isn’t the main factor contributing to digital eye strain.
The main factor is fatigued focusing muscles in the eyes. Whenever we look at anything up close these muscles have to exert more effort to keep our vision clear. These muscles do an admirable job but with the advent of smart phones, tablets and the rapid digitization of our world we are now relying on them to perform this work for drastically longer periods of time than in years past. According to 2023 research from Data Reportal, the average screen time for users around the world aged 16 to 64, is 6 hours and 37 minutes per day. No wonder so many people are experiencing one or more of the following symptoms of digital eye strain: tired eyes, headaches, blurry vision or fluctuating vision, irritated or dry Eyes, light sensitivity and shoulder/neck pain.
This is where an anti-fatigue lens (ex. dynamic sync lens above) can help! Instead of having just one power throughout the lens the anti-fatigue lens has an invisible “boost” in lens power in the lower portion of the lens. This additional lens power does some of the work for our focusing muscles so that they don’t have to exert as much effort when we’re looking up close. As a result, they don’t fatigue as quickly and we don’t experience as much of those uncomfortable symptoms listed above. If you’re on screens later in the day when the blue light may be impacting your sleep, you can add a blue light filter onto the anti-fatigue lens and then you have all your bases covered.
Ask us about anti-fatigue lenses next time you’re in and we’ll figure out if you’re a good candidate for this lens type.
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