[R U X] Corner
................................................................................ We are graduate students in the Research in User eXperience (RUX) Lab in the Department of Human Factors and Behavioral Neurobiology. RUX investigates the usability and user experience of technology in our everyday world. This is a regular column that explores different technologies typically used by Embry-Riddle students. . ................................................................................
Oh Say, Can You See? Tips for Reducing Eye Strain from Video Games
ARTICLE BY MICHELLE AROS, KARIS COOKS, SARA GLICKMAN, JAIA HUGGINS AND LEO MATERNE DESIGN BY GREAT BAH / Staff Photographer What is Eye Strain? You just beat a hard level of the new Super Mario Bros. Wonder video game and are ready for the next one, but now your vision is blurry, your eyes are dry, and your head hurts. Ever wondered why? As college students who like to de-stress with gaming, we have experienced this at one time or another. Using digital devices for long hours without any breaks can lead to a condition called Digital Eye Strain (DES). Some symptoms are headaches, dry eyes, itching, feeling like there is something in your eye, watering, and blurred vision. These symptoms can occur after just two hours of using a digital device without taking a break! Digital eye strain is experienced by 65% of the population, but gamers need to look out for these symptoms because they are likely to spend long hours in front of a screen. Why Does it Occur? Oculomotor responses, or the eyes’ responses to a computer screen, play a substantial role in the symptoms of DES. The eyes may react to different factors of your setup on the computer or TV screen. For example, your distance from the screen, low contrast on digital devices, and the glare from the screen may result in blurred vision and dry eyes. Blurred vision may result because your eyes fail to focus correctly, a process known as accommodation. Moreover, prolonged viewing of a nearby computer screen may cause dry eyes due to a reduced blink rate. Your blink rate slows as the font gets smaller, the contrast of the computer screen becomes lower, and your mental effort increases. As such, greater attention to font size, proximity to a computer or TV screen, and remaining conscious of blinking may decrease the development of dry eyes and, thus, DES. Reduce Environment Lighting When watching other streamers, you may notice that their rooms and setups emphasize low light. This strategy helps prevent eye strain as they stream and play video games for long periods of time. Making sure that gamers use the proper lighting will not only provide a more relaxing ambiance when playing video games but will also assist in reducing eye strain from staring at the screen for an extended period of time. As a general guideline, ensure that the brightness of the screen is lower than that of the room. In addition, monitoring how close you sit to your screen when gaming can also assist in mitigating and preventing eye strain. It is
essential not to sit too close to the screen, as that will lead to overworking the muscles of the eye, which can then lead to eye fatigue and headaches. With computers specifically, it is recommended that people sit between 18 inches and 30 inches from the screen. Stay Hydrated As described above, eye strain may occur as a result of not blinking enough while gaming. This is because your eyes are drying out. A simple way to prevent your eyes from getting dry is to drink water while gaming. Keeping a bottle of water (or your favorite hydrating drink) close to your desk may serve as a visual reminder to stay hydrated. Certain medical conditions may also promote dry eyes, such as rheumatoid arthritis, collagen vascular diseases, and thyroid diseases. You may have to hydrate more if you take medications that are known to cause dehydration, such as antihistamines, antipsychotics, or antidepressants. Take Frequent Breaks Another factor contributing to eye strain is the constant focusing of your eye lens. In their resting state, your eyes usually focus on something further in the distance than your computer screen. Staying focused on your screen is particularly stressful for your eyes if you have impaired eyesight or need corrective lenses. Taking frequent breaks from staring at your screen to relax your eyes can prevent this. It is often advised to leave your desk, go outside, and look into the distance or 20 feet away. Taking short and frequent breaks is generally better than long breaks every couple of hours. In addition, wear your glasses if you have any. They help your eyes stay focused even if you can see your computer screen fine without them. Not only will your vision be less blurry, but you will also experience less eye strain and headaches. Blue Light Glasses In recent years, there’s been a trendy solution to combat eye strain using blue light glasses. However, research suggests the contrary. Some research suggests that blue-blocking glasses don’t actually help reduce eye strain from staring at your computer, whether a doctor recommends them or not. There’s no convincing scientific explanation for how the minimal blue light from computer screens could be the culprit behind eye strain, and positive findings could be due to a placebo effect. So, it is not certain that the glasses are genuinely helping with eye strain.
Conclusion In a nutshell, eye strain is a pretty common problem when you spend too much time on digital devices. The main reasons it happens are trouble focusing and not blinking enough. To keep your eyes feeling good, you should try things like dimming the lights, staying hydrated, taking lots of mini breaks, and using glasses if you need them. Speaking of glasses, those blue light ones everyone’s talking about might not be all they’re cracked up to be; there’s not a ton of science backing them up for reducing eye strain. So, stick to the tried-and-true methods for keeping your eyes happy during those long screen sessions. Page 35