Question

What happens to our eyes if we constantly gazes at the screen for a very long time?

Answer 1

Many people are vaguely aware, though, that all that staring isn't great — reflected in the dry, fatigued eyes they experience after a long day of work.

Staring at a screen doesn't cause problems for everyone — and there aren't great numbers on the precise proportion of people affected — but a significant number of heavy computer users experience a range of symptoms that researchers group under the umbrella phrase "computer vision syndrome."

These symptoms are not all that well studied or understood — but here's a guide to what we do know about them, why they happen, and what you can do to prevent them as much as possible.

Dry eyes and irritation

This is the most common symptom of computer vision syndrome — for many people, after staring at a computer all day, their eyes become dried out and are more easily irritated.

WHEN PEOPLE READ FROM COMPUTER SCREENS, THEIR BLINK RATE PLUMMETS

Why does this happen? "More than likely, it's simply due to the fact that you're reading so much," says James Sheedy, an optometry professor at Pacific University who published some of the earliest work on computer vision syndrome. "Reading demands your attention, so you forget to blink as often."

Studies have shown that when people read from computer screens, their blink rate plummets — but this also happens when people read words from a printed page. In either case, when you blink less frequently, your eyes are much more likely to become dried out.

With computers, though, this problem is exacerbated by posture. When most people stare at a computer screen, they look straight ahead, so the eye is more widely opened than when looking down at a book. This means that a greater surface area of your eye is exposed, so your natural lubrication evaporates more quickly, leading to more dryness and irritation.