If you look around, you are likely to find that almost everyone is browsing, texting, clicking and playing on mobile devices. Tablets and smartphones are so convenient when we're on the move. Nevertheless as handheld devices sport little screens, a lot of people usually hold their iPads and iPhones much closer to their eyes than they would hold newspapers and books. This creates a whole lot of visual demands that require your eyes to function in a way that's different to its normal activity.
Small text and images require your eyes to work much harder just to see clearly. Eventually, this has been found to lead to difficulty with focus and vision, especially if you already use vision correction, like glasses or lenses. If you already wear glasses, holding your phone or tablet too close to your face will make it a real challenge for your eyes to correct for distance. When your eyes work too hard, it generally results in unpleasant headaches as a result of the eyestrain.
In addition to this, a lot of screen time can make you blink less, and that can cause dry eyes and blurry vision.
In order to stop eyestrain and blurred vision caused by our phones, we recommend that you hold the phone further away, and enlarge the text, so you can still read it. It's also helpful to remember to regularly take breaks from staring at your phone. If you still experience headaches, you might be far-sighted, and need glasses to correct that. Call us to book an exam, if this is something you're experiencing. We can't give up technology, but it's crucial to be smart about how we engage with it, in order to protect our vision.