Do your eyes feel heavy? The text on your phone slightly blurred? Or maybe refocusing takes a second longer than it should?
If you have spent the last few hours scrolling, reading, or working on a screen, that isn’t surprising.
According to DataReportal's 2026 Digital Report, the global average daily screen time for adults (ages 18+) is 6 hours and 51 minutes. That is already an extraordinarily high number, but for many people in Halifax, it can be much higher.
Too much screen time strains your eyes. And while it doesn’t cause permanent damage, it can worsen underlying conditions, cause discomfort, and lead to a condition called Digital Eye Strain.
Screen time may be inevitable, but there are clear, practical steps you can take to help reduce the strain it places on your eyes.
Here’s how.
Why Do Your Eyes Hurt After Too Much Screen Time?
Looking at a screen for too long can make your eyes hurt because the focusing muscles in your eyes have been contracting without a break. Your blink rate also drops to a third of what is normal, leaving your eye surface dry and irritated. This can cause your eyes to hurt or your vision to become blurry.
If the dryness or blurred vision persists beyond a day, your eyes may be indicating that something is wrong that rest alone cannot fix.
In this case, book a comprehensive eye exam at your earliest convenience. Many eye conditions or diseases can be corrected or controlled without resulting in vision loss if detected early. And that early detection is only possible through an eye exam.
What is Digital Eye Strain?
Digital eye strain, also known as computer vision syndrome (CVS), is a group of eye and vision problems caused by prolonged use of digital screens, including phones, tablets, and computers.
The Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) defines computer vision syndrome as discomfort that increases the longer you look at a screen without a break.
What happens when you look at a screen for too long?
Two things happen:
First, the ciliary muscle, or focusing muscle, stays locked in a near-focus position. The ciliary muscle is a ring of smooth muscle inside the eye that controls the shape of the lens. When you look at a screen up close for a long time, it stays contracted, eventually causing your vision to get blurry or for your eyes to hurt.
Second, your blink rate drops. Humans blink approximately 15 times per minute at rest. When watching a digital screen, that falls to 5 to 7 times per minute, according to the CAO. Every blink refreshes the tear film that keeps your eye surface lubricated. Fewer blinks mean a drier, more irritated surface.
Both these things can cause your eyes to hurt or your vision to blur.
How to Rest Your Eyes the Right Way
The most effective thing you can do right now is give your focusing muscles a chance to let go. These steps work because they address the two things that actually cause the discomfort: muscle fatigue and a dry eye surface.
The 20-20-20 Rule:
The rule is simple. For every 20 minutes of screen time, look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Doing this helps release the ciliary muscles from sustained near-focus contraction.
How to do it:
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Set a recurring timer for every 20 minutes of screen use.
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When the timer goes off, look away from your phone or screen.
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Find an object at least 20 feet away: a tree outside a window, a painting across the room, or a parked car on the street.
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Focus on that object for 20 full seconds and blink your eyes. Do not stare without blinking.
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Return to your screen and reset the timer.
Additional Steps for Immediate Relief:
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Make a conscious effort to blink as often as possible. A few deliberate, full blinks can help refresh the tear film when your eyes feel dry. Close your eyes fully and hold them shut for 20 to 30 seconds. Your eyes will produce tears naturally when closed.
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Use lubricating drops. Over-the-counter artificial tears or lubricating drops can provide immediate relief. Look for preservative-free options if you plan to use them more than a few times a day.
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Try palming. Cup your hands gently over your closed eyes for about 60 seconds. The darkness and warmth help the ciliary muscle relax, and blocking the light gives your visual system a genuine break.
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Warm Compress- If your eyes feel consistently dry or gritty after screen use, a warm compress can do wonders.
How to do a warm compress correctly:
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Run a clean, soft cloth under hot (not scalding) water until fully damp.
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Wring it out so it is warm but not dripping.
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Close your eyes and hold the cloth gently over both eyelids for 10 minutes.
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This warms the meibomian glands along your eyelid margins, helping restore the oily layer of your tear film.
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Repeat nightly if you experience chronic dryness after screen use.
When Screen Time Is Making Things Worse: The Blue Light Sleep Loop
Most advice about screen use focuses on what happens during the day. The bigger issue for many people is what happens in the evening.
When you scroll on your phone an hour or two before bed, the blue light from the screen suppresses melatonin, the hormone that signals your body to prepare for sleep. The result is not just that you fall asleep later. Your sleep quality is lighter, and your body gets less of the recovery time it needs.
Your eyes are part of that recovery. They are replenished during sleep. If sleep is disrupted, your eyes suffer. The dryness and fatigue that built up from yesterday’s screen use have not fully cleared, but you are already picking up your phone again. That’s compounding the problem.
This creates a feedback loop. The good habits during the day, including the 20-20-20 rule, help, but they cannot fully compensate for a pattern of evening screen use that shortens and disrupts sleep.
The simplest break you can give your eyes is the one that starts an hour before you fall asleep.
When Rest Isn’t Cutting It
Resting your eyes periodically helps most of the time. But not always. Sometimes symptoms suggest something more is going on, and a visit to your optometrist is the clearest way to find out.
When you find you are experiencing any of these symptoms:
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Dryness or blurred vision that persists into the next day
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Symptoms that return immediately when you are back on a screen
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Headaches during or after screen use that happen consistently
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Eyes that feel gritty or uncomfortable, even when you are not on a screen
Get your eyes checked.
Your optometrist can assess whether your current prescription is suited to the distances you work at most. They can also evaluate whether your eyes are working together the way they should, which is more relevant to screen discomfort than many people realise.
Dryness that persists and does not respond to rest or lubricating drops requires a Dry Eye Assessment. This assessment looks at the quality and quantity of your tear film and can identify whether the cause is related to your oil glands, your environment, or contact lens wear.
Persistent headaches and eye strain, even with updated prescriptions and rest, should also be checked. New lens technologies like Neurolens address specific patterns of eye misalignment that become more pronounced during screen use, triggering headaches. Consult with an optometrist to see if you would be a good fit.
Exceptional Eye Care Services in Halifax
Resting your eyes is essential for, as we say, “healthy sight for life”.
If you don’t already, make it a habit to use the 20-20-20 rule. This simple yet effective rule can minimize a lot of the damage from excessive screen time.
But if that stops working and even rest is not doing the job, book yourself a comprehensive eye exam at Insight Optometry.
Our team has been providing eye care services for Halifax families since 1981, and we would love to help you figure out exactly what your eyes need.
Call us at (902) 422-4444, check out our online store, or book a consultation now.
If you are covered under Nova Scotia’s Medical Services Insurance (MSI), your eye exam coverage will depend on your age and circumstances. Our team can walk you through what applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can too much phone use permanently damage my eyes?
Digital eye strain does not cause permanent damage to healthy eyes. What can worsen over time is an underlying condition that was already present, such as dry eye or myopia, if it goes unmanaged.
Does eye strain from screens affect contact lens wearers differently?
Contact lenses reduce the oxygen flow to the eye surface and can intensify dryness during screen use, so lens wearers often notice symptoms sooner. Switching to glasses for part of the day and using preservative-free lubricating drops can help.
What happens during an eye exam if I have regular screen-related symptoms?
Your optometrist will check for dry eye, assess whether your prescription is suited to your screen distance, and evaluate whether your eyes are working together efficiently. In some cases, options like Neurolens or specialty contact lenses may be recommended based on findings.
