New research highlights an easy fix for screen-related dry eye and fatigue

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Taking short breaks with closed eyes and using artificial tears can help prevent dry eye and eye strain caused by prolonged smartphone use, according to a study.

Researchers divided 90 healthy participants into three groups and tasked them with a 2-hour smartphone reading session. After 1 hour, Group A continued without rest, Group B took a 10-minute eye-closed rest, and Group C combined eye-closed rest with artificial tears.

participants in Group A experienced significant worsening of dry eye and asthenopia symptoms. Group B also showed increased signs of ocular discomfort, while Group C exhibited no significant decline in eye health, with some improvement in corneal fluorescein staining.

The researchers concluded that taking short breaks with closed eyes and artificial tears may be an effective and accessible strategy to prevent screen-related eye strain and dryness.

Reference
Wang N, Min J, Fan X, et al. Closing eyes with artificial tears: A simple and effective strategy to combat screen-related asthenopia and dry eye symptoms. Adv Ophthalmol Pract Res. 2024;5(1):58-65. doi: 10.1016/j.aopr.2024.07.001. PMID: 39967760; PMCID: PMC11833337.