If you work in front of a screen, the 20-20-20 rule could help you fight eye strain. The explanations to take care of your eyes.
- According to the study, at least half of people who use computers regularly for work suffer from some form of eye strain.
- Spending 1 hour and 24 minutes or more a day in front of screens is also associated with an increased risk of wearing glasses in five-year-old children, according to a study published in June in the journal Scientific Reports.
Seeing blurry from afar after spending a few hours in front of a computer screen, feeling burning, tingling, headaches or even having a migraine can be signs of eye fatigue. People who work for a long time in front of a screen are more at risk of suffering from it.
Eyes: take breaks every 20 minutes…
To avoid this, researchers have just found a simple technique to implement: the 20-20-20 rule. In practice, it consists of taking breaks of at least 20 seconds every 20 minutes while looking at least 20 feet, that is to say a little more than 6 meters. Their work has been published in the journal Contact Lens and Anterior Eye.
To reach this conclusion, the scientists asked 29 participants who had symptoms of eye strain to follow this 20-20-20 rule. For this, software was installed in their work computer. Thus, every 20 minutes, a message appeared on their screen telling them to take a break by looking into the distance, through the window for example. Until they did, they couldn’t use their computer.
…helps reduce eye fatigue
In parallel, the researchers measured the eyestrain of the participants before the experiment, after two weeks of following this rule of 20-20-20 and one week before the end of the study. Result: they observed a decrease in symptoms of eye fatigue, including dry eyes, sensitivity and discomfort.
According to the researchers, the methodology of their study differs from that applied in previous work on this subject, in particular thanks to the software used: “We could be sure that the participants had really looked away every 20 minutesthey explain. We saw a significant improvement in symptoms for the group as a whole”.
A rule that must be followed diligently to obtain results
In everyday life, the 20-20-20 rule is quite simple to implement. “Although we used sophisticated software, it’s easy to replicate the effect by setting a timer on the phone or downloading a reminder app, says James Wolffsohn, one of the authors. It’s a simple way to remind yourself to take regular breaks for the sake of your eyes.“.
However, as soon as the participants stopped following the 20-20-20 rule, their eye fatigue returned… To relieve your eyes, you must therefore apply this rule on a daily basis.
