Why Your Eyes Hurt After Staring At Your Smartphone

We all know how when you stare at your iPhone or Blackberry for too long, your eyes start to strain and your head starts to hurt.

Scientists have figured out why, and it has to do with our eyes' inability to focus on a smartphone's small screen AND adjust to how far away the content is from our eyes.

The study, published in the Journal of Vision, shows that this problem could lead to the visual discomfort, headaches and fatigue that come from staring at a small screen or stereo 3D device for too long.

“When watching stereo 3D displays, the eyes must focus -- that is, accommodate -- to the distance of the screen because that’s where the light comes from," study researcher Martin S. Banks, professor of optometry and vision science at the University of California, Berkeley, said in a statement. "At the same time, the eyes must converge to the distance of the stereo content, which may be in front of or behind the screen."

Banks and his colleagues had 24 adults look at objects placed in front of a screen or behind a screen. They found that for short distances, the adults felt more uncomfortable when they looked at objects placed in front of the screen, while at long distances, they felt more uncomfortable looking at objects placed behind a screen.

Another study, published in the journal Optometry and Vision Science, shows that people's eyes have to work harder to read tiny text on a smartphone screen because they have to point in the right direction at the same time, USA Today reported.

The researcher for that study, SUNY College of Optometry professor Dr. Mark Rosenfield, said that he came up with the idea for his study by noticing people on the train who held their phones right in front of their eyes in order to read the screens, ABC News reported.

To avoid this sort of eye strain, Rosenfield suggested on ABC News looking into the distance every once in awhile to allow the eyes to relax.

Personal, Emotional, and Social Importance of Eye Care

Beautiful things in the world are meant to be seen. Can you imagine living without your sense of sight? Our eyes are important factor of our lives yet sometimes we just take it for granted and we do not care less about it. Taking care of our eyes can mean the difference between a dark and solitude world and a life of being able to see and appreciate the beauties of nature and everything else around us. The choice between the two depends merely on how we value eye care.

There are many reasons why you should start to learn more about eye care and how you can protect your eyes from any kind of eye disease. Just think of the many people with certain eye diseases and only wish to experience the world in its full extent. You should be grateful if you can read this article crystal clear, it simply means you have a perfect eye sight with no vision problems. Do not wait for the point when you need to spend too much for eye care. As they always say, prevention is always better than cure. Know the personal and financial reasons why you have to give importance to eye care.

First, eye care is important to maintain the good condition of your eyes. No one wants to be physically hampered because of serious eye diseases. Impaired vision can damage your life in such a great extent if you do not start taking care of your eyes now. Imagine not being able to perform daily tasks and activities like working, eyes that are not well cared for can result to a tragic physical and emotional stress. Depression and stress are synonymous to dramatic eye problems.

Secondly, if you care less about yourself, think of how people who love you will feel when you get into a serious eye situation. Just think how sad they will be seeing you suffering when nothing like that could have happened if only you prioritized eye care in your life. Taking your eye vision for granted will not only hurt you in the long run but your family will be greatly affected too. Also think of all the eye wear, eye medications, eye surgery, and other needs that can be very costly. Eye diseases can strain your budget and your family’s as well.

It is high time to take an action against any form of eye diseases. You need to be well informed of several ways of keeping your eyes healthy. Knowledge of the different kinds of eye diseases will also give you an edge. Know the factors such as obesity, diabetics, smoking, medications, Ultraviolet light, and others that can cause eye diseases and avoid or protect your eyes from them. Wear protective sunglasses, eyeglasses, or contact lenses to prevent your eyes from exposure to these factors. A visit to your eye doctor will give you more ideas on how to care for your eyes.

Eye care is very important and even the little measures you do to protect your eyes can keep all physical, emotional, and financial problems away.