Eye Burning When Using a Phone: What Causes It and How to Relieve It?

If your eyes burn after using your phone for a while, the cause may be dry eyes rather than permanent damage to your vision. An eye specialist explains why staring at a screen causes eye burning and how to reduce the problem.

If your eyes burn after using your phone for a while, it may be due to dry eyes, not permanent vision damage. An eye specialist explains why staring at a screen causes eye irritation and how to reduce the problem.

According to the selection report and quoted by Enli My Health; Burning sensation, redness, tearing, blurred vision or the presence of sand in the eyes are among the symptoms that may appear after using the phone for a long time; Especially if you don't rest your eyes while working on a mobile phone.

Eye irritation after prolonged use of the phone is usually related to eye fatigue from working with the screen and dry eyes, and is not necessarily a sign of permanent eye damage. Of course, the brightness of the screen is not the only cause of this problem; Reducing the number of blinks, incomplete blinking, use of contact lenses, dry air and some underlying eye problems can also contribute to these symptoms.

Why do the eyes burn after working with the phone?

Dr. Shibal Bhartiya, Clinical Director of Ophthalmology at Marengo Asia Hospitals in Gurugram, India, explains, "Itchy eyes are usually caused by dryness and tiredness of the eye, not damage to it."

When using a screen, the eyes are focused on a certain distance for a long time, and the number of blinks is also reduced. As a result, the surface of the eye becomes dry and irritated.

Eye fatigue caused by working with the screen can cause various symptoms; including dry and burning eyes, vision focusing problems, eye coordination disorders and even muscle and skeletal pains.

The surface of the eye is covered with a very thin layer of tears that keeps it moist. Every time we blink, this tear film spreads over the surface of the eye and helps keep it moist.

But when looking at the phone, we usually blink less or our blinks are incomplete. As a result, the tear film cannot remain well on the surface of the eye and this situation leads to dryness, burning and irritation of the eye.

Of course, digital eye fatigue is not only limited to dryness, and problems related to vision focus or coordination of the two eyes can also play a role in its occurrence. Therefore, constant eye irritation should not be attributed solely to phone use.

A 2022 research review published in the journal "Ophthalmology and Therapy" identified dry eyes, tearing, blurred vision, and headaches as common symptoms of screen-related eye strain. The review also emphasized the importance of frequent blinking, regular rest, and proper screen position adjustment to reduce eye strain.

What factors cause eye irritation when working with the phone?

Various factors can cause dry, burning or tired eyes when using the phone:

Decreased number of blinks: When you blink less, tears evaporate faster and the surface of the eye dries out.

Long-term focus on the near distance: Continuously looking at text on the phone causes the eyes to be involved in the process of focusing for a long time to clearly see images and texts.

Light reflection or improper screen brightness setting: Strong light, ambient light reflection, and improper screen brightness setting can make it more difficult to see the screen and increase eye fatigue.

Cooler and fan: dry air flow can increase the evaporation of tears and aggravate the symptoms of dry eyes.

Use of contact lenses: Prolonged phone use may make dry eyes more noticeable in contact lens wearers.

Incorrect eyeglass rating: If your eyeglass number does not match your vision, trying harder to see clearly can increase eye strain.

In a review article published in 2021 in the journal "Medicine", researchers investigated the relationship between smartphone use and dry eye disease. The results showed that there is evidence of the existence of this relationship, but the review included only four studies and their research methods were also different from each other.

Therefore, it cannot be concluded that long-term use of the phone definitely causes dry eye disease; However, this habit can be one of the effective factors in the occurrence of dry eye symptoms.

Does the blue light of the phone cause eye irritation?

Many people attribute eye problems caused by screen use to blue light. However, there is limited scientific evidence that blue light filtering glasses can reduce eye fatigue caused by working with screens.

In a scientific review by Cochrane, 17 studies involving 619 adults were examined. The results showed that blue-light-filtering lenses likely made little or no difference in reducing short-term eye fatigue compared to regular lenses. The evidence regarding the effect of these glasses on improving sleep was also inconclusive.

Dr. Bhartiya emphasizes that when using the phone, reducing the number of blinks and focusing the eyes for a long time are the most important causes of eye irritation.

Using your phone late at night may have a negative impact on your sleep, but not all screen-related eye problems can be attributed to blue light.

How to reduce eye irritation?

By making a few simple changes in the habits of using the phone, you can reduce eye fatigue and prevent dryness and irritation.

Follow the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something about 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This gives the eyes a chance to rest.

Blink Consciously When Reading: When you are reading or scrolling up and down on your phone screen, pay attention to your blinking and try to close and open your eyelids slowly and fully.

Keep the phone at a suitable distance: it is better to keep the phone about 40 cm away from the eyes. Of course, the appropriate distance also depends on the condition of vision and the size of the writings.

Adjust the brightness of the screen: adjust the brightness of the screen according to the ambient light and increase the size of the texts so that you don't have to strain your eyes to read the texts.

Reduce glare: Place the phone so that light from windows or ceiling lights does not reflect on the screen.

Give your eyes a rest: Put the phone away from time to time and look at distant objects for a while.

Avoid direct flow of dry air: avoid sitting in front of a fan or air conditioner valve; Because air flow can aggravate dry eyes.

Get enough sleep: Lack of sleep may increase eye strain after prolonged screen use.

If you still feel dry despite following these tips, talk to your eye doctor or pharmacist about using eye-lubricating drops, such as artificial tears.

Avoid frequent use of eye drops that are advertised solely to relieve redness; Because these drops do not necessarily fix the root cause of the problem.

Using screen filters is not a proven solution to prevent eye damage or myopia in children.

It is better for children to stay away from the screen regularly, use digital devices according to their age and spend enough time outdoors.