How the 20-20-20 Rule Can Reduce Eye Strain
Viewing screens increases your risk for digital eye strain, a common condition that makes your eyes feel sore, dry, itchy, or blurry. Following the 20-20-20 rule can help you keep your eyes comfortable when you're using your laptop, tablet, phone, or another digital device.
Understanding Eye Issues Caused by Screens
You may not notice any difference when you read a text on a screen or look at a picture, but your eyes do. Unlike the solid letters in books, letters on digital screens:
- Have Indistinct Edges
- Are Made Up of Tiny Dots Called Pixels
- Are Darker in the Middle and Lighter at the Edges
Digital images are also made of pixels that vary in intensity and uniformity. As you play a game or write a report, the ciliary muscle around your eye must work harder to maintain the eye's focus on the pixels. The muscle helps the lens of your eye change shape as you focus. Although you probably won't notice any problems if you only use devices infrequently, spending several hours viewing devices can lead to eye strain.
Glare or poor contrast between a screen's background or foreground may also cause or worsen eye strain.
Digital eye strain is a common problem. In fact, 68% of employees surveyed by VSP Vision Care and Workplace Intelligence reported digital eye strain symptoms. According to the 2025 Workplace Vision Health Report, 59% of employees noted that digital eye strain affected their performance.
Signs and symptoms of digital eye strain, also called computer vision syndrome, include:
- Sore, Red, Irritated, Burning, or Itching Eyes
- Headaches
- Blurry Vision
- Sensitivity to Light
- Dry Eyes
- Watery Eyes
- Trouble Focusing
- Neck, Shoulder and Upper Back Pain
Although anyone can experience these symptoms, they may be more likely to occur if you have an uncorrected refractive error that affects your vision, like myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), or astigmatism.
Have you noticed your eyes seem abnormally dry when you use your devices? You're probably blinking less. Blinking distributes a film of tears over your eyes and is essential for eye comfort. Eye doctors note the average blink rate declines significantly when using screens. The normal blink rate is 15 times per minute, but screen users only blink five to seven times per minute, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Improving Eye Strain Symptoms with the 20-20-20 Rule
The 20-20-20 rule is a simple guideline that will help you remember to take breaks when viewing screens. After looking at a screen for 20 minutes, you'll take a short break. During this break, you'll shift your gaze to an object 20 feet in the distance for 20 seconds. Breaks occur every 20 minutes while using digital devices.
The 20-20-20 rule allows your ciliary muscles to relax and recover from continuous focusing. The short break may also temporarily improve your blink rate and help keep the surface of your eyes lubricated. Best of all, the 20-20-20 rule can be performed anywhere. Whether you're at school, home, or work, short breaks will improve your eye comfort and reduce your risk for headaches and muscle pain.
An interesting research study published in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye in 2023 examined the effects of the 20-20-20 rule in 29 laptop users who struggled with digital eye strain. Researchers set up webcams to evaluate user breaks, eye gaze, and blinking. The computer users took more breaks when reminded of the rule and experienced improvements in digital eye strain and dry eye symptoms. Researchers also noted an improvement in accommodative facility. Accommodative facility is the ability to quickly shift focus between distances.
The 20-20-20 rule reminders were particularly important to study participants. The researchers noted the users didn't maintain the same improvements one week after the reminders stopped. Luckily, you can set up your own 20-20-20 reminders on your devices and enjoy the benefits of this useful rule.
Worried that your outdated contact lens or eyeglass prescription may be contributing to eye strain? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the optometrist.
Sources:
VSP Vision: New Research from VSP Vision Care and Workplace Intelligence Finds Nearly 3 Out of 4 Employees Struggle with Digital Eye Strain, 59% Say It Affects Their Productivity, 2/25/2025
Contact Lens and Anterior Eye: The Effects of Breaks of Digital Eye Strain, Dry Eye and Binocular Vision: Testing the 20-20-20 Rule, 4/2023
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1367048422001990
American Academy of Ophthalmology: Computers, Digital Devices, and Eye Strain, 7/27/2024
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/computer-usage
American Optometric Association: Computer Vision Syndrome
https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/computer-vision-syndrome
Haryana Journal of Ophthalmology: Digital Eye Strain: The Current Perspective, May-August, 2024
https://journals.lww.com/hjop/fulltext/2024/05000/digital_eye_strain__the_current_perspective.8.aspx