The elderly people are at greater risk of getting the digital eye strain as the meibomian glands which provide the eye with protective oils naturally shrink and block with age. That causes the tear film to be thinner and more prone to evaporation, particularly as the rate of blink decreases to about 18 per minute through screen use down to about 6. The outcome is dryness, blurred concentration and glare following limited screen exposure. Warm compress on 40 degrees Celsius used in the morning and evening, two times a day, may help open these glands and enhance the stability of tears. This practice, with measured full blinks every 10 minutes of 10, has been reported to raise tear breakup time by 4 to 7 seconds in a mere two weeks in older people spending most of their time staring at screens, making them comfortable and concentrationally focused.
Digital eyestrain has become more prevalent as older adults are naturally more susceptible to digital eyestrain due to natural changes in the lens and tear film that start to occur in your fifties and beyond. The lens becomes stiffer, which decreases the ability of the lens to change focus between near and distant objects. Tear production also slows down, which leaves us dry and irritated, made worse by the screen. Blurred vision, burning and headaches are caused by the strain on your eyes resulting from the blue light exposure and the decreased rate of blinking that occurs when staring at a screen. In my practice, the major report of symptoms when taking tablets or phones for a long time is in patients older than 55. Some of the best preventative measures include keeping display brightness at a level that is in line with room lighting, using larger fonts and the 20-20-20 rule or taking a break every 20 minutes to look away at something at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Artificial tears (instilled twice daily) keep the surface hydrated, and eye exams on a regular basis make sure any presbyopia or other age-related changes that increase digital strain are detected early.