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- Aston researchers confirm 20-20-20 guidance
Aston researchers confirm 20-20-20 guidance
Researchers from Aston University’s College of Health and Life Sciences used special software to monitor gaze direction every few seconds in a recent study validating the guidance
25 September 2022
Researchers at Aston University have scientifically validated the 20-20-20 guidance as a way to ease some of the symptoms of eye strain for computer users.
Released to coincide with National Eye Health Week, the findings confirm the benefit of taking breaks every 20 minutes from screen use.
The research, The effects of breaks on digital eye strain, dry eye and binocular vision; Testing the 20-20-20 rule, was published in Contact Lens and Anterior Eye Journal.
It is estimated that at least half of people using computers in their regular work have some form of digital eye strain. A normal rate of blinking, of around 15 times each minute, decreases generally to half that rate or less when staring at screens, the university highlighted.
This can result in eye surface problems such as irritation and dryness, or issues such as headaches and blurred vision.
The 20-20-20 Rule
Special software on participants’ own laptops utilised the built-in camera to check if a user was sitting at their screen and to monitor their gaze direction every few seconds. After 20 minutes of continuous screen viewing, the programme asked users to rest for 20 seconds while looking at a distant target of around 20 feet away. The message could not be removed until the task was performed correctly, as measured by the app.
Participants’ digital eye strain symptoms were measured before and after two weeks of using the reminders, as well as one week after completing the study.
Results revealed a marked decrease in symptoms including dryness, sensitivity and discomfort.
James Wolffsohn, professor of Optometry at Aston University, led the research in collaboration with the University of Valencia, Spain.
Explaining the background to the research and the important role of the software, he said: “The one previous study merely asked people to carry out the suggestions; but here the access control on the software meant we could be sure that participants really had looked away every 20 minutes. We saw a consequent improvement in the symptoms of the group as a whole.”
The researchers found that, following the study, participants’ symptoms had returned to their prior levels.
Wolffsohn commented: “We are planning to conduct longer term studies to see whether we can teach eyelid muscle memory impulses to blink more often during digital viewing, to help mitigate this chronic issue without long-term use of reminders.”
In the meantime, however, he pointed out that while the study used a sophisticated software to deliver the reminders, “it’s easy for others to replicate the effect by setting a timer on their phone, or downloading a reminder app.”
“It’s a simple way of reminding yourself to take regular breaks for the good of your eyes,” he added.
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