Digital Eye Strain in Calgary

20-20-20 Rule

The 20-20-20 rule is an easy-to-remember guideline to improve your relationship with screen time. The name might be catchy, but it can be trickier to follow.

The rule: For every 20 minutes in front of a digital screen, look at an object 20 feet away for a minimum of 20 seconds.

How can you tell if an object is twenty feet away? 20 feet (or just over 6 metres for us metric-based Canadians) is about half the height of the average telephone pole. Or, one-and-a-half Volkswagen Beetles.

You don’t need to break out your measuring tape to find 20 feet. If you don’t have a telephone pole or Beetle nearby, focus on an object across the street. If you’re stuck indoors, try an object on the other side of the room or look across at an object in a nearby room.

The “every 20 minutes” part can be the most challenging, particularly if you stare at a screen for work. However, you can be flexible with the time. Set a timer for every 20 minutes or commit to a screen break every hour.

You know how your eyes feel after an hour or more of staring at a screen. If your eyes feel good with 2-hour blocks of screen time, you might try to schedule your break then. Keep track of your symptoms and talk to Dr. Bishop & Associates for more ideas about customizing the 20-20-20 rule.