Laatste update: 17 maart 2025

Trouble with Eye Screen? - Prevent Damage with Leapp Tips

eye strain screen
Do you ever suffer from irritated, dry or painful eyes when scrolling on your iPhone for a while? In the last few years, there has been a lot of discussion about the harm that electronic devices can do to your eyes. Since we are all using this technology to the fullest, in this article we will delve into the effects that iPhones and iPads can have on your eyes. And not to forget, possible solutions to counteract these effects.

Retinal problems

Eye care experts indicate that there is an increase in retinal problems, especially among children. Continuous tension in the eye muscle due to frequent use of screens can result in the development of myopia or in extreme cases even loss of vision.

Cognitive development in children

Studies show that children up to the age of 4 who frequently stare at screens experience obstacles in their growth. Their language skills and thinking skills in particular are under pressure. They discover that screens can soothe their discomfort, but this is at the expense of other essential skills such as attentive listening or concentration. In addition, frequent screen use reduces direct eye contact between parent and child, which is detrimental to their relationship.

Screen too close

When we watch a movie, read something or just scroll on our iPhone , we often hold it very close to our face. This causes us to become fixated on close vision. Besides the fact that this is very strenuous for your eyes, it can also lead to myopia. Something to think about, try to hold your phone a bit further away from your face when you use it.

Less blinking

When we look at our screen, we blink a lot less than normal. It turns out that we blink four times less with our eyes when using a phone than we normally do. Those dry, irritated eyes after staring at your screen for hours can therefore be explained by this. Of course, this can also be prevented, consciously blink a little more while looking at your screen.

Blue light

Your iPhone or iPad screen emits different colors of light to keep your screen bright and readable. One of the many colors emitted is blue light. Too much exposure to this type of light can be bad for your eyes. But why? The blue light emitted by your iPhone passes through the lens and cornea of ​​your eye before it is absorbed. This can damage the cells in your eye. This in turn leads to poor vision, something you would like to prevent. In addition to directly affecting your eyes, blue light is also said to affect your sleep pattern. Find out whether this is fact or fiction in this article .

What can I do about blue light?

Fortunately, Apple has come up with something to counteract the annoying effects of blue light. The iPhone and iPad have a built-in function called Night Shift that allows you to switch off blue light. Ideal to give your eyes some extra relaxation. Below we explain how to enable Night Shift.

Enable Night Shift

Via the Settings app
  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone
  2. Navigate to 'Display & Brightness'
  3. Then click on 'Night Shift'
  4. Schedule here when you want the Night Shift to be on
  5. Optional: Adjust the color temperature of your screen by moving the ball on the slider bar at the bottom of the page
Via the control panel
  1. Swipe down from the top right corner of your screen to open the Control Center
  2. Press firmly on the bar that regulates the brightness
  3. Tap the middle circle at the bottom of the screen to turn on Night Shift
Once Night Shift is enabled, the screen of your iPhone or iPad will have a slightly warmer color. The blue light is now filtered by this function on your iPhone. With the help of Night Shift you can use your iPhone without it straining your eyes too much. A super handy function!

Screen Time: Knowing is Preventing

How long should you look at a screen? Eye specialists recommend the 20-20-2 method. This means: after every twenty minutes of screen time, look at a point in the distance for twenty seconds. It is also advisable for children to play outside for two hours every day. Their nervous system, including the optic nerve, is still developing and benefits from outdoor exercise. You can set up screen time measurement on your Apple device.

Conclusion

That iPhones and iPads can be bad for your eyes is true, but fortunately we don't have to ban them. With a little extra attention to the causes and of course solutions such as the Night Shift function, we can continue to use our electronic devices responsibly.
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