The next morning Arthur was very surprised when he saw Francine.
“They’re my movie star glasses,” said Francine.
“But there isn’t any glass in them,” said Arthur.
“It doesn’t matter. They help me concentrate and make me look beautiful,” said Francine.
from Arthur’s Eyes
written and illustrated by Marc Brown
1st rev. ed.
Little, Brown, 2011
Remember Roy G. Biv? It’s a handy mnemonic to help us remember the colors in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Most of us have favorite colors, but it turns out blue is the most favorite of all. Maybe because large swaths of sky are blue and the vastness of the ocean is blue. Blue tends to evoke calm.
And even though we associate blue light with our screens, according to aao.org (American Academy of Ophthalmology), most of our exposure to blue light comes from nature. “[Our screens are] no more damaging than blue light from the sun,” says Dr. Rahul Khurana, spokesman for the AAO. He also assures us “there is no scientific evidence that blue light from digital devices causes damage to your eye.”
Exposure to ultraviolet light, though, can damage our eyes. Ultraviolet wavelengths are much shorter and so move faster. So fast, in fact that they are invisible to humans.
Blue light is part of the visible spectrum. Even though exposure to blue light will (probably) not damage our eyes, it is blue light that can wreak havoc with our circadian rhythms. Our body’s temperature and hormone levels are tuned to a cycle. When our bodies are working as they are supposed to, even without a clock, even in a dark space, those functions occur regularly on an approximate 24-hour, internally regulated cycle. Most humans are on a diurnal cycle, awake in the daytime and asleep at night. This is our circadian rhythm, affected by the release of melatonin, triggered by the blue light of the sun and screens.
That’s why its a good idea to shut off the screens as part of our bedtime routines. Too much blue light at the end of the day might make it hard to fall asleep.
More screen time is turning into more indoor time for most of us.
Here are a few statistics from from the blog of the Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago’s survey of 859 parents with children under 13 conducted in June, 2025:
81% of kids have their own device
59% of kids began using screens by the age of three
Even though the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no more than one hour of screen time per day for children 2-5 years old, surveyed parents say kids are tuned in for an average of three hours/day.
So much screen time is bound to affect us. One of the most common is the increased prevalence of digital eyestrain.
I was not surprised to learn that over 70% of Americans experience associated symptoms of digital eyestrain. Doctors at Spindel Eye Associates in southern New Hampshire say “…up to 80% of people who use computers regularly experience some form of digital eye strain.”
The condition affects kids learning on screens and playing on them. Adults and teens, too. Our small, way-too-convenient hand-helds, (read: phones, and tablets) are frequently most to blame.
And the more we use screens, the more we experience their effects. And screens are part of our lives. They are here to stay.
So, if it’s not the blue light emissions, which it’s not, what is causing all this discomfort, anxiety, and even depression?
Partly it’s lack of exercise. The more we use our screens for information, communication, and entertainment, the less time we leave ourselves for moving around. Exercise, especially in nature combats feelings of isolation, lethargy, and depression.
Partly it’s the act of focusing on near, close-at-hand objects.
But mostly, according to Rupa Wong, an ophthalmologist and professor at the Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, our tears are responsible for most of the clarity of our vision. Simply said, when we look at screens, we blink less. When we blink less, our eyes tend to get dry, which causes blurred vision, dry and itchy eyes, and headaches.
Blinking is a reflex. Since we don’t control how often we blink, Dr. Wong has some simple solutions we can try.
You can keep artificial tears (not eyedrops) handy. Warm compresses over your eyes at the start or end of your day will moisturize the oil glands on your eyelids.
Or, you could try the 20/20/20 rule. For every 20 minutes of screen time, take a 20-second break and look 20 feet away. Where you look is not as important as focusing on the distance. Grass, clouds, and sky are good. So are your bird feeder, blooming flowers in your garden, and squirrels frisking about gathering acorns.
I’m reading Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Harper/HarperCollins, 2023). Like most of her work, Ms. Patchett delves into family relationships and how they survive time’s passing. This story shows the Nelson family in their cherry orchard during the pandemic. Two time periods blur as Lara recounts her life with a famous movie star and how she met their father. We see their three grown daughters at the brink of their own adulthoods as they each find truth and meaning in their mother’s recollections. Each time I open the book, I enter the world of Tom Lake, the small, rural area of the UP, Michigan. Recommended!
Be curious! (and spend time in nature)
“They’re my movie star glasses,” said Francine.
“But there isn’t any glass in them,” said Arthur.
“It doesn’t matter. They help me concentrate and make me look beautiful,” said Francine.
from Arthur’s Eyes
written and illustrated by Marc Brown
1st rev. ed.
Little, Brown, 2011
Remember Roy G. Biv? It’s a handy mnemonic to help us remember the colors in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Most of us have favorite colors, but it turns out blue is the most favorite of all. Maybe because large swaths of sky are blue and the vastness of the ocean is blue. Blue tends to evoke calm.
And even though we associate blue light with our screens, according to aao.org (American Academy of Ophthalmology), most of our exposure to blue light comes from nature. “[Our screens are] no more damaging than blue light from the sun,” says Dr. Rahul Khurana, spokesman for the AAO. He also assures us “there is no scientific evidence that blue light from digital devices causes damage to your eye.”
Exposure to ultraviolet light, though, can damage our eyes. Ultraviolet wavelengths are much shorter and so move faster. So fast, in fact that they are invisible to humans.
Blue light is part of the visible spectrum. Even though exposure to blue light will (probably) not damage our eyes, it is blue light that can wreak havoc with our circadian rhythms. Our body’s temperature and hormone levels are tuned to a cycle. When our bodies are working as they are supposed to, even without a clock, even in a dark space, those functions occur regularly on an approximate 24-hour, internally regulated cycle. Most humans are on a diurnal cycle, awake in the daytime and asleep at night. This is our circadian rhythm, affected by the release of melatonin, triggered by the blue light of the sun and screens.
That’s why its a good idea to shut off the screens as part of our bedtime routines. Too much blue light at the end of the day might make it hard to fall asleep.
More screen time is turning into more indoor time for most of us.
Here are a few statistics from from the blog of the Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago’s survey of 859 parents with children under 13 conducted in June, 2025:
81% of kids have their own device
59% of kids began using screens by the age of three
Even though the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends no more than one hour of screen time per day for children 2-5 years old, surveyed parents say kids are tuned in for an average of three hours/day.
So much screen time is bound to affect us. One of the most common is the increased prevalence of digital eyestrain.
I was not surprised to learn that over 70% of Americans experience associated symptoms of digital eyestrain. Doctors at Spindel Eye Associates in southern New Hampshire say “…up to 80% of people who use computers regularly experience some form of digital eye strain.”
The condition affects kids learning on screens and playing on them. Adults and teens, too. Our small, way-too-convenient hand-helds, (read: phones, and tablets) are frequently most to blame.
And the more we use screens, the more we experience their effects. And screens are part of our lives. They are here to stay.
So, if it’s not the blue light emissions, which it’s not, what is causing all this discomfort, anxiety, and even depression?
Partly it’s lack of exercise. The more we use our screens for information, communication, and entertainment, the less time we leave ourselves for moving around. Exercise, especially in nature combats feelings of isolation, lethargy, and depression.
Partly it’s the act of focusing on near, close-at-hand objects.
But mostly, according to Rupa Wong, an ophthalmologist and professor at the Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii, our tears are responsible for most of the clarity of our vision. Simply said, when we look at screens, we blink less. When we blink less, our eyes tend to get dry, which causes blurred vision, dry and itchy eyes, and headaches.
Blinking is a reflex. Since we don’t control how often we blink, Dr. Wong has some simple solutions we can try.
You can keep artificial tears (not eyedrops) handy. Warm compresses over your eyes at the start or end of your day will moisturize the oil glands on your eyelids.
Or, you could try the 20/20/20 rule. For every 20 minutes of screen time, take a 20-second break and look 20 feet away. Where you look is not as important as focusing on the distance. Grass, clouds, and sky are good. So are your bird feeder, blooming flowers in your garden, and squirrels frisking about gathering acorns.
I’m reading Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Harper/HarperCollins, 2023). Like most of her work, Ms. Patchett delves into family relationships and how they survive time’s passing. This story shows the Nelson family in their cherry orchard during the pandemic. Two time periods blur as Lara recounts her life with a famous movie star and how she met their father. We see their three grown daughters at the brink of their own adulthoods as they each find truth and meaning in their mother’s recollections. Each time I open the book, I enter the world of Tom Lake, the small, rural area of the UP, Michigan. Recommended!
Be curious! (and spend time in nature)
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