Strategies for Minimizing Digital Eye Strain During Extended SAT Practice: Maintain Concentration and Ease
Preventing Eye Strain During Long Digital SAT Study Sessions
Digital SAT preparation is now the norm, with full-length practice tests, online drills, videos, and interactive tools taking centre stage. However, this shift to digital learning comes with a potential downside: eye strain, headaches, and reduced focus, which can impact both health and SAT performance.
To effectively manage eye strain during long study sessions, follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to relax your eye muscles. This simple rule, when combined with proper screen distance and positioning, can offer significant protection.
Keep your monitor 20–28 inches from your eyes and position it 15–20° below eye level. This adjustment can help reduce accommodative and neck strain. Using larger font sizes or zoom settings can also ease focusing effort.
Incorporate blue light filters or glasses, especially during evening study, to reduce blue light exposure and its impact on eye comfort and sleep cycles. Maintaining comfortable ambient lighting at roughly half the brightness of your screen can decrease glare and squinting.
Blinking frequently is another crucial step to prevent dry eyes. Consider using a humidifier if indoor air is dry. Regular microbreaks for your eyes and posture are also essential, and avoiding looking at phones or screens in the dark before sleep can provide additional relief.
These steps create a healthier digital study environment by reducing eye muscle fatigue, maintaining tear film stability, and minimizing glare or reflections. This, in turn, supports sustained focus and comfort for long SAT preparation sessions.
Be aware of signs of eye strain during or after digital SAT practice, such as headaches, dry, irritated, or watery eyes, blurred or double vision, difficulty focusing, or feeling mentally tired. If you notice these symptoms, consider adjusting your screen brightness and contrast, maintaining good posture, and taking regular breaks using the 20-20-20 rule.
[1] Healthline: How to Prevent Eye Strain From Digital Devices [2] Mayo Clinic: Computer Vision Syndrome [3] American Optometric Association: Digital Eye Strain [4] WebMD: How to Prevent Computer Vision Syndrome [5] All About Vision: Computer Vision Syndrome
Adhering to healthy eye-health practices during long digital SAT study sessions is crucial for reducing eye strain and maintaining overall health-and-wellness. Incorporate strategies such as the 20-20-20 rule, proper screen distance and positioning, blue light filters or glasses, comfortable ambient lighting, blinking frequently, and regular microbreaks to prevent and alleviate medical-conditions like eye strain and its associated symptoms.
