What should I do if my eyes hurt from using my phone too much?

Generally, eye pain caused by excessive smartphone use may result from overuse of the eyes, reduced blinking frequency, visual fatigue, dry eye syndrome, conjunctivitis, and other factors. It is recommended to seek medical attention promptly, identify the underlying cause, and follow a doctor's guidance for appropriate management. Specific explanations are as follows:

1. Eye strain: Prolonged focus on a smartphone screen keeps the ciliary muscle in a constant state of tension without relaxation, which can easily lead to eye pain. To relieve this, take a break every 30 minutes of phone use to look into the distance for at least 5 minutes. Perform eye exercises twice daily and massage eye acupoints to alleviate muscle tension.

2. Reduced blinking: When focusing on a phone, concentration decreases blink rate to about one-third of normal, causing tears to evaporate too quickly and resulting in dry, painful eyes. Consciously increase your blink rate to 15–20 times per minute. When using a phone, try slightly tilting your head backward to reduce the exposed surface area of the eyeball.

3. Visual fatigue: Blue light from smartphones irritates the retina, and continuous work of the eye muscles leads to symptoms such as eye pain and soreness. Follow medical advice to use eye drops such as compound methionine and vitamin B12 solution, naphazoline-antazoline-pamabrom eye drops, or sodium hyaluronate eye drops. Enable blue light filter mode on your phone and lower screen brightness.

4. Dry eye syndrome: Insufficient tear production or unstable tear film can worsen during phone use, leading to eye pain and a foreign body sensation. Use prescribed artificial tear solutions such as hypromellose eye drops, polyethylene glycol eye drops, or carboxymethylcellulose sodium eye drops. Use a humidifier indoors to maintain humidity between 40% and 60%.

5. Conjunctivitis: Bacteria on smartphone screens or blue light exposure may irritate the conjunctiva and trigger inflammation, causing eye pain along with redness and increased discharge. Follow medical advice to use antibiotic eye drops such as levofloxacin, tobramycin, or chloramphenicol. Clean the eye area daily with warm water and avoid rubbing the eyes.

In daily life, consume more foods rich in vitamin A, such as carrots and spinach, and ensure eight hours of sleep each night. Position the phone screen at eye level or slightly lower (about 10°), and maintain a viewing distance of 30–50 cm to reduce eye strain and protect eye health.