Jordan Fisher is a successful actor, singer, dancer, gamer and musician, but Jordan, like many of us, spends a good portion of his days with his eyes locked on a screen. Whether he’s gaming, working, or just scrolling on his phone, Jordan’s eyes go through a lot throughout the day. That’s why he’s partnering with the American Optometric Association (AOA) to educate fellow gamers and parents about the importance of taking care of their eye health and encouraging them to practice healthier screen time habits.
With gaming and screen time on the rise in the United States, so is the risk for long-term implications for people’s eye health. AOA’s 2022 Gamer Survey results revealed that the average gamer spends over 8 hours a day on screens. This screen time comes with various eye-related symptoms from gaming, including eye strain, headaches, dry eyes, and blurred vision. While many gamers know that there are health implications from long-term screen usage, less than half (46%) will get an annual comprehensive eye exam.
Optometrists like Dr. Jason Compton, AOA member and a gamer himself, says that many patients may not make the connection between screen time and their symptoms.
Dr. Compton shares “Whether you’re a pro gamer, Twitch streamer, casual scroller, or someone who spends all day working at the computer – it’s critical to see a doctor of optometry in person every year and adapt healthy gaming and screen time habits, like taking regular screen breaks and stopping any gaming activity at least one hour before bedtime.”
Jordan first began to notice problems with his eyes when he was young. When he was in grade school, he felt that he had to strain his eyes to read. To this day, he still gets headaches from this squint he developed. It became clear that something was wrong, so Jordan went to an optometrist who prescribed him glasses, something he says literally changed his life.
“Of course, almost instantly I put these glasses on and my life was forever changed,” he shares. I’m not straining anymore, I don’t have headaches, and I go ‘Wow, I can’t believe that me fixing my vision has helped other things.’”
Along with the improved vision that came with his new glasses, Jordan no longer experienced headaches caused by his eyes. Over the years, he has suffered a few eye injuries, such as a scratched cornea, that made him sit down with an optometrist to make sure his eyes could heal properly so that he could continue living his life. When the AOA reached out to Jordan, it was a natural fit.
“I’m in front of screens all day every day, I’m reading all day every day, I’ve got four pairs of glasses that I cycle through … This is an amazing opportunity for me to be able to be an advocate, especially for the gaming community — which I’m so deeply embedded in and love so much — to talk about how important it is to go and check on your eyes with an optometrist.”
He continues “When you get that good information and whatever fixes are necessary to make your life better it’s game-changing — pardon the pun.”
Regular optometrist visits are crucial not just for your vision, but for your overall health. Too much screen time and overexposure of our eyes to blue light can cause poor sleep, headaches, and computer vision. One remedy that Jordan and the AOA suggest is something they call the 20/20/20 rule.
Jordan explains “Every 20 minutes find something 20 feet away and look at it for 20 seconds. It’s a bit of a reset for the eyes.”
Jordan has noticed a huge difference in his stamina throughout the day since implementing this rule. He also notices a huge difference when wearing blue light filtering glasses.
“We go skating and we put on a helmet or knee pads. Even if we don’t need them, we put them on, don’t we? It’s the same thing, but frankly much more intense and more sensitive.”
However, when Jordan needs to take a break from screen time, he loves reading, cooking, surfing, and going on walks with his family. He knows that it’s so important to practice healthy screen habits so that he can enjoy these moments when it’s time to unplug.
“I love my life so much,” Jordan says. “I get to go to a lot of cool places and do a lot of cool things, but when I’m home this is so much of what I’m doing and it is so easy to lose sight of actually taking care of my body and my health.”
While it seems that almost everything can be done remotely nowadays, eye exams are not one of those things.
“The only way you can go and get a real thorough eye exam is to go sit and talk to an optometrist and actually get an eye exam,” Jordan says.
To find Eye Health Guidance for Screen Time and to book an appointment with a local AOA doctor of optometry, visit AOA.org/EyeDeserveMore.