Photo by Laura Cleffmann on Unsplash
Video games are currently bigger than ever, and over three billion of us will be gaming in these expansive playgrounds in 2023. Games are becoming much more immersive experiences due to the advances in tech over the decades – completing 100% of the original The Legend Of Zelda in 1986 would have taken the player 10 or 11 hours. Budget for a playtime 10 times that to see every corner of Hyrule in 2023’s masterpiece The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. Studies show that the average age of a gamer today is 35, with more American gamers playing for 20 hours or more a week (9.8%) than those who clock in less than an hour (7.6%).
These numbers bring the potential to add up to a whole lot of eye strain. Some folks prefer to switch to glasses – particularly blue light-blocking glasses – however, recent research suggests their usage may not prevent eye strain as once thought. There’s also the issue of screen glare when using glasses and being awkward to wear in conjunction with an audio headset.
So can you game in contacts? The short answer is yes, but the longer answer requires a little longer view. Let’s take a look.
Virtual reality
If glasses and an audio headset are somewhat awkward, then glasses and VR headsets should definitely be avoided due to the risk of scratching the headset’s lenses. Prescription lenses are available for some of the more popular headset models. However, at an average of $80, they’re another addition to an already fairly substantial purchase. You’d think with the screen so close to your eyes, you could dispose of lenses altogether, but the focal point of VR is designed to be around 7-10 feet away, so if you’re nearsighted enough that that would cause issues, then playing in prescription makes the action much sharper. The increased heat from wearing the headset, however, can dry contacts out way quicker than normal conditions.
You should try to take frequent breaks. While casual games like Fruit Ninja are stop-start by their nature, if one’s exploring Gotham in Batman: Arkham VR, it’s easy to get immersed. The American Optometric Association recommends 20:20:20 – for every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds to look at an object 20 feet away.
Moisturize your eyes
Staving off dry eye can be a battle for some contact lens wearers. Lenses sit across the tear film on the exterior of the eye and can disrupt its function by wearing away the oily outer layer and causing friction. Daily contact lenses shouldn’t be worn for more than 16 hours at the very maximum. Some folks with more sensitive eyes manage as little as eight. That number can also be affected by the contacts you wear – switching to a lens with a wetting agent such as the Acuvue Moist may help reduce discomfort over longer periods. The more water that’s in a contact lens, the more oxygen it will let through onto the cornea, reducing fatigue and, in more extreme cases, risk of inflammation or infection. Studies have shown gamers tend to blink less as they become absorbed in the action, so it’s important not to aggravate a loss of optical lubrication further.
Be aware of your surroundings
We tend to sit much closer to a computer monitor than we do to a TV – particularly if we’re using a laptop or controlling a game via mouse and keyboard. While the experts recommend sitting at least 1.5 times the length of your TV size away from it – so in the case of a 50-inch TV, 75 inches (six feet three) would be a minimum distance – that doesn’t really work with a monitor. You should, however, aim for a distance of 20-24 inches from a gaming screen. Gamers who are nearsighted run a higher risk of computer vision syndrome, and poor posture trying to adjust to a badly placed display only aggravates the issue. On the good news, there’s some evidence that playing action games like first-person shooters can help improve peripheral vision. While we’re focused on the area we’re shooting at, we have to stay aware of lurking enemies who may be about to move in on us from other parts of the screen. Using a glare filter (if there isn’t one built into the monitor) and sitting at a 90-degree angle to the screen are also helpful.
There’s nothing more important than our eyes while gaming. Staying mindful when wearing contact lenses will help keep the tears in Link’s dimension and not ours.
Amanda Lancaster is a PR manager who works with 1resumewritingservice. She is also known as a content creator. Amanda has been providing resume writing services since 2014.