Eyes and screens glossary
The words that come up when screens and tired eyes meet, each in a sentence or two, with the guide that goes further.
- Blink rate
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How many times a minute you blink. At rest it is about 17; while reading or concentrating on a screen it falls to around 4 or 5.
- Incomplete blink (also partial blink)
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A blink where the upper lid comes down but doesn’t meet the lower one, so part of the eye isn’t refreshed. They are more common during screen work.
- Tear film
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The thin layer of tears that covers the front of the eye and keeps it smooth and comfortable. Each full blink spreads a fresh layer; when blinks are rare or partial, it breaks up sooner.
- Dry eye
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When the tear film can’t keep the eye’s surface comfortable, causing dryness, grittiness, burning or blurred vision that clears with a blink. Screen use can make it worse; persistent dry eye is worth seeing an optometrist or eye doctor about.
- Digital eye strain (also computer vision syndrome)
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The tired, dry, sore or blurry eyes, headaches and neck ache that can come with screen use. It is common and usually eases once you stop.
- 20-20-20 rule
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Every 20 minutes of screen time, look at something about 20 feet (6 metres) away for 20 seconds. A simple habit for regular short breaks; the numbers are a convention rather than a measured dose.
- Look-away break
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A short pause in which you look at something far away, letting the muscles that focus your eyes up close relax. The 20-20-20 rule is one rhythm for them.
- Accommodation (also focusing)
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The eye changing its focus between far and near. Close work keeps it working; looking into the distance lets it relax.
- Squeeze blink
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A blink exercise: close your eyes, squeeze them gently shut, then open. In a 2025 study, 15 of these, three times a day, came out best among the routines tested.
- Blink cue
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A small, regular signal that reminds you to blink, such as a brief animation or a soft blur on the screen. In studies, people who knew what the cue meant blinked more often.
- Blue light
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The blue part of visible light, which screens and daylight both give off. Major eye bodies find no evidence that screen blue light damages the eye, and filtering glasses showed little effect on eye strain.
- Micro-break
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A very short pause from the screen, a few seconds to a minute, taken often. Short, frequent breaks are generally preferred to long, rare ones.
- Optometrist
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A trained eye care professional who tests sight and checks eye health. A good first stop for eyes that stay dry, sore or blurry, or vision that changes.
These definitions are for general interest. They aren’t medical advice, and BlinkPause is a reminder, not a medical device.