Managing Screen Time with a Vestibular Disorder
Vestibular disorders are associated with a number of different symptoms: dizziness, vertigo, light sensitivity, motion sensitivity, nausea, and fatigue to name a few. Figuring out how to approach screen time when you or your child are not feeling well can be incredibly challenging. As a vestibular physiotherapist, I often hear that time on a computer, tablet or phone hasn’t been going smoothly. With so much of our work and school activities being digital, screen sensitivity can drastically limit what someone can get done each day.
Working on improving your screen time tolerance can be challenging if you don’t have guidance from a vestibular therapist on how to help yourself feel more comfortable. To help this process go more smoothly, here are my tips for managing screen time with a vestibular disorder:
Manage your screen’s blue light
One of the quickest and easiest changes to make is reducing exposure to blue light from your device’s screen. I recommend using a physical blue light filter or wearing blue light blocking glasses to help minimize eye strain.
Don’t forget to check your device and see what you can modify in its settings. Most devices have a “night mode” which can be used as a way to decrease your blue light exposure and improve comfort while using screens.
Use good lighting when on screens
It’s important to consider your lighting when using screens. Consider using task lighting around your computer screens, especially when it’s dark outside. Keep the lights on when watching TV, and consider sitting in the light of a lamp while using a tablet or phone. When you aren’t able to use additional lighting, dim your screen’s brightness to help you feel more comfortable.
Take regular breaks
Set a timer to make sure you are using regular breaks during screen time. This will help to minimize symptom aggravation and allow you to complete multiple sessions of screen time in a row.
A common guideline is the 20-20-20 rule. After 20 minutes look at a target 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
If you’re not able to tolerate a 20-minute session yet, start with 5-15 minutes of screen time (symptoms allowing) followed by a minimum 5-minute break. As long as symptoms have settled after your break, you can try an additional session.
Make font sizes larger
Consider increasing the magnification or font size of text on your screen, especially if you will be on screen for longer periods. Increasing the size will mean you see less text at one time, but will also allow you to read the information on the screen more easily. This will make it easier on your eyes and help you feel more comfortable.
Limit scrolling when possible
Having to scroll through text on a screen can be very triggering, especially for those that are experiencing motion sensitivity. If you’ve been having a hard time tolerating scrolling consider using page down & page up keys instead of scrolling up or down on your screen.
On a Mac? Use the Fn-Up Arrow and Fn-Down Arrow combinations.
I hope you find these tips help your screen time go more smoothly. Read more about vestibular physiotherapy here.
If you’re interested in speaking more about how vestibular physiotherapy can help you or your child feel better click here to contact me or use the button below to book a free consult call.
Updated: September 17, 2024
