At most an hour of mobile gaming slows down blinking and causes some discomfort, but more research needs to be done.Another day, another thing for parents to use to pry their kids away from panes of glass. A recent study of Australian children has revealed that an hour of mobile gaming can slow down blinking significantly and induce dry eye symptoms.
Before gaming participants were fitted with an eye-tracking headset that monitored their blink rate, researchers also assessed tear film function before and after gameplay. Additionally, participants were asked to complete three questionnaires: the Instant Ocular Symptoms Survey, The Symptoms Assessment in Dry Eye, and the Numerical Rating Scale for eye symptoms.
Some of the children did indicate their eyes were uncomfortable after an hour but we’d argue that a young child would be uncomfortable after an hour of doing anything.