Posture and Vision: How Slouching, Leaning Forward, and Head Tilt Can Increase Eye Strain

How often do you think about your posture when you are looking at your phone, walking, or sitting at your desk? Like most people, you likely occasionally round your shoulders, slouch, and tilt your head forward without even thinking about it. 

The connection between your posture and your back, neck, and shoulders is pretty straightforward and well-known. What might surprise many people is the relationship between your posture and your eyes. 
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Continue reading for an explanation of how your eyes and posture are related and tips to improve both. 

What is poor posture? 

Posture is the position or the alignment of your body, including your back, neck, and shoulders, while walking, sitting, and standing. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, poor posture may include rounding your shoulders, slouching or slumping, and forward head position. Bad posture has several adverse health effects, including increased risk of joint and muscle pain, poor balance, and breathing and digestive issues. But good posture goes even further, affecting other aspects, including vision. 
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The relationship between posture and the eyes 

Does poor posture cause eye issues, or do vision problems cause poor posture? The answer is both. 

People with certain vision issues may compensate by changing their posture. For example, if you have uncorrected nearsightedness, you may be more likely to tilt your head forward to see better. This causes you to adopt a head-forward posture, which moves you out of proper alignment. 

Additionally, certain types of eye conditions that cause misalignment, such as strabismus (commonly called crossed eyes), may cause posture changes. Postural compensation for blurry vision due to strabismus is a head tilt up or down to reduce blurry vision.
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How can poor posture affect your eyes?

Poor posture in itself does not cause eye diseases or threaten your vision, but posture matters because it can contribute to eye fatigue and make the eyes work harder. 

If your posture is poor, such as slouching or a forward head position, it can cause the muscles in your neck and shoulders to become tight. This can lead to a feeling of pressure or heaviness in your head and also your eyes. 
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Bad posture can also worsen digital eye strain, making you hold the screen closer than ideal.

Promote better posture by optimizing your workspace

Improving your posture can have long-term effects such as decreasing neck and shoulder pain. It can also reduce eye strain.

If you're like millions of people, you spend a great deal of your hours looking at a computer monitor of some sort each day. This can easily lead to poor posture. Making a few adjustments can help promote improved posture. 
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Consider the following:

• Keep your computer monitor, laptop, or hand-held device at just below eye level. If the display is too high or too low, it can lead to neck strain and poor posture. 
• Select a seat with good back support and keep your feet flat on the ground to reduce shoulder rounding. 
• Reduce glare on your screen. Increased glare may lead to squinting and tilting your head forward to see better. Adjust your curtains as needed or consider an anti-glare screen protector. 
• Keep your desktop computer screen about 25 to 28 inches away from your face, which is about an arm's length. Having it too close increases the risk of eye strain. 

As always, one of the best things you can do to promote healthy eyes and good vision is to schedule regular comprehensive eye exams. Don't wait until there's a problem to see an eye doctor. If you would like to schedule an eye appointment with one of our eye doctors, please call our office at 508-746-8600.