Doomscrolling For Hours Ophthalmologist Warns How Short Form Videos Can Harm Your Eyes Causes Dryness Irritation

. Most importantly, users do not have to rotate their screens for landscape videos, commit to a long video or spend much mental effort thinking what to watch next. But while this fast-paced format may feel effortless, excessive consumption may affect your health, including eye health.

Dr Minal Kanhere, consultant cornea, cataract and refractive Surgeon at Dr. Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, Mumbai, weighed in with expert insights and agreed that short-form videos are changing the way eyes function.

The eye surgeon observed that watching a lot of content on smartphones, which have smaller screens, can affect the eyes' ability to focus properly and lead to digital eye strain and fatigue.

“Staring at a bright screen, often kept very close to the face, may be associated with a reduced blinking rate. This causes dryness, irritation, burning sensation, blurred vision and headaches,” Dr Kanhere said. The other side effects include poor posture, shoulder pain, with risks of myopia progression.

It is worth noting that the fatigue is not limited to the eyes. Fast-paced content can lead to mental fatigue and affect concentration. Dr Kanhere believed one is at risk of ‘sensory overload,' caused by bright colours, hyperrealistic images, AI-generated videos, exaggerated motion and sound effects. “Brain is exhausted, leading to loss of focus, shortened attention span, restlessness and easy distractibility,” the surgeon raised concern.

Short-form content exposes your eyes to quick-moving visual stimuli, rapid cuts, sudden motion, text overlays, and transitions, all of which force your eyes to adjust constantly. This can worsen fatigue and later make it harder for your eyes and brain to focus on slower activities such as reading or studying. You will be ‘visually more impatient.’ This means large blocks of texts may feel tiring and boring.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.