These days, it’s almost impossible to avoid making eye contact with digital screens in everyday life. However, whether it’s for work, school, or just leisure, using these technologies frequently can lead to eye and vision-related problems.
Prolonged computer, tablet, or e-reader on test days makes our eyes work harder. So, during testing, when we need our brains focused on the hard test questions in front us, this extra vision work can create major test-day distractions.
For many, these distractions will appear in the form of eye strain. Those suffering with severe eye strain from regular, prolonged computer use are often diagnosed with Computer Vision Syndrome or Digital Eye Strain (DES).
It is always better to be aware of these risks and be prepared to mitigate them with proper accommodations.
So, take our short Digital Eye Strain Quiz. We’ll walk you through the most common symptoms and help you assess whether it would be better for you to request a paper-based exam instead.
Digital Eye Strain Quiz:
1. When you sit for an hour in front of a digital exam, do you have or feel any of these symptoms?
❏ blurred vision
❏ fatigue
❏ dry eyes
❏ eye strain
❏ eye discomfort
❏ headaches
❏ neck pain
❏ shoulder pain
If you said YES to any of the symptoms above, continue to the next question.
2. Do your symptoms impair your ability to test at your potential? For example, do you have difficulty reading, focusing on, or processing the words on the screen?
If YES, continue to the next question:
3. When you take paper-based exams, do you have the same difficulties as you do on a digital exam? For example, do you have difficulty reading, focusing on, or processing the words on the screen?
If your answer is NO, continue to the question.
4a. Can you control the lighting and glare of your device screens at the test center?
4b. If so, does that improve the symptoms you checked in Question 1?
If you answer NO to either 4a or 4b or both, then you may be a good candidate for paper-based testing.
Talk to your eye doctor about whether paper-based testing is a good accommodation for you on test day.
Have more questions? Give us a call at 240-630-1425 so our accommodations team can assist you in applying for the paper-based testing accommodation.