Eye wellness · ongoing

The 20-20-20 break timer.

Every 20 minutes, look at something about 20 feet (6 m) away for 20 seconds. It's one of the simplest habits for easing digital eye strain during long screen sessions.

Start a session

How it works

Set your work interval (20, 25, or 30 minutes) and break length (20 or 30 seconds).
Press Start and keep working normally — the ring counts down in the background.
When the work interval ends, the screen switches to a calm break cue: look at something roughly 20 feet (6 m) away and let your eyes relax.
After the break, the next work interval starts automatically and your break count goes up.
Turn on sound or desktop notifications so you don't need to watch the screen to know when it's time.

Ready to start

20:00 Work interval

Breaks taken today: 0

Work interval

Break length

Play a soft chime at each transition Desktop notifications at each break

Clinical background

The science behind this

Prolonged near work drives digital eye strain (asthenopia). Two things happen: your accommodation and vergence systems stay under constant load holding a near focus, and your blink rate drops sharply when you concentrate on a screen, destabilizing the tear film and leaving eyes dry and tired.

The 20-20-20 guideline — every 20 minutes, look at something about 20 feet (6 m) away for 20 seconds — addresses both. A distant target lets the ciliary muscle relax to near-zero focusing effort, and the pause prompts a natural burst of blinks that re-wets the eye.

Why it helps

Relaxes sustained accommodation and vergence
Restores blink and tear-film dynamics

Limitations

Evidence is pragmatic rather than definitive, but the physiological rationale is clear and the habit is low-risk.
Persistent dryness or strain deserves a professional evaluation.