Digital Wellbeing vs Digital Eye Strain
Both of these calculators turn your screen habits into a 0 to 100 score, but they measure different things with different inputs. The digital wellbeing calculator asks how technology fits into your day — screen time, breaks, night mode, mindful use, and notification pressure — and returns an overall wellbeing-style score with improvement prompts. The digital eye strain calculator asks about the physical conditions of viewing — screen hours, break habits, distance, lighting, and eye-condition factors — and returns an eye-comfort risk estimate. Same starting question, “how is my screen use?”, two different lenses.
What each calculator does
The digital wellbeing calculator scores five habit areas. Screen time of two hours or less earns 30 points, with diminishing points up to six hours; frequent breaks every 20–30 minutes earn 20 points; night mode, mindful use, and notification level fill the rest, with minimal notifications worth 15 points. The result is a heuristic 0–100 score meant for reflection and planning — not diagnosis — plus targeted improvement prompts.
The digital eye strain calculator builds a break benefit from breaks per hour and minutes per break, applies a distance factor that is lowest at arms-length viewing, and combines screen hours, lighting, and a selected eye-condition factor into its 0–100 risk estimate. It cites the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s 20-20-20 idea — look about 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes — as the same practical thinking behind frequent visual pauses.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Digital wellbeing | Digital eye strain |
|---|---|---|
| Question answered | How healthy are my overall tech habits? | How much eye-comfort risk does my setup carry? |
| Screen time | Scored in bands (≤2h best, >6h zero) | Scored as hours, combined with other factors |
| Breaks | Frequency only (20–30 min best) | Frequency and duration, as a break benefit |
| Other inputs | Night mode, mindful use, notifications | Viewing distance, lighting, eye-condition factor |
| Output | 0–100 heuristic + improvement prompts | 0–100 heuristic risk estimate |
| Guidance base | APA advisory, NHLBI sleep context | AAO computer-usage and 20-20-20 guidance |
| Medical measure? | No — reflection and planning | No — compares setups, not eye health |
When to use which
Use the digital wellbeing calculator when your question is about the whole picture: notification pressure, night mode, mindful use, and how screen time fits into your day and sleep. Its prompts give you something to act on the same session.
Use the digital eye strain calculator when the concern is physical comfort at the screen: distance, lighting, break timing and length, and whether your routine may increase focusing effort or awkward posture. It is the right tool for comparing two setups — a desk change, a new chair, a glare-reducing layout — rather than judging eye health.
Both pages are explicit that a score is not a diagnosis. Treat the numbers as conversation starters about habits, and talk to an eye-care or health professional when you have real concerns.
Where to start
- Digital wellbeing calculator — overall technology-habit score with improvement prompts.
- Digital eye strain calculator — eye-comfort risk estimate from screen, break, distance, and lighting habits.