My next step was to look as far back as Google indexed. The upward trend of web searches for “20 20 20 rule” could represent inherent growth of Internet use along with interest in how The Rule pertains not only to the eyes, but for other areas. There is also a 20-20-20 rule for a cognitive-behavioral approach to treating drug addiction, describing how the therapist should spend the first, second, and third 20-minute periods during an hour-long session with the patient. Related: How digital devices are affecting vision 4ĭeepening the intrigue, a food writer in 2012 coined a 20-20-20 rule for eating after bariatric surgery, suggesting to chew a mouthful of food 20 times before swallowing, putting down utensils for 20 seconds before the next mouthful, and to eat this way for a period of 20 minutes. 5Ī military spouse qualifies for medical benefits and commissary and exchange privileges for the remainder of life if the spouse was married for at least 20 years, the service member performed at least 20 years of service creditable for retirement pay, and there is at least a 20-year overlap of marriage and military service. The 20-20-20 Rule for military divorce was enacted in 1982 under the provisions of the Uniformed Service Former Spouses’ Protection Act. My research showed me that the 20-20-20 Rule is found in other disciplines, such as the military, bariatric surgery, and drug addiction. Yet the confounding factor is that there are also 20-20-20 rules pertaining outside of eye care. The existence of users searching for this term in 2004 told me that it was unlikely that the 2014 blog article by the Indian engineer was responsible for popularizing the catchphrase. Google trendsįrom January 2004, up to today, the number online searches for “20 20 20 rule” on Google approximately doubled (Figure 2). Could the 20-20-20 Rule be another example in which a layperson started something that became popular and resonated with the public without supportive evidence for efficacy? I had to dig deeper. I remembered how Airborne, the dietary supplement marketed to prevent the common cold, was created by a school teacher. I started wondering, was this engineer-without any background in eye care-the person that started The Rule? 3 I e-mailed him several times but got no response. With some sleuthing on the Internet, I came across a 2014 blog by an engineer in India which mentioned that he learned of the 20-20-20 Rule from his eye doctor. Chou: 7 strategies for fitting keratoconus patients Started by an engineer?

This article tells how I tracked down its origin. I suspected the latter, believing that The Rule became famous for being famous. Was this guidance based on evidence, or did its popularity snowball from nebulous origins? In the past year, I’ve observed The Rule mentioned enough times in consumer and trade media that I began questioning where it came from. But have you ever wondered where this came from? 1,2 Maybe you, like many other eyecare professionals, offer this guidance to your patients. Numerous sources now refer to it, including the American Optometric Association (Figure 1) and the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The catchphrase suggests taking a 20 second break every 20 minutes by looking 20 feet away. Get 202020 today for absolutely no cost! Your eyes will thank you!Most optometrists have heard of the 20-20-20 Rule for preventing and relieving digital eye strain. The shortcuts can also be enabled and disabled. Adjustable notification sounds play with the shortcuts, allowing you to be certain that they went through. So, you can choose if the app runs in the main taskbar or the tray, and whether to hide it from the alt-tab menu.įurthering the app's low profile, 202020 offers keyboard shortcuts for pausing, resuming, and skipping the timer. You can configure the timer lengths, notification window, notification sounds, and notification text from the settings page.Īlso, many users prefer a low profile for such a simple app. A short notification sound plays at the break timer's start and end. After the break timer ends, the notification closes itself and the timer repeats. It sets a 20 minute timer which triggers a notification window and 20 second break timer after it ends. To promote eye health, optometrists designed the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds.Ģ02020 is a simple and feature-rich app for following the 20/20/20 rule. Eye strain and dry eye are common problems for computer users.

20 20 20 eye timer