Real-time eye blinking detection for reducing the effects caused by computer vision syndrome

Lengthy exposition to a screen with artificial light like a computer, tablet, cellphone, or others can harm the human eyes. Part of the light emitted by these devices’ screens is blue light, shown in different studies to affect human health. The most common effect is computer vision syndrome, closely related to a decrease in the number of blinks a person makes. This syndrome manifests with different ailments such as headache, visual fatigue, back pain, stress, and irritability. Previous investigations present a solution to the screen’s light adjustment to prevent it from affecting it significantly. However, a real-time monitoring solution for the person’s blinking is still challenging. This paper presents an implementation of an algorithm for the detection of eye blinks in real-time using the Viola-Jones algorithm. An image processing sequence is carried out to detect whether a blink was made by analyzing the iris and the eyelids. The results present a real-time precision above 90% tested using a web camera working at 10 frames per second.