Do your eyes water – or feel uncomfortably dry – after a day in front of your computer? Does your vision get blurry after a day spent together with your needlework? Or perhaps your eyes feel sore or drained after an extended drive or after spending a couple of hours scrolling in your phone. Fortunately, regular breaks and a few easy adjustments may help keep your eyes comfortable as you go about your day.
What is eye strain and what causes it?
“Eye strain” isn't an official medical term or diagnosis. Rather, it is usually used colloquially to explain eye discomfort, sometimes at the side of short-term vision difficulties.
Concentrating on a single task for long periods of time without interruption could cause symptoms that might be brought on by eye strain. For example, specializing in an in depth task for a very long time (resembling reading small print or doing detailed needlework) could cause your attention to shift once you look up and take a look at to give attention to something distant. Relaxing might be difficult. Eye strain can even occur from attempting to see in dim light or in other situations that force your eyes to work harder.
When eye strain occurs on account of long sessions in front of electronic screens, it is usually generally known as digital eye strain or computer vision syndrome. The discomfort is usually a results of our natural tendency to not blink enough when taking a look at a screen.
Common activities that could cause symptoms of eye strain when performed for long periods of time with no break include:
- Spending time on a pc, tablet, cellphone, or watching TV
- Driving
- Reading, especially from small print or font size
- Needlework or other crafts that require constant, close attention.
Other aspects that could cause eye strain include:
- dim light
- Glare or very shiny light
- Air blows directly into the eyes, causing dryness.
- Dust or dirt on the digital screen
- Bad weather while driving
- Wearing glasses or contact lenses with the flawed prescription.
Symptoms brought on by computer vision syndrome or in lower than ideal conditions may make your eyes uncomfortable but not impair your vision. American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). Taking breaks and using artificial tears often helps.
Common symptoms of eye strain
What does eye pain feel like? Common symptoms include:
- Either dry or watery eyes
- Blurred vision or difficulty concentrating
- Eyes which can be drained, sore, itchy, or irritated.
- Difficulty keeping your eyes open
- Muscle spasms within the eyes or eyelids
- Headache behind eyes
- Eye pain from shiny light
Eye strain can even cause problems with concentration, productivity, or reading accuracy (on account of blurred vision). Back, neck, or shoulder pain may end up from poor posture while attempting to compensate for drained eyes.
Tips to scale back eye strain
The following suggestions may help reduce eye strain.
Take regular breaks.
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule for close tasks: Every 20 minutes, take a look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
- Take a break after two hours or 100 miles of continuous driving – or as needed.
Keep eye surfaces moist
- Remember to blink (we rarely blink when reading print or taking a look at a digital screen).
- Use artificial tears when driving or taking a look at a digital screen for long periods of time.
- Wear glasses as an alternative of contact lenses, or use comfort drops for computer use.
- When driving, keep the wind away out of your eyes.
- Use a humidifier in winter.
Get a transparent vision
- Keep digital screen surfaces and glasses clean.
- Reduce daytime glare with polarized sunglasses, especially when driving.
Creating an eye-friendly workspace
The AAO recommends the next suggestions for organizing your workplace to stop dry eyes and eye strain:
- Hold the pc screen 20 to 26 inches out of your face, with the middle of the screen barely below eye level.
- Face computer screens away from glare from windows or overhead lighting.
- Use a matte screen filter to scale back the glare brought on by a shiny screen.
- Adjust the screen brightness and room lighting to in regards to the same level.
- Increase on-screen contrast.
- Consider prescription computer glasses designed to focus at a distance of 25 inches.
- Sit in a snug chair that promotes good posture: Keep the feet flat on the ground with the assistance of the arms.
The AAO doesn't recommend blue light glasses, because there isn't a strong evidence that blue light from digital devices causes eye strain.