- Eye strain is a group of symptoms caused by fatigue in the muscles of the eye caused by overuse over a long period of time.
- Using computer, tablet, and mobile for a long time causes the problem of Digital Eye Strain.
Before going into the prevention of eye strain, it is important to understand about it. Usually eyes pain or discomfort is also called eye strain, but in the medical field it is called asthenopia. Eye strain is a common problem faced by people of almost all age groups. With increasing digital engagement, eye strain has become a prevalent symptom.
Eye strain is a group of symptoms caused by fatigue in the muscles of the eye caused by overuse over a long period of time. Simply put, eye strain is a characteristic symptom of eye muscle fatigue. Any activity that overuses your eyes can cause fatigue of the extra-ocular muscles, which can lead to eye strain.
In most cases, eye strain is a minor problem that can be resolved by resting the eyes for a while. In some cases, eye strain can be linked to an underlying eye disease, for which it is recommended to have regular eye exams. Normally we blink about 18 times in a minute. This frequency of blinking of eyelids helps to keep our eyes fresh, but when focusing more on an object or work, such as book, driving, computer screen and writing, then this frequency of blinking decreases, Which can cause eye strain. For this, you should understand in detail about the prevention of eye strain.
What are the Sign of Eye Strain?, Preventing Digital Eye Strain
1. Burning Sensation in the Eyes
There is a burning sensation when the eyes are tired. Burning sensation in the eyes should not be ignored. People who work on the screen for a long time, feel a burning sensation in their eyes. Getting debris or dust in your eyes can also cause irritation, so if you feel a burning sensation, wash your eyes with cool water.
2. Watery Eyes
Due to eye fatigue, there may be watery eyes. Staring or focusing on something for a long time can cause watering of the eyes. This is a sign that your eyes need rest. In case of watery eyes, stop work for a while and rest.
3. Dry Eye Problem
When there is fatigue in the eyes, dryness in the eyes increases. Due to dryness in the eyes, pain can also be felt. People who work in bright light can have this problem. Due to light, the eyes become sensitive. If you feel dryness in your eyes, close your eyes for some time and rest.
4. Headache
Having a headache means you have tired eyes. Even when the eyes are weak, there may be pain in the head. For 1 or 2 days, it is normal to have a headache. But it is not normal to have a headache for a long time. Get checked by a doctor. Headaches can be a symptom of many conditions, so don’t ignore a checkup.
5. Blurred Vision
When the eyes are tired, blurred vision may occur. You must have noticed, the day you work for long hours, your eyes are tired and you cannot see clearly. To relieve eye fatigue, gently massage the outer part of the eyes.
Read Also : What is Conjunctivitis of Pink Eye?
What are the Symptoms of Eye Strain?
Common symptoms of Eye Strain are:
- Double Vision
- Headache
- Blurring Vision
- Eye irritation
- Watery or dry eyes
- Pain in the back, shoulders and around the shoulders
Unusual symptoms that warrant medical attention are: - Persistent eye pain
- Pain with burning sensation in the eyes
- Persistent severe headache
In the below paragraphs we will understand the prevention of eye strain.
What are the Eye Strain Causes?
If you are looking for to have some knowledge of Eye Strain causes, read this line carefully. Eye strain is caused by certain activities, including reduced blinking and prolonged use of vision. Apart from these tiring activities include-
1. Long Time Viewing of Digital Screen
Continuous viewing of mobile, laptop, computer screen, television screen, gaming screen, tablet and other digital screens is the primary and most prevalent cause of eye strain. Staring for long hours with the harmful rays coming out from these digital screens can cause eye strain.
2. Broad Focus on one Activity
Activities such as reading or writing that involve continuous use of vision over long periods of time can cause eye strain.
3. Abnormal Light
Working in an area with less or more light can also cause eye strain. For example, reading on a mobile screen or watching a movie on a digital screen with high brightness in a completely dark room, working in a studio with extreme light settings and shooting with strobe light settings, etc. Working under these conditions puts more strain on the eye muscles, causing eye strain.
4. Any Kind of Eye Problem
Symptoms of eye strain may be an overlapping symptom associated with an eye disorder. If you experience any symptoms of persistent eye strain, get your eyes checked immediately.
Must Know about : Read Also : What is Conjunctivitis of Pink Eye?
What is Digital Eye Strain?
Digital Eye Strain is about the problem of eyes and vision. Using computer, tablet, and mobile for a long time causes the problem of Digital Eye Strain. By looking at the screen for a long time, people feel discomfort in the eyes and problems in seeing.
Normally Eye strain caused by using any digital device is called digital eye strain. The main reason for this is working for long hours on the computer or laptop screen. Computer vision syndrome may result from persistent digital eye strain.
Studies suggest that 50-90% of people who work at a computer screen are at risk of developing computer vision syndrome. In today’s digital world, the risk of computer vision syndrome cannot be completely avoided, but by taking proper precautions, its condition can be prevented from getting worse.
8 Easy Ways to Avoid Eye Strain.
Understand the prevention of Eye Strain in detail, such as
1. Maintain the Correct Position of your Screen
It is important to maintain the correct distance and proper posture of your digital device. Accordingly, an ideal distance should be 20 to 26 inches away and slightly below eye level. Try changing your posture. This allows you to adjust the screen and your seating position. This will help you take a break from continuous viewing and reduce eye strain.
2. Use Anti-glare Protection
Blue light emitted from digital screens causes eye strain. In such a situation, by using anti-glare glasses or anti-glare screen cover, your eyes can be protected from these harmful rays. The use of an anti-glare filter between the eyes and the screen limits harmful rays entering the eyes, thereby preventing eye strain.
3. Limit Stress with the 20-20-20 Rule
The 20-20-20 rule involves focusing on a core activity for 20 minutes with 20-second breaks. In this you can focus on an object placed 20 feet away. This activity relieves strain by relaxing your eyes. In addition to the 20-20-20 rule, you can also take breaks from activity that gives rest to your eyes.
Take 10-20 minute breaks for long drives, which can include a walk or a short nap. You can do a similar practice for longer screen time. This helps limit screen time and reduce eye strain.
4. Use Proper Lighting
The right lighting should be adjusted based on the activity. While reading a book or writing something in a notebook, it is necessary that the light should be focused on that thing. For this, by sitting in a properly lit room and reading, you will be able to feel less pressure on your eyes.
Apart from this, eye strain can also be reduced by watching TV in a low-light setup. Similarly adjust the brightness of your digital screen with the light of the environment. You can also use the night filter when it gets dark to prevent eye strain.
5. Prevent Eye Movement while Multitasking
Eye strain can also be caused by repeated eye movements during multitasking. For example, focusing on handwritten notes on tables and laptop screens, or alternatively shifting focus to perform a task. Instead, you can use a document stand to keep your documents in direct line of sight. Your eyes will work less hard as a result, preventing eye strain.
6. Hydrate Your Eyes with Eye-drops
Due to continuous focus on a task, your eyelids blink less. Your eyes naturally replace moisture through blinking. Less blinking can dry out your eyes, which can cause eye strain. Dry eyes and eye strain can be reduced by using eye drops.
7. Save Yourself from Polluted Air
Pollution and dust particles present in the air can irritate your eyes, causing eye strain. Also, the dry air from the air conditioner can put pressure on the eyes by making your cornea dry. Air conditioners can be adjusted, using an air purifier or humidifier, which will help reduce eye strain.
8. Practice An Eye-refreshing Routine
Close your eyes as soon as the work that puts pressure on the eyes is over and keep a cloth wet with cold water on the eyes for ten minutes. This regular practice will help your eyes heal and reduce the symptoms of eye strain.
Who is at Risk of Eye Strain?
Eye strain is highest in people who are most exposed to factors such as:
- Work conditions demanding prolonged exposure to a digital screen.
- Symptoms of eye strain may appear in advanced age with less muscle strength often.
- Children and teens who spend more time in digital activities than in outdoor activities.
- If you currently experience any eye issues.
Treatment for Eye Strain.
Eye strain is a very common eye problem, which usually does not have any serious consequences. Symptoms can be controlled by following simple steps to maintain good eye hygiene and reduce eye strain. Along with this, eye drops can be used for problems related to eye pain with the advice of an Ophthalmologist.
However, symptoms of worsening eye strain may be associated with an eye disease. Severe headache, blurred vision and itchy eyes associated with pain over a period of time require medical attention. In this case, consult an Ophthalmologist for eye examination.
What is the Reason for Having Eye Strain?
1. Digital Eye
Having a strain is not an event or an activity. If seen, irritation and restlessness can be due to many reasons. Digital tools often have small print and non-pixelated photos which we cannot read easily and have to focus more than our eyes. Which can cause stress.
2. The reason for the tension on the eyes is also that we are digital.
You are not using the tool properly, such as looking at the tool in the wrong way or using it by keeping it in the wrong angle or using it by keeping it far away. A high energy visible light is blue light. Which is more in computer. Computer is considered a major cause of eye strain.
3. Blue Light Digital
Comes out of Tools and puts more emphasis on the eyes than other colors. Blue light has a long wavelength. Blue light can cause vision problems such as cataracts and ageing. Digital eye strain can also happen to people who wear prescription eye wear.
Do you know : What is DMD Disease, Symptoms & Treatment?
What are the Symptoms of Digital Eye Strain?
Most common symptoms of Digital Eye Strain are:
- Dry Eyes
- Redness of Eyes
- Irritation
- Slight blurred visionz
- Back, neck and shoulder pain
- Headache onset
How to Care While Having Digital Eye Strain?
Digital Eye Strain can be prevented by reducing the use of Digital Media, but the use of Digital Tools cannot be reduced in a country like America. There are many ways to reduce the effect of the screen on the eyes while using digital tool.
First of all, start by paying attention to your body. Pain in the eyesz neck, head, or shoulder indicates that Digital Eye strain is occurring. Before you feel that your eyes are burning or your eyes feel tired or you feel irritable or you feel something like the symptoms. You start the practice of preventing Digital Eye Strain.
1. Maintain Distance
Give a position to your device means keep it at some distance from you so that you can maintain the distance between your eyes and the screen. Like if you are using your mobile, then keep the mobile below the level of the eyes and keep some distance and hold it. With this, you can comfortably read what comes on the screen.
2. Lower the Glare a Bit
Check the Control Setting of the device once that the screen’s light is not less or more. If yes then adjust it. If the color of your screen background is Colorful, then on making it Cooler Gray, you can think that this is a good option. There are also filters to do less and more in Computer Device, which can be easily installed on the computer, which can reduce Digital Eye Strain.
3. Screen Should be Clean
Many times dust or any smudge gets on the screen of the device due to which the screen of the device is not clearly visible and the eyes are stressed. Therefore, clean the dust on the screen of your device.
4. Lower the Surrounding Light
It is not necessary that you have reduced the light of your mobile, you have to keep the light around you low as well. When you are inside the light, the light should be low. When you are outside i.e. exposed to sunlight under the open sky, then increase the light slightly so that you do not have to strain your eyes while reading.
5. Increase the Size of Text
The size of the word coming on the screen is small, which has to be emphasized on the eyes to read. That’s why the words coming on the screen or the size of the photo should be increased slightly. By increasing the word size, the eyes can be made comfortable.
6. Blink your Eyes again and again
Eyes become dry due to continuous looking or staring at the digital screen, dryness comes in it. For this you have to keep blinking your eyes again and again. You have to remind yourself to blink. So that the eyes get time to relax.
7. Wait a While
By continuously working on the digital screen, the chances of changing the digital eye strain become more, for this you can take small breaks after 30 minutes, small breaks means removing the eyes from the screen at a distance of 20 or 30 feet. See We can call it Eyes Break. Taking small breaks makes a big difference to the eyes.
8. Use Computer Glasses
Computer glasses are a useful tool to reduce the damage caused to the eyes or the effect on the eyes from Digital Eye Strain. Computer glasses have rapidly become a popular digital eye strain prevention tool. It adjusts the distance between the eyes and the screen.
Computer glasses can be made without consulting a doctor.
It looks just like a normal glasses. Its lenses are slightly different. Reflex power in the lens of this glasses is according to the light of the eyes. When you do some work or look at something on the screen, then your eyes get rest.
Some computer glasses also have lenses that absorb harmful blue light. So you can use computer with such screen lens. Whose glasses are made of blue light absorbing lenses.
How to Remove Eye Fatigue?
- To maintain the moisture of the eyes, use cucumber. Cut cucumber slices and keep them on the eyes.
- Splash cold water on the eyes. By doing this the eyes will get rest.
- To avoid eye fatigue, follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look up to 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
- Avoid reading or working on laptop for long hours. Rest your eyes in between and stay away from the screen.
- Lubricating eye drops can be used to relieve eye fatigue. Do not use eye drops without doctor’s advice.
Disclaimer : The article’s sole purpose is to wake you up for your health and to provide you the best collective and verified information. We do not recommend for any kind of medicine or treatment. You should only seek to your Doctor or Medical Counselor Because there is no one better than him.