You might be experiencing eye strain if, at the end of the day, your eyes burn, water, or twitch. It's almost guaranteed if you have headaches, blurred vision, or find yourself squinting after a few hours in front of the computer screen or television.
What is Eyestrain?
Should you be concerned if your eyes feel tired and dry after a few hours of Internet surfing? Probably not. Eyestrain is uncomfortable. And it might be a sign of eye problems. But eyestrain rarely causes eye damage.
According to the Sight and Hearing Association, your eyes aren't really being strained. Instead, it's the muscles that are used for eye movement and focus that grow weary from too much use in adverse conditions. When the muscles tense or are overworked, you can experience:
- Sore or tired eyes
- Itchy or burning eyes
- Dry or scratchy eyes
- Headaches
- Double or blurred vision
- Difficulty focusing
- Frequently losing your place when switching between documents or a distance object and close-up page or screen
- Halo-affect or after-image
- Light sensitivity
Prevention
Two common causes of eyestrain are glare and focusing without a break. Any activity that taxes your eyes for a prolonged period of time can cause eyestrain - whether it's a close-up activity like sewing or watching an entire football game through binoculars. Computer use is the most common cause for eyestrain. An estimated 50 million Americans experience eyestrain caused by computer use.
Activities associated with eyestrain - and tips for preventing eyestrain - are:
Driving:
Wear sunglasses during the day. Pull into a rest area every few hours to give your eyes a break. If you need a reminder, set your watch alarm or drink two to four cups of water when you start out - and every time you stop to use the restroom facilities! Also, keep the wind from an open window or air vent from blowing directly into your eyes.
Reading, needlework and other close-up activities:
Keep books, knitting, sewing, journaling and drawing materials anywhere from 12 inches to 15 inches from your eyes. Ideally, your light source will be soft natural lighting coming from behind the shoulder of your opposite handedness (e.g. your left shoulder if you're right handed). If you need artificial light, use a 60 to 100 watt bulb. Take regular vision breaks by looking at a distant object. Many vision experts recommend the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Others suggest you take a three to four minute vision break every hour. Get up and move every two hours.
Television viewing:
In general, you should sit no closer than four or five times the width of your television screen. (If you have a 40-inch television, sit 13 ½ to 16 ½ feet away.) People who are near-sighted will need to sit closer unless they have corrective lenses. Resist the urge to turn off all the lights. Rather, dim the lights to half of what you normally would. Use lights that don't create a glare on the screen. Remind yourself to blink - even during suspenseful parts of a movie! Don't sit glued to the television. Take a break during commercials. Stand up, run up and down the stairs, or, at the very least, look out the window.
Computer monitors:
Computer monitors should be positioned 18 inches to 30 inches from your eyes, and slightly lower than your line of sight. Dim the lights as you would for television viewing. Avoid the use of overhead lights. Position the monitor so neither you nor the screen faces a window or other light source. Adjust the brightness and contrast on your screen so it's restful to your eyes. Do the same with computer screen color options. Use document holders that allow you to keep documents at the same viewing distance and height as the computer screen. Follow the 20/20/20 vision break rule.
For Persistent Problems
If you continue to experience eyestrain, check with an eye care specialist. You might have a vision problem (such as astigmatism or near-sightedness) or eye condition (such as dry eyes). If you regularly engage in activities causing eyestrain, have your eyes checked annually. If you are over age 40, you might need more frequently checkups. Check with your eye care specialist. |
