Eye Strain or
Asthenopia can be very annoying. Likewise, it can be disturbing and it may
prevent a person from doing his or her best in specific tasks. Its symptoms are
tired, red eyes which may make people want to just close their eyes and sleep,
itchy eyes which is very irritating, and burning eyes which can make people
very uncomfortable. Aside from being unsightly, eye strain can make people
suffer from discomfort and even pains at times.
Eye Strain is
rarely a common eye condition and can easily be prevented even just by basic
eye care. However, there are also some rare instances when this is not exactly
the condition but is just a symptom of a deeper health concern. It is time to
see a doctor when the eye strain
comes with a headache, when the person suffers from too much discomfort, when
one starts to have double vision, or if there is any major change in one’s
vision.
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| Photo from Eye Strain Org |
Causes of Eye Strain
Eye strain is
usually caused by different activities that demands intense use of a person’s
eyes or using the eyes for a very long period of time. Some examples of this
condition’s causes are driving, writing, and reading for hours. Likewise, hours
of exposure of the eyes to different devices such as computers, mobile phones,
and game consoles, can cause a person to suffer from eye strain. This kind of eye
strain is also called the computer vision syndrome. This happens when a
person’s ciliary muscle gets too tight.
Eye Strain Symptoms
·
Eye irritation. This includes redness and
itchiness that can make a person very uncomfortable. Although it may look like
the eyes of a person who did not get enough sleep, it is different because of
the discomfort that it brings.
·
Can’t focus. Another symptom is when a person
cannot seem to focus his or her eyes to a specific subject.
·
Dryness. Some people’s eyes get too dry when
they suffer from eye strain. On the
other hand, there are some whose eyes get too watery.
·
Blurry. People may also suffer from blurry vision.
This may prevent a person from performing his or her tasks well. This is also
known as double vision to some.
·
Light Sensitivity. People who suffer from eye strain may become extremely
sensitive to any form of light.
·
Pain. Some symptoms are pain in different parts
of the body like the shoulders, the neck, the eyes, or around the person’s
eyes, and the back.
How to Handle Eye
Strain
Although eye strain
is not really directly treated, there are some pretty simple ways of getting
rid of it or stopping its symptoms.
·
When acquired through reading, one can get rid
of eye strain through increasing the
lighting and decreasing the glare. One can also take a break more frequently to
give the eyes some time to rest.
·
Blinking more frequently can help the eyes.
·
Keep at least 20 inches of distance from the TV
or computer screen.
