How to relieve eye fatigue and reduce eye strain?

Date of article writing: 06/05/2020 Quantity

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CausesSigns of asthenopiaHow to deal with visual fatigueHardware treatment with MACDEL devicesPrevention. Advice from ophthalmologists. Eye exercises

Eye asthenopia is a visual pathology characterized by rapid eye fatigue. This is not a disease, but if you ignore the problem, serious complications may develop (strabismus, conjunctivitis, blepharitis, decreased visual acuity), requiring long-term and complex treatment.

80% of the population of our planet suffers from asthenopia to one degree or another.

How to understand that your eyes need rest

Any visual discomfort indicates that it is time to take a break from work and give your eyes a chance to rest. Experts identify the main symptoms that indicate overstrain of the visual system:

Veil, fog before the eyes;
The image doubles and blurs;
The eyes become inflamed and red;
Increased tear production and sensitivity to bright light;
Possible painful sensations in the eyes - pain, burning, itching;
Problems appear with focusing your gaze at close range;
Possible eyelid twitching.

Be careful, these symptoms may also indicate the presence of serious visual impairment! To exclude negative scenarios, you need to visit an ophthalmologist.

Increased visual fatigue may indicate serious problems, so do not delay a visit to an ophthalmologist

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Causes of increased visual fatigue

High strain on the eyes.

This is often encountered by schoolchildren and students who are forced to read and write a lot, as well as office workers whose work involves continuously sitting at a computer or reading documents.

Also, if you are fond of computer games, like to watch TV series from mobile gadgets - smartphones or tablets - or spend all your free time with a book, your eyes are also subject to high strain.

To minimize problems with this lifestyle, it is necessary to take breaks as often as possible and provide your eyes with regular rest.

Computer vision syndrome.

This is a whole complex of symptoms that is caused by overstrain of the visual system due to prolonged use of the computer. The reason for the development of the symptom is not so much the need to look at the monitor for a long time, but rather a functional change in your posture, eyes, and neck. For example, constant glancing from the keyboard to the monitor and back leads to accommodative asthenopia, which is manifested by discomfort, eye fatigue, pain, pain in the superciliary region, and blurred vision of the object of fixation.

Subsequently, this can provoke disorders such as myopia (myopia), accommodation spasm (inability to focus on small objects and details) and dry eye syndrome.

A properly organized workplace and touch typing skills will help minimize the harm from constant work at the computer.

Dry eye syndrome.

It often appears due to computer vision syndrome and develops due to insufficient hydration of vision: when concentrating on the computer, a person blinks less often, as a result of which the tear film dries out. Plus, the air near the computer heats up and also becomes dry.

Organize your workspace and use special glasses for working at the computer

In the summer season, when air conditioning is used in the premises, the pathological effect of dry air on the eyes only intensifies. And if you use contact lenses, the syndrome develops even faster.

To reduce the negative impact of external factors and provide more comfortable conditions for your eyes, place a humidifier near your workplace. Also buy moisturizing drops (they should be selected with the help of an ophthalmologist) and use them several times a day. If possible, try to blink more often.

Types of asthenopia

There are several types of asthenopia based on the nature of the causes and form of progression:

Accommodative is the most common type of illness. Occurs with farsightedness, spasm of accommodation, general weakening of accommodative abilities in infectious ophthalmological diseases. With this type of asthenopia, the patient most often comes to see a doctor with the complaint of “tired eyes.”

Muscular asthenopia is a consequence of disruption of the oculomotor system. This can lead to the development of strabismus. This form of asthenopia is often provoked by myopia. This type of disease in question is characterized by blurred vision and diplopia.
Mixed, in which both mechanisms of development of asthenopia are observed - accommodative and muscular. In this case, all the signs of these varieties appear, but blurred images are also added to diplopia and eye fatigue.
Neurogenic, resulting from a disorder of the nervous system. The patient develops photophobia; due to blurred images, it is difficult for him to concentrate on any work, he becomes nervous and irritable.
Symptomatic, indicating the development of an inflammatory process in the eye.

During treatment, it is important to determine the type of asthenopia. The success of therapy depends on this.

How to quickly relieve tired eyes

During the break, perform light eye exercises:

Look into the distance for 20 seconds, focus on an object that is located about 20 steps away from you;
Close your eyes and make four rotations with your eyeballs - first clockwise, then counterclockwise;
Without opening your eyelids, move your eyes up and down;
Complete the exercise by blinking frequently for 30 seconds. The gaze is directed forward.

To consolidate the effect, drip your eyes with moisturizing drops selected by an ophthalmologist. Do not self-medicate, be sure to seek help from a specialist - moisturizing drops come in different viscosities, they can have a therapeutic effect, or they can simply wet the surface of the eye. Only an ophthalmologist will determine what exactly your vision needs and select the necessary remedy.

By the way, gymnastics also requires prior consultation with a doctor. Make sure you have no contraindications. An ophthalmologist can also recommend other types of gymnastics.

Diagnosis of asthenopia

The following types of ophthalmological examinations allow us to establish the causes, form and degree of asthenopia:

skiascopy is a method of objectively studying the refractive abilities of the eye;
visual acuity test;
four-point binocularity test;

identifying the angle of strabismus, if its signs appear;
determination of the level of accommodation reserve.

After the doctor accurately determines the type of pathological process and finds out the reasons that provoked it, treatment is prescribed.

How to reduce eye strain and prevent increased fatigue

There are several rules that must be followed in everyday life. Thanks to this, you can significantly reduce the strain on your eyesight, and your eyes will tire much less.

If you work at a computer, then the first thing you need to do is organize your workspace correctly.

It is important that the workplace is well and evenly lit. Do not allow the sun's rays to shine directly into your eyes or onto the monitor screen; it is better if you sit sideways to the window. There should also be blinds on the window so that on sunny days you can control the light intensity - if the light is too bright, the eyes get tired faster.
It is better if you work on a high-quality LCD or plasma monitor, preferably with a large diagonal. Experts recommend choosing monitors with a flicker frequency of 60 to 100 Hz. Be sure to adjust the brightness and contrast of the image to your liking. Remember that an overly bright screen will strain your eyes.
Adjust the monitor to your posture: the center of the monitor should be 10-20 cm below your eyes. The distance to the screen from the eyes should be at least 60 cm.
If possible, reduce computer work to 4 hours a day;
Take breaks while working every 20 minutes. At this time, you cannot switch to mobile gadgets, since pauses will be of no use in this case. It’s better to do the light eye exercises we talked about above. But before performing gymnastics, you need to consult with a specialist
and make sure that you have no contraindications to this;
Provide air humidification - buy a special device and install it next to your workplace;
Regularly use moisturizing drops selected under the supervision of an ophthalmologist;
Try to blink more often;
Use special glasses for working on a computer; they block the blue spectrum of radiation emitted by the monitor and reduce eye strain.

Asthenopia with presbyopia

Presbyopia, or age-related farsightedness, develops after 40 years and manifests itself in deterioration of near vision. Asthenopia is one of the signs of presbyopia. To prevent visual fatigue, you need to wear reading glasses. Ophthalmologists recommend purchasing multifocal contact lenses, which have several optical centers that allow you to see at different distances.

Prevention of visual fatigue

The health of your eyes depends on your daily habits. Visual hygiene allows you to maintain good health and reduces eye fatigue even under conditions of increased stress.

Sleep 7-8 hours – good and complete sleep is very important for eye health, which should last at least 7 hours. It is important that the room in which you sleep is dark;
2 hours before bedtime, stop using gadgets. Firstly, this way you will fall asleep easier and your sleep will be stronger. Secondly, at this time the eyes will be able to rest from irritating light. It’s better to read a regular paper book or an electronic one, but one that works on the E-Ink principle (which means “electronic ink”). No mobile phones, computers or tablets. It is also better to abstain from TV;
Maintain reading hygiene: do not read while lying down or in moving vehicles; while reading, keep the book at a distance of 30 cm from your eyes. The light source should be located behind and slightly above;
Include in your diet foods that are good for vision - blueberries, carrots, melon, fish, etc. A “healthy” menu alone will not be able to solve the problem, but in combination with other healthy habits, proper nutrition will have a positive effect on vision and well-being in in general;
Make it a habit to visit an ophthalmologist once a year, even if nothing bothers you. Only timely identification of possible violations will prevent their development. Remember that you cannot always correctly assess your condition on your own;

If you need vision correction, it is better to use glasses rather than contact lenses at the computer. Firstly, this will reduce corneal dryness. Secondly, there are special coatings for spectacle lenses that can reduce eye strain and protect them from the blue spectrum of radiation;
It is necessary to wash your face thoroughly before going to bed. Women need to completely remove their makeup. Men should also pay enough attention to washing, since during the day dust and dirt particles settle on the eyelashes, which can get into the eyes;
It is better not to use an eye mask while sleeping. If you can’t sleep without it, choose a product that doesn’t put pressure on your eyes or squeeze your temples, otherwise the blood circulation in your vision organs may be impaired. Remember that the mask must be washed regularly.

Asthenopia with farsightedness

As noted earlier, the accommodative form of asthenopia most often develops, which is a consequence of farsightedness. With this refractive error, corrective means must be selected correctly. If they cause discomfort, their characteristics do not correspond to the parameters of the visual organs, the symptoms of asthenopia will intensify. For farsightedness, glasses and contact lenses with positive diopters are selected. In this case, children are prescribed optics with an optical power weaker than the actual refractive error in order to stimulate the eye muscles. Adults must wear optical products that fully compensate for vision pathology.

conclusions

Simple gymnastics, which should be performed regularly throughout the day, will help quickly relieve eye fatigue. But this is not enough! To make your eyes less strained and tired, it is important to provide the right conditions:

Organize your workplace according to all the rules;
Install a humidifier near your workplace;
Use moisturizing drops throughout the day;
During work, stop every 20-40 minutes to perform gymnastics;
Turn down the brightness of your monitor and mobile gadget screens;
Do not read in moving vehicles;
Choose paper books or electronic ones using E-Ink technology;
If possible, reduce your time working at the computer to 4 hours a day;
2 hours before bedtime, do not use mobile gadgets and computers;
Get examined by an ophthalmologist at least once a year.

Remember that before performing gymnastics you need to consult an ophthalmologist! Moisturizing drops should also be selected by a specialist.