Are you constantly on your phones, laptops, TVs for either work or entertainment? Then you would have experienced eye strain at least once or twice in your life. It gives you a difficult time doing daily tasks because this causes you discomfort and even headaches. So, what is an eye strain?
What is Eye Strain?
Eye strain occurs when you are constantly looking at something for a long period. This means that if you are continuously using your gadgets, driving for a long time, reading without stopping, this would cause you to get an eye strain. But, sometimes, there are underlying eye issues that you may already have that could cause you to get eye strains for a much longer period.
Though, today, the most common cause of eye strain is the extended use of your gadgets. The extended use of gadgets increases the risk of you getting Computer Vision Syndrome or to put it simply, digital eye strain.
Getting eye strain isn’t usually that serious, it would go away once you rest your eyes but eye strain could be a symptom of an underlying eye condition that is yet to be diagnosed and be treated by a professional.
Signs & Causes
A few signs that you might have eye strain are:
Pain or Discomfort in Your Eyes
You would feel uncomfortable and pain in your eyes because your eyes are tired and have been under constant pressure. In line with this, your eyes are also going to start to itch because when you are too focused on what you are doing, sometimes, you would forget to blink, making you lose moisture from your eyes. This would lead to difficulty keeping your eyes open.
Headaches
Headaches are also a common sign of eye strain because your eyes are connected to your brain, so, when you use your eyes and are kept under pressure, your brain would also suffer from constant use, especially if you’re continuously reading or using your gadgets without stopping.
Increased Sensitivity to the Light
Getting an eye strain could possibly give you dry eyes which would lead to sensitivity to light. To put it simply, you would get “Photophobia”.
A few of the causes of eye strain are:
Extended Use of Gadgets
As mentioned, the extended use of gadgets would highly cause eye strain or much worse, Computer Vision Syndrome. Though, being exposed to dry air can also result to dry eyes.
Doing/Looking at Something That Needs Extended Focus
Have you ever been so focused that you’ve forgotten to blink? Well, this happens more than you think to a lot of people. When you forget to blink, your eyes get dry and tried, which could cause dry eyes and could result in photophobia or commonly known as “light sensitivity”.
Underlying Eye Conditions
Lastly, eye strain could be a symptom of an underlying eye condition that is yet to be diagnosed and treated. If you are experiencing eye strain that doesn’t go away with rest, it would be best to get in contact with an Ophthalmologist.
Prevention
Once you know that your symptoms are from eye strain, it would be best to change the habits and routine you have to help and prevent your eyes from becoming strained. By doing this, you are preventing many other signs that may grow into more significant problems, such as a headaches.
Conclusion
Taking care is very important because by not doing so, you’re just giving yourself more pain and things to do. After all, if you get an eye strain, you won’t be able to do your tasks properly. You should also think about eye care that focuses on preserving and nourishing your eyes. This would be beneficial to you in the long run.
