Most of our lives nowadays are spent in front of screens. It could be work, entertainment, or staying connected. We cannot deny the fact that we spend too much of our day staring at screens. Technology has made life easy, but it has also ushered in some modern issues. Eye strain, also termed as asthenopia, is a condition arising from eyes getting tired after too much utilization. Though it is not a major problem in most conditions, if you do not watch for it and it goes unchecked, it can cause tremendous trouble.

We will discuss the causes, common symptoms, and how to overcome this problem in this blog so that you can maintain healthy eyes.

What is Eye Strain?

Eye strain is where you have experienced your eyes being overly strained or exerted for a long time. This is one of the common problems that people who sit in front of digital devices for hours, reading books, or driving for long hours have. When your eyes are always focused on something and this goes on for hours without a break, then the muscles get exhausted, causing strain in the eyes.

Common causes of eye strain:

The common conditions that can cause eye strain include:

• Prolonged Screen Time: When you spend too much time on your smartphone, computer, or tablet screens without break, it can become a massive source of digital eye strain.

• Reading for Extended Periods: Concentrating for prolonged periods on small print without taking breaks can tire your eye muscles.

• Driving Long Distances: While driving long distances you have to pay attention to the road, particularly over a long distance. Which does put a strain on your eyes, especially in dim light or bright-glare conditions.

• Lack of Suitable Lighting: Too much light or too little light will make your eyes struggle to keep things in focus, so there will be strain.

• Incorrectly Prescribed Glasses: Having an incorrect prescription or failing to wear your glasses when you need them means that your eyes must focus more to see clearly, which leads to eye strain.

• Stress and Fatigue: Eye strain can also result from mental or physical exhaustion, as fatigued eyes are less productive.

Now that we know the causes, let's proceed to learn the symptoms of eye strain you should be aware of.

Common Symptoms of Eye Strain:

1. Eye Discomfort and Fatigue

Usually, eye strain appears as a feeling of discomfort or tiredness in the eyes. One could easily feel that his eyes are tired, sore, or heavy. This condition often appears after a long period of staring at something; for example, on the computer screen, in a book, or in a movie.

2. Blurry Vision

Vision blurriness is yet another typical symptom. Your eyes may have problems focussing after a prolonged period of time spent reading or looking at a screen. It could appear as though close-up or distant things are becoming fuzzy, and it will take some time for your eyesight to adjust.

3. Watery or Dry Eyes

while you focus on things for too long without blinking, especially while using digital gadgets, your eyes might become dry. But, in an attempt to make up for the dryness, your eyes could also start to moisten. Both of these signs indicate that your eyes are overworked.

4. Headaches

Most of the time eye strain results in a headache. Specifically a tension headache around the orbits of your eyes, forehead, and temples. These kinds of headaches develop after a long period of focusing vision and worsen if eye strain persists unless treated.

5. Sensitivity to light

If you squint or feel a nuisance in bright environments, then you could be light-sensitive. This symptom is called photophobia and may either make it very difficult or impossible to work in well-lit places or utilize digital screens.

6. Focus Inability

Whenever the eyes get strained, it becomes hard to focus on tasks requiring visual attention. It is not easy to fix your gaze, and this can easily divert your mind. This may become influential in making your work ineffective, and you'll have a low productivity level.

7. Neck, Shoulder, and Back Pain

Eye strain is not only limited to the eyes, poor posture in sitting at a desk or using digital devices leads to neck, shoulder, and backache. The symptoms are accompanied by eye strain because we tend to slouch over or sit awkwardly to ease eye discomfort.

8. Double Vision

The most extreme cases can lead to double vision. This occurs when your eyes become so tired that they find it hard to hold focus to one point. Thus, you see two overlapping images.

How to Overcome Eye Strain?

Although eye strain is fairly common, there are simple methods to avoid and manage it:

• Apply the 20-20-20 Rule: For every 20 minutes, stare 20 seconds at something 20 feet away. This will reprogram your eyes and prevent strain from too much exposure to the computer screen.

• Adjust Your Settings on Your Screen: Make sure to decrease the brightness of your screen, increase the text size, and even adjust the contrast to make reading easier on the eyes.

• Maintaining Proper Lighting in Your Environment: Your workplace should have a balanced lighting condition that is neither too bright nor too dim to prevent glare or too many shadows.

• Blink Often: Frequently remind yourself to blink, especially when you are using or viewing digital displays.

• Wear Corrective Eyewear: If you wear glasses or contact lenses, keep your prescription up to date to minimise extra strain.

• Take Frequent Breaks: Rest your eyes at times by stepping away from your screen or any visual activity.

In today's visually demanding environment, eye strain is a frequent but treatable problem. You can lessen its effects by being aware of the symptoms, which include headaches, blurred vision, and eye irritation. Simple changes like following the 20-20-20 rule, controlling the settings on your screen, taking frequent breaks will help you maintain good eye health and prevent the discomfort of eye strain on a daily basis.