Eye strain, also known as asthenopia, is a common condition characterized by non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, pain around the eyes, blurred vision, headaches, and occasional double vision. It typically occurs after prolonged use of computers, digital devices, reading, or other activities that involve extended visual tasks[1][2].
Symptoms and Causes
- Symptoms: Sore, tired, burning, or itching eyes; watery or dry eyes; blurred or double vision; headache; sore neck, shoulders, or back; increased sensitivity to light[2].
- Causes: Prolonged use of digital devices like computers and smartphones, reading without breaks, driving long distances, exposure to dry moving air, stress, fatigue, and underlying eye conditions[2].
Computer Vision Syndrome
- Extended use of computers can lead to Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), causing symptoms like eye strain, dry eyes, headaches, and blurred vision. Factors contributing to CVS include reduced blinking while using computers and poor posture[2].
Management and Prevention
- Methods to relieve eye strain include taking periodic breaks by closing the eyes, getting adequate sleep, proper nutrition, and adjusting the workplace environment for comfortable screen viewing[2].
- Over-the-counter lubricant drops can help alleviate persistent symptoms. Innovations in screen technology like high-resolution screens with anti-reflective coatings can reduce eye strain[3].
Prevalence and Impact
- Digital Eye Strain (DES) affects a significant portion of the population due to increased digital device usage. Its prevalence ranges from 5% to 65%, with an upsurge in symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic due to increased screen time for digital learning[3].
- DES can impact individuals of all ages and genders and may lead to symptoms like dry eyes, itching, watering, headache, stiff neck, general fatigue, and backache[3][4].
In conclusion, eye strain is a prevalent condition associated with modern lifestyles involving extensive use of digital devices. Recognizing the symptoms, managing screen time effectively, taking breaks, and seeking professional advice when needed are essential steps in preventing and alleviating eye strain-related discomfort.
Citations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_strain
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Eye strain, also known as asthenopia (from Greek a-sthen-opia, Ancient Greek: ἀσθενωπία, transl. weak-eye-condition), is a common eye condition that manifests through non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, pain in or around the eyes, blurred vision, headache, and occasional double vision. Symptoms often occur after long-term use of computers, digital devices, reading or other activities that involve extended visual tasks which are broadly classified into external and internal symptom factors.
| Eye strain | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Asthenopia, aesthenopia |
| Specialty | Ophthalmology |
When concentrating on a visually intense task, such as continuously focusing on a book or computer monitor, the ciliary muscles and the extraocular muscles are strained. This causes discomfort, soreness or pain on the eyeballs. Closing the eyes for ten minutes and relaxing the muscles of the face and neck at least once an hour usually relieves the problem.
A page or photograph with the same image twice, but slightly displaced (from a printing mishap, a camera moving during the shot, etc.) can cause eye strain due to the brain misinterpreting the image fault as diplopia and trying in vain to adjust the sideways movements of the two eyeballs to fuse the two images into one.
Eye strain can also happen when viewing a blurred image (including images deliberately partly blurred for censorship), due to the ciliary muscle tightening trying in vain to focus the blurring out.