Ever had runny eyes while watching your favorite show on your mobile/IPad? Experienced constant headache while sitting in front of your PC screen? Or ever felt like you are suffering from a strained neck while using your laptop? All this can be warning symptoms of Dry Eyes or Digital Eye Strain. With sedentary lifestyles that have conformed people to tinier spaces with larger screen times, numerous people around the world are being affected by Dry Eyes due to prolonged exposure to light emitted by laptops or PCs.
What is Dry Eyes Condition? Dry eyes are a very common condition that can occur due to many different reasons. The most common cause, however, is simply aging, or presbyopia, which occurs when the eye's lens loses elasticity and becomes less flexible. Dry eyes largely result from excessive use of the computer, mobile phones, or other digital devices. Using these devices continuously for a long period of time causes Dry eyes or Computer vision syndrome. Common in both adults and children, dry eyes do not cause any permanent damage if treated properly at an early stage. Recovering from this disease requires practicing a few things or taking proper treatment.
What Causes Dry Eyes? Dry Eyes is a common eye disease and responsible factors range from:
- Viewing the screen in low light
- Being too close or too far from the screen
- Staring into screen content that is less sharp or focused
- Bad sitting posture
- Wrong angle of your head
- It thus becomes necessary to have a proper sitting seated posture and to take frequent breaks in the middle of work.
Diagnosis of Dry Eyes:
- This disease is diagnosed by conducting a comprehensive eye examination
- Visual acuity measurements assess the extent to which vision is affected
- Refraction to determine nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.
In simple words, there is an examination that tests how the eye moves, works and focuses together.
Symptoms of Dry Eyes: The symptoms of Dry eyes are noticeable and need to be acted on beforehand to avoid further complications.
- Eyestrain
- Dry eyes
- Double vision
- Eye discomfort
- Eye fatigue
- Eye itching
- Eye redness
- Eye tearing
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Neck and shoulder pain
- Uncorrected vision problems
If symptoms persist for longer periods of time, it is a clear indication that one must get their health checked! Tackling Dry Eyes: These are a few ways in which one can deal with Dry eyes: 1. Rest your eyes for 15 to 30 minutes after every 2 hours of screen time 2. Blink often 3. Enlarge the font of your digital device 4. Reduce the glare from the light source in the environment 5. Use a screen glare filter 6. Adjust your screen in such a way that the center of the screen is 4 to 5 inches below your eye level 7. Adjust your chair height in such a way that your feet can rest easily and comfortably on the floor. 8. Drink more fluids or stay hydrated. 9. Take the combination of oral vitamin B12 supplements and artificial tears to reduce burning caused by dry eyes.
Additionally, one must also avoid further complications by ticking off against the following checklist: 1. Location of the computer screen: Mostly the computer screen must be 15 to 20 degrees below your eye level (measured from the center of the screen). This will help you have a better posture.
2. Lighting: Use desk lamps with bulbs of lower watt instead of light bulbs. This will help your vision to a great extent.
3. Sitting position: Chair height should be in such a way that the feet must rest flat on the floor. This will be a better way to deal with all sorts of neck and shoulder pains.
4. Rest breaks: Take a break of 20 minutes after working for two hours on the computer or laptop. Also, look at the distance for 20 seconds, after every 20 minutes of work to allow the eyes to refocus on the computer.
5. Blinking: Blink your eyes while working. It will keep the front surface of your eye moist and help you focus on the task better. It is important to have awareness about the symptoms and treatment for dry eyes. In this digital age, it is critical to spend as little time as possible in front of phones and laptops because it causes more harm than good. Maintain a healthy lifestyle by staying hydrated and take proper care of your eyes to maintain healthy eyesight!
