Stress management

By: Bailey
Eye Strain is the #1 complaint among office workers

In a 1991 survey of optometrists: 8 million people are showing up each year in America at their eye doctors complaining of eye strain.

What causes eye strain?

Our eyes are not designed for reading or looking at a computer screen for long periods.

For a person to obtain clear vision, the focusing power of the eye's cornea (front of eye) and lens (eye's focusing mechanism) must result in the image of an object falling perfectly on the retina (back of eye).

When this does not occur, the eye has to work hard to make the vision clear.

This extra work is very tiring on the eye’s muscles and results in eyestrain.

There are three different reasons for eyestrain:

Hyperopia (long sightedness), Astigmatism (oval shaped cornea). Weak eye muscles

In each of the above, the eyes have to work harder in order to keep the image in focus. Consequently, a person may experience tired or aching eyes, poor concentration, headaches and blurring of vision particularly with close work.

Hyperopia (long sightedness):

Here the light is focused behind the retina and consequently the image is blurred close up. Hyperopia is corrected by spectacles or contact lenses.

Astigmatism:

Astigmatism is when the cornea is not a perfect spherical shape, but rather slightly oval in shape. Astigmatism causes a blurring of objects, so the eye attempts to focus by using the eye muscles. Astigmatism is also correctable with spectacles and contact lenses.

Weak Eye Muscles:

Muscles are need for focusing (accommodation) and moving the eyes across a page (Eye tracking). If the eye muscles are weak, they tire easily resulting in eyestrain.

This can happens because after 40 years old, the lens inside the eye starts to lose its strength. This loss in strength makes it difficult for a person to focus clearly, and tasks such as reading and computer use become difficult.

Symptoms of eyestrain may be:

Sore, tired, itchy or burning eyes Headaches Difficulty focusing clearly Blurred or double vision Watery or Dry eyes Sore neck or shoulders Decreased attention span

What do I do?

If you experience ANY of these symptoms - go see your Optometrist.

The most common treatments are glasses and or eye exercises (vision therapy).