Eye Care: Tips to Alleviate Eye Strain

The eye is one of the most complex organs in our bodies, second only to our brains. For a small organ, the eye consists of more than 2,000,000 working parts. 
It’s also a very important organ. After all, a large part of how we learn is through our eyes, accounting for 80% of what we know.  

In today’s world, however, there is just too much for our eyes to take in sometimes. And with our eyes having the ability to focus on 50 different objects every second, sensory overload can happen.
 
Just like the other parts of our bodies, our eyes get tired too. Intense or prolonged use of our eyes leads to tired eyes or eye strain. 

Is there a way to prevent this from happening? What can be done to alleviate the pain?

Read on to find out.
 

How do my eyes get tired?

Ask yourself this: how much time do you spend on average looking at your digital device? 

We ask this because digital devices emit blue light which can cause damage to our retina. The more we use our devices, the more damage may occur. 

And not only that, our blink rate drops from the usual count. Blink rate is important since it helps our eyes stay moist and oxygenated. It also clears debris.

It’s also important to remember that we don’t only use our eyes to look at our devices. We use them when we drive, or simply to see. So that’s additional strain or tiredness that our eyes experience.
 
And sometimes, we look at things under less than ideal conditions. Think of cases when it’s dark, and there’s no light source, but you still have to look where you’re going. Or when we try to look at something far, we squint so our eyes can have better focus. 

All these activities lead to eye strain.
 

If I feel eye strain, should I be concerned? 

Eye strain may be bothersome or unpleasant, especially if we are working or doing something important. It may affect our ability to concentrate and gets in the way of what we need to do. But it is nothing serious and actually goes away once we rest our eyes.
 
Although there is no long-term consequence, experiencing eye strain can happen repeatedly when we work our eyes too much. This is especially true for people whose work involves looking at a computer screen for a prolonged period. So make sure you are aware of signs of eye strain.
 
Do note though that sometimes, what we may think as eye strain is actually a symptom of an underlying condition. Consult with a doctor if eye strain happens frequently or does not go away even when you rest your eyes.

How do I know it’s eye strain? 

When we are tired, our bodies send signals to our brains that we feel exhausted. This is the same when our eyes feel tired. We need to be aware of what these signals may be so we can provide relief for our overworked eyes.
 
Some of the common signs and symptoms of eyestrain include sore, tired, drooping, burning, or itching eyes. We can also experience watery or dry eyes, or blurred or double vision. And when our eyes get tired, we will also usually get headaches and increased sensitivity to light.
 

How can I care for my eyes?

The following come in handy as part of our eye care routine to provide us relief from frequent eye strain:

1. The Triple 20 rule

If you have been looking at screens the whole day, the Triple 20 rule is for you. It’s one of the exercises to relieve eye strain. There are other eye strain exercises that you can try out, but this is one of the more known ones. 

It basically goes like this:

For every 20 minutes spent using a screen, look away. And when you look away, look at something that is 20 feet away from you. Do that for a total of 20 seconds.

This helps relieve eye fatigue. Simple, right?

2. Always ensure there is proper lighting when you need to use your eyes.

Stop straining your eyes when it’s dark. Use any good light source as much as possible so you can see properly. 

For example, don’t read in the dark! Turn on your nightlight. And if you need to check on something outside, bring a flashlight.

Of course, there’s also such a thing as too much light - that also strains your eyes. So when watching television, dim room lights instead of adding more. That will help your eyes relax.

3. Take plenty of breaks.

When engaged in prolonged activities that make heavy use of our eyes, make sure to take breaks. This is to give your eyes time to rest from the heavy workload.
 
Close your eyes for a while if it’s allowed at your work. Even better, take a walk to give your eyes something new to look at. Your eyes will feel refreshed after.

4. Lubrication is key.

There are over-the-counter medications such as saline or eye drops that you can use to relieve dry eyes. These liquid solutions help cleanse our eyes. They may even remove dirt that may have settled in our eyes and causes eye irritation.

Don’t just lubricate your eyes - keep yourself hydrated too! When you hydrate your body, your eyes will be as well. So make sure to drink plenty of water.

Something else you can drink is green tea. It contains antioxidants called catechins that help your eyes produce tears for lubrication.

5. Keep an eye on your hands 

Rubbing our eyes may provide immediate relief to our tired eyes. It’s a habit that we have acquired and sometimes mindlessly resort to. 

However, rubbing our eyes with force and frequency causes more damage to our eyes in the long run. And if your hands are dirty, who knows what you’ll be putting in your eyes?
 
Pay close attention to your hands, and your tendency to rub your eyes. Try to keep your hands occupied to prevent you from automatically rubbing your eyes.
 

Relieve your eyes with an eye doctor in Auckland.

Remember, eye strain is more a lifestyle concern than a serious medical issue. A good night’s rest or even a nap may immediately relieve eye strain. 

Plus, try out the other tips above! They might just do the trick.

However, if these tips do not provide as much relief, consult with an eye doctor in Auckland. There are plenty of available eye care services offered by any optometrist in NZ.  After all, part of eye care is making sure that there is no underlying medical condition for the eye strains.

But if you still looking for an optometrist in North Shore, Auckland, look no further than us at NVision Eyecare. There’s won’t be any need to Google “how to get rid of eye tension” anymore - we’ll do the work needed! 

We are proudly headed by the best optometrist in Albany. That’s why rest assured that once you step through our doors, we will take good care of you. 

Visit or contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you!