How to Reduce Eyestrain with a Few Easy Tips

Eyestrain is nowadays at a higher occurrence due to the advancement in the technological era or, simply, because of too much exposure to light. It can be described as the tiredness to the eyes or an itch that makes us uncomfortable. Sometimes, it gets so bad that it requires a doctor’s attention. To prevent things from getting to that point, here are some helpful tips that can practically save your eyes.

• Take a ‘light’ break

Eyes can become sensible when exposed to too much light, be it natural or artificial (like that of a computer). Just look away from the computer for about half a minute every half hour or so to relax the eyes.

• Exercises keep your muscles relaxed

You don’t need to do full workouts for this – just a simple exercise. Place your elbows on the desk, and place your head in your palms. Your eyes are closed and covered, and you take deep slow breaths through your nose. Do this for about 15 to 30 seconds.

• Blink as often as you can to remove the strain

Sometimes, our body tries to resolve the problem itself, and in this case, it’s through blinking. When you blink, it refreshes the eyes, allowing them to moist through the natural production of tears.

• Massage your eyes, temples and upper cheek twice a day

If you do this, you stimulate the tear glands which, in turn, keep your eyes from drying.

• Keep the room ventilated

Smoke and dust can be harmful to the eyes. So, try to use moisturizers to clean the air of dust, and avoid smoking.

• Use artificial teardrops

As much as you might want to keep it natural, sometimes you may need to use something to prevent the dryness of the eyes. Avoid using eye drops that eliminate redness, because you might just worsen your condition.

• Wear appropriate eyewear

Make sure that you have the proper lenses for your working place. If you work mostly on your computer, make sure you invest in glasses aimed for computer work.

How to proceed if your work requires you using the computer most of the time

• Keep your monitor clean. Smudges can increase glare and reflections, and can lessen contrast.
• Keep the screen as far from the eyes as possible (but not too far, as it might strain your eyes when you’re simply trying to read). Just keep it a little below eye level, 25 inches from your eyes.
• Use Glare Filters on your screen, as well as monitors that tilt and swivel.

If you are home, try following these steps to prevent eyestrain

• See that you have enough light in the room when you do close-up work. The absence of light strains the eye just as much as strong light does. If you have reduced vision, make sure that you have a bright light source near you.
• Use shades when reading printed materials. Don’t let the light shine directly into your eyes. Place the source of the light behind you so that it only lights on the page, or use shaded lamps in case you are reading at your desk.
• Keep a soft light on when you are watching TV.

There are many ways to protect your eyes from a harsh environment, but these easy steps might as well prevent you from becoming a regular visitor to the ophthalmologist.