What to Know About Eye Strain

In a world where screen time takes up more of our day that talking with someone face to face, your eyes are more prone, now than ever, to eye strain. By staring at a screen for too long or even reading a book, it places an undue amount of strain on your eyes which can cause things like headaches, temporary blurred vision, and more. And because you likely aren’t going to give up staring at your laptop, tablet, or smartphone anytime soon, we have created a list of a few ways for you to cut down on eye strain. Let’s take a closer look.

Diagnosis

Generally, patients can make the proper daily adjustments on their own without needing to schedule an eye appointment with our doctors at Wilkinsons Eye Center. If, however, your eye strain gets worse, then schedule an appointment at our office!

Treatment

For the most part, treatment for eye strain is fairly simple and straightforward.

• Take Breaks: One of the biggest things that we encourage our patients to do to prevent eye strain is to take frequent breaks from staring at their screen. Try to follow the 20-20-20 rule which involves taking a 20-second break, every 20 minutes, to stare about 20 feet ahead. These brief, but frequent breaks should help give you almost instant relief.
• Use Eye Drops: If you have noticed that your eyes are getting dry and tired because of your eye strain, you may want to try artificial tears or eye drops. By keeping your eyes lubricated, eye drops can help you find relief. If, however, you feel like your eye drops aren’t helping, schedule an exam with our office and we can help you find the right drops.
• Adjust Lighting: In addition to using artificial tears and taking frequent breaks, try to adjust the lighting when you are working. For many people, adjusting the light to soften light helps them immensely. In other situations, having not enough light can also have adverse effects. Try to find lighting that is a good balance.

Eye strain is very common and fairly easy to treat in most instances. If your eye strain is getting worse, schedule an eye examination at our Pontiac office today: (248) 334-4931.