Nowadays we have as a routine to use the mobile phone, a computer or spend hours in front of the television and this is not beneficial for our visual capacity and easily appear problems in the eyes, such as visual fatigue. But what is eye fatigue? It is necessary to differentiate between visual fatigue and tired eyesight, since it is not the same although they have in relation that neither of them refers to an eye disease.
Tired eyesight or presbyopia refers to a degenerative process due to the aging of the eye. It causes difficulty focusing along with a redness of the eyes, blurred vision, tearing or itching, in addition to headaches when we try to read or look at something that is far away. However, eye fatigue is due to exposure for a long time to digital screens, although sometimes it is also due to being a long time reading on paper, and causes symptoms similar to tired eyesight. It is always recommended to attend an ophthalmologist, since perhaps all that is needed are glasses. If you have or think you have this condition, read and learn how to cure eye strain.
Dims lighting to relieve eye strain
You can relieve eye strain with something as simple as controlling the lighting of the environment, whether it is the natural sunlight or the light of the lamps and screens of the room where you are, especially if you perform some tasks such as reading, using the computer or sewing.
The light must be dim and without directly into the eyes to get the eyes to get the eyes as little as possible, because if the light is very strong what we are doing is accelerating the process of fatigue in our eyes. If we work with a computer it is recommended to lower the brightness of the screen. However, working or performing actions in which you have to focus your eyes well, such as those already mentioned, in low light is not good either, since this also makes your eyes tired before. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate the light according to the need.
Rest your eyes to pass fatigue
To avoid the problem described it is important that the eyes rest, that is, they should not be subjected for long periods of time to digital screens. It will only take a few minutes and in the long run you will appreciate it.
Simply, to avoid or relieve eye fatigue, close your eyes for 7 or 10 minutes and place your hands on them gently to keep them closed and undisturbed by the light of the environment. In this way, you will relax not only the eyesight itself but also the muscles of the entire area.
Place cold or heat over your eyes
You can use a cloth, compress, or cold-water bottle to place in your eyes. Never place ice directly on your eyes, as it could cause health problems and you will soon notice that they bother you more. It is recommended to lie down while doing this exercise because you will be more relaxed and that you place the cold only a few seconds and remove it, although after a short time you use it again.
If after this you still feel discomfort in your eyes try the same thing but with a hot water bottle, in some people it is more efficient than cold. See for yourself what's best for you!
Use glasses with filter for screen brightness
There are people who cannot avoid this all day facing a computer since they are dedicated to it. For this, there are glasses with a filter for the brightness of the screens and that prevent visual fatigue and protect the eyes from computer light.
In addition, in these cases where you have to be looking at a screen several hours a day, it is advisable to rest every 2 hours. We can take the opportunity to perform the exercises mentioned above. You can also take advantage of any time where we are not using the computer, for example when we stop to eat something or to answer a call, to close our eyes, this will help not to have discomfort.
How to remove tiredness from the eyes with the rule 20-20-20
If you haven't heard of the 20-20-20 rule, you'll be happy to meet it now because it's a very good solution for eye strain.
It consists of every 20 minutes you stop doing what you are doing and look at an object 20 meters away for 20 seconds. It seems silly but it is not at all, because it helps to relax the view easily reducing your tiredness. We encourage you to try it and you will see the results.
Use lubricating eye drops
There are a type of drops recommended for this type of problem. These drops help us relieve the itching and redness of the eyes, in addition to the dryness itself. It is important to have well hydrated eyes. They can be used several times a day as appropriate and according to the specific product, so consult the prospect of the drops or talk to your doctor to know how often to use them. In addition, we recommend you try several brands, since for each person it can be different.
Some lubricating eye drops require a prescription, so it is important to go to your eye doctor or your ophthalmologist from time to time if you have symptoms of eye strain, itching or redness, because you may stop having this problem with using them.
Massage the eyes to cure eye strain
Sometimes it is very helpful to massage the eyelid, in order to massage the eye or eyeball. To do this, you should always do it with your eyes closed. Place three fingers, better to be the index, middle and ring finger, stretched over your eyes, and massage gently making circles for 10 seconds. This helps to produce more tears and relax the muscles of the area, so it will be useful if your eyes suffer from dryness.
Tips to prevent eye strain
Finally, we are going to give you some tips to prevent eye or eye fatigue that will be of great help.
- First of all, drink plenty of water to hydrate your body and facilitate the production of tears.
- Pause and don't strain your eyes for long.
- Blinks frequently.
- Control the lighting and lower the brightness of your computer or mobile.
- Take foods rich in vitamin A (milk, carrot or apricot), B vitamins (bananas, lentils, tuna, cod or cheese), vitamin C (grape, zucchini, broccoli or melon), vitamin E (hazelnuts, almonds, mango, avocado orchard), as these foods strengthen your eyes and help relieve visual fatigue.
