Eye Strain: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

January 14, 2025 contact lenses Uncategorized 0

Did you know that eye strain is more common than headaches or toothache? Yes, that’s right. Your eyes get tired much more often than you’d realize.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, about two-thirds of the U.S. population report suffering from eye strain symptoms, and the odds of you experiencing tired eyes daily are very high. But the shocking part of this is that it is not avoidable.

Since it is impossible to not use your eyes, it is inevitable for your eyes to get tired after a long day of doing your activities (reading, using your computer, driving, etc.).

So the question is not: ‘How can I stop eye strain?”

It is “How can I manage eye strain symptoms and improve my comfort?” and that’s what this article will be answering and more.

Table of Contents

What is Eye Strain and Why Does it Happen?

Many people have defined eye strain as a lot of things: tired eyes, stress for the eyes, or tired eye muscles. However, just tired eyes aren’t the entirety of eye strain.

Eye strain is a series of symptoms that arises after the eye muscles fatigue from prolonged hours of focus. In other words, it is a bracket of other minor symptoms, which usually occur when your eyes are tired of focusing on one thing.

Note that eye strain is not a disease or an illness. It is your body’s normal reaction, just like how you yawn when you are tired or blink for eye protection and lubrication.

But unlike yawning or blinking, eye strain can be uncomfortable.

Common Triggers for Eye Strain

It has already been established that the reason for eye strain is when your eye muscles are tired from prolonged hours of focusing on one thing. But did you know that most people think the main cause of eye strain is looking at the computer too much?

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Optometric Association, prolonged use of digital devices (specifically, prolonged exposure to blue light from digital devices) does not cause eye problems or tired eyes. This means that your eyes are not exhausted because you are looking at the computer screen or your mobile phone. Your eyes are tired because you are focused on one thing for too long.

So you can experience eye fatigue from reading a book, driving too long, or even staring at one object for too long (even if it is under natural light).

But then again, you may ask: “What is computer vision syndrome?”

Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) vs Eye Strain

Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), also referred to as Digital Eye Strain is a special type of eye strain symptom that occurs because a person uses the computer (or other digital devices) too much.

What causes eye strain in CVS is that the letters on a computer or handheld device are not as precise or sharply defined, the level of contrast of the letters to the background is reduced, and the presence of glare and reflections on the screen may make viewing difficult. So here, your eyes aren’t just tired from watching a movie, your eyes are putting in extra work to stay focused and not blur out.

Recognizing the Symptoms of Eye Strain

Now that you understand that eye strain is not a condition on its own, but an umbrella of other symptoms, it’s time to unravel that umbrella. So what are these series of symptoms?

Dry eyes: Have you ever just rubbed your eyes because you feel like your eyes have lost moisture and just blinking can’t lubricate your eyes enough? That’s a symptom. When you focus too much on something, you sometimes forget to blink until your eyes dry out. If you’re experiencing this too many times during your activity, your eyes are tired.
Teary eyes: Some people might be experiencing the total opposite of dry eyes, where your eyes start to tear up excessively.
Burning sensation or itchiness: Although itching is not very common, people who use glasses, contact lenses, or other underlying vision problems may encounter burning or itching.
Blurred or double vision: Especially with CVS or digital eye strain, text on your screen may blur out or the things around you can become double (or even triple).
Problems concentrating: This is usually noticeable when you have to re-read a line, blink, or shake your head to regain focus.
Physical pain: When your eye muscles get really fatigued, you could experience headache, neck or body pain. In this case, you need to take a break immediately.

When Eye Strain Could Signal a Larger Problem?

Even though eye strain is a minor problem, it can get worse, requiring professional attention from an eye doctor or specialist. If you have ever or are currently experiencing the following, immediately schedule an appointment with a doctor (particularly if you have an underlying eye problem).

Migraine: Unlike headache, migraine is a throbbing pain that can migrate from your head to your eyes, temples, jaw, or the entirety of your face. As if someone’s hitting a hammer on your head, it may also present difficulty opening your eyes.
Swelling of the eyes or eyelid: Swelling or inflammation is never a good sign, so don’t take this lightly. If you notice that your eyes are starting to swell, it may be an underlying reaction to a deeper eye problem. Treat this with urgency.
Extreme sensitivity to light: Whether or not this is computer-related, squinting at the presence of light (especially when this is not a norm for you) is another sign you need to see a doctor immediately.

Effective Treatment Options for Relieving Eye Strain

Now, let’s talk about treatment options for moderate eye strain symptoms. You must visit the hospital for special care to treat eye strain because much more goes into your treatment process.

The doctor will first ask what symptoms you are experiencing to ensure that all signs point to eye strain and not something more. You will also be asked for your medical history to ensure that you don’t have any underlying vision problems that may cause contradictions to medications.

There’ll be clarification on whether or not you use glasses (or contact lenses) as well as what your day usually includes. For instance, people who drive for a living would need more than just tips for relief.

Therefore, the surest way to relieve eye strain is to visit an eye doctor for the best strategies. However, there are a few tips that can also help improve comfort:

Tips to Prevent Eye Strain in a Digital World

If you use computers and other digital devices a lot, then you may need to know these four (4) tips:

The 20-20-20 rule

Very popular in the digital environment, it means you take your eyes away from your screen even 20 minutes to look at something else 20 feet away for 20 seconds (i.e., take 20 minutes for a 20-ft distraction that lasts 20 seconds). Doing this gives your eyes just that needed amount of rest to prevent fatigue. If there is no other non-digital device around you, you can close your eyes for 20 seconds.

Artificial Tears or Eye Drops

While getting a prescription for this is highly recommended, you can use artificial eye lubrication to prevent dry eyes when you experience eye strain. Relieving dry eyes may not stop the strain, but it will prevent the itchiness, burning sensation, and blurriness that come with dry eyes.

Proper Computer Positioning

Sometimes, your eyes get tired because your computer’s not at the right level. Ensure that when you work, your monitor is always at eye level. This is also to help the ergonomics of your body posture.

Reduce the Glare Around You

Whether you use anti-glare glasses or an anti-glare film over your digital devices, reducing glare (excess light or brightness) can also help protect your retina. The number one way to reduce glare without special glasses is to reduce your digital device’s brightness. Another thing you can do is to use blinds or reduce how much artificial light is around you.

Frequently asked questions about eye strain

What is Digital Eye Strain?

Digital eye strain happens when you use digital screens with the need for extra focus or squinting for long periods. While the screen’s blue light has little to no effect on your eyes, looking at the computer screen for long periods can cause eye discomfort.

How Do You Treat a Strained Eye?

The best way to treat eye strain is to make an appointment with an eye doctor. Eye strain may be a subtle symptom of other uncorrected vision problems like eye muscle imbalance or refractive errors.

Does Eye Strain Go Away?

The symptoms usually disappear after you dim your screen brightness, use eye drops, blink, or follow the 20-20-20 rule. But if you’re still experiencing the symptoms after these, it’s time to see the eye doctor.