Although working from home digitally has been one of the greatest things to happen to me over the last few months, it also means more time spent working on my computer.
Because of this, my headaches have gotten worse and I find myself needing to take frequent breaks throughout the day in order to help ease the pain.
I’ve always been the type of person who prefers not to take over-the-counter medication such as painkillers unless I absolutely need to. Because of this, I looked into natural ways to help alleviate eye strain and allow me to get back to doing my work more efficiently.
What is eye strain?
Eye strain is a growing problem in the US and It’s been estimated that three out of four Americans suffer daily from eyestrain. Most of these people, don’t even realize that poor lighting can be contributing to the problem.
Though not a disease of the eye, eye strain can cause many uncomfortable symptoms usually caused by reading or staring at a computer screen for extended periods of time.
This is because when engaging in activities that require visual concentration, It’s common for people to clench their facial muscles unconsciously leading to pain and discomfort.
Prolonged staring can also limit blinking which is our eye’s natural mechanism for keeping our eyes moisturized. This is usually what leads then to excessive dryness and irritation in the eyes.
In today’s technologically driven age, It’s almost impossible to avoid all use of computers especially when our jobs demand it. However, there are steps that can be taken to reduce the symptoms of eye strain.
Symptoms of eyestrain
Most of the symptoms of eyestrain are directly related to the eye while the others appear to be completed unrelated. Overuse of certain muscles in the face, neck, and jaw can cause mild to severe pain and discomfort, sometimes even reaching down the arm(s).
Other symptoms include:
- Sore/burning, dry or watery eyes
- Headache
- Pain in the back, shoulders, or neck
- Blurred vision/double vision
- Difficulty concentrating
- Sensitivity to light
How to minimize eyestrain
Luckily, there are easy and natural methods for reducing eyestrain regardless of your digital lifestyle.
- Take frequent breaks. If it helps, set a timer to help you stop every few minutes or couple of hours to look away from your screen for a little while.
- Use artificial tears or re-wetting drops if you wear contact lenses. This can help the eyes stay moisturized. There are many preservative free varieties on the market.
- Get a regular eye exam. It’s important to make sure that your prescription is up to date and that nothing else is causing your pain and discomfort.
- Become aware of your blinking. Doing this may help you blink more often to help moisturize your eyes.
- Add/Install better lighting to your workspace. Perhaps the most important thing you can do is to get better lighting at your work station.
What’s helped me minimize eye strain
I recently purchased the Ottlite Wellness Series desk lamp to use at my work desk. I now know that good light leads to good health which is why the Ottlight wellness series of desk lamps were created.
OttLite Wellness Series provides the healthiest light you can buy and the only lamps on the market today that are designed specifically with your eye health in mind.
The lamps in the OttLite Wellness Series have been proven to reduce eye fatigue by 51% and deliver the closest thing to natural daylight available indoors.
The difference can be noticed right away and using the lamp from the OttLite Wellness Series makes everything you view more comfortable, the colors are more accurate, and there’s no glare or blue tones.
What’s great is that their series includes four stylish lamps and their brightness can be adjusted as needed. You can even charge your other devices with the built in USB port.
