Common Causes Of Eye Strain And Eye Pain

Eye strain is a condition characterized by eye pain. It occurs when an individual's eyes become fatigued as a result of intense use. The symptoms that occur in individuals who struggle with eye pain and eye strain include eyes that are sore, burning, tired, itching, overly dry, or overly watery. Other symptoms are blurry or double vision, headache, neck soreness, light sensitivity, and an inability to keep the eyes open. An eye examination performed by a specialist is used to diagnose eye strain.

There are many treatments for eye strain and eye pain. Many patients will wear special eye strain glasses, particularly blue light glasses, when they are working on a computer. Both over-the-counter and prescription eye drops can bring some eye strain relief. Pain medications are common in eye strain headache treatment. Ultimately, however, the best eye pain and eye strain treatments vary depending on the underlying cause.

Prolonged Use Of Screens

Eye strain and subsequent eye pain in some individuals is the result of their prolonged use of screens. An individual's eyes are typically at rest when they are staring at something around twenty feet away. Screens on phones, laptops, computer monitors, and tablets generally sit between eighteen and twenty-four inches from an affected individual's eyes. Their eyes constantly have to accommodate viewing these screens at such close proximity. When it happens over a prolonged period, this process causes an individual's ciliary muscle to spasm back and forth to view the screen.

When an individual is staring at a screen for some time, they often forget to blink enough. Blinking is the mechanism the body uses to keep an individual's eyes from drying out. This less frequent rate of blinking can cause the eyes to become dry and irritated, resulting in eye fatigue and eye pain from overuse. Other factors such as the entry of unnecessary feedback into the eyes, overexposure to high energy blue light, and screen glare are also known to contribute to eye strain and eye pain.

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Straining To See In Low Light

An individual who is frequently straining to see in low light can develop eye strain and subsequent eye pain. The eyes are designed to adapt to low light environments for short periods. However, trying to accomplish certain things in low light conditions can lead to eye strain in an individual. Any activity that involves reading, writing, or putting together pieces of a puzzle is considered a high-intensity task for an individual's eyes. The muscles in the eye already have to adjust the lens constantly to enable the individual to focus on what they are doing.

However, attempting these high-intensity tasks in low light conditions causes them to work harder and longer than they would be in conditions of adequate lighting. As most high-intensity tasks in terms of the eyes require mental focus, an individual can easily forget to blink enough to prevent their eyes from becoming dry and irritated. Dry eyes and irritation can result in itching and painful eyes. Fatigue of the eye muscles is common in individuals who make a habit of performing high-intensity tasks in low light because it requires more energy than it would in good lighting.

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