Eye strain is a condition characterized by eye pain and 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 may include 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. An individual may need to make alterations in their environment or daily habits to treat their eye strain. Some individuals affected by eye strain and eye pain require treatment for underlying conditions.
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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, and their eyes have to constantly accommodate viewing the screen at such close proximity. This process, over a prolonged duration, 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 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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