What is eye strain?

Eye strain happens when our eyes become tired from activities such as reading and computer screen work. 

Computer vision syndrome (digital eye strain) describes a group of eye and vision problems directly related to computer, tablet and phone use. 

While eye strain related to computer work is usually temporary, if it’s not treated it can cause discomfort and make you feel unwell.

What are the symptoms of eye strain?

The most common symptoms of eyestrain include: 

• Blurred or double vision
• Headaches
• Sore eyes
• Itchy eyes
• Dry eyes
• Neck and shoulder pain
• Increase in light sensitivity

What factors increase the risk of eye strain?

There are several ergonomic factors that can increase your risk of developing computer related eye strain:

• Flickering or glare on a screen
• Poor lighting
• Poor posture when sat
• Sitting too close or far away from your screen
• Not taking enough screen breaks 

There are several eye conditions that can increase your risk of eye strain including:

• Undercorrected vision problems (long-sighted or short-sightedness, astigmatism)
• Glaucoma
• Diabetes
• Cataracts
• Contact lenses

How do you prevent eye strain?

You can do several things to prevent or reduce the risk of eye strain:

• Make sure you have regular eye breaks from your computer, tablet or phone (fifteen minutes every two hours and a minute break after every twenty minutes of screen time)
• Adjust your computer so that it’s at the correct height, angle and distance (your screen should be 50 to 100cm away from your eyes and the centre of the screen should be 15 to 20 degrees just below your eye level)
• Try to blink frequently when using your computer or tablet to prevent dry eye syndrome
• Add an anti-glare filter if you don’t have one
• Seek treatment for any underlying conditions such as glaucoma or cataracts
• Have visual training or vision therapy to train your eyes and improve visual ability

How long does eye strain last?

Many symptoms of eye strain are only temporary and will disappear once your screen use stops. 

However, some people may continue to have symptoms of blurry vision and sore eyes even after they’ve stopped using their computer or tablet. 

If you continue to have eye strain after taking measures to prevent it, then it’s worth getting your eyes checked by an optometrist for any underlying vision problems or health conditions that might be affecting your eyes.

What treatments are available for eye strain at The London Clinic?

At The London Clinic we have a purpose built Eye Centre where one of our leading optometrists can assess you and help resolve your eye strain. 

If you need eyeglasses for screen work they can diagnose any vision problems such as short or long sightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia. 

At the Eye Centre our leading ophthalmologists are available to assess you for any underlying conditions that could be making your eye strain worse, such as glaucoma or cataracts.

Contact us today to speak to one of our friendly staff to see how we can help.