What Is Eye Strain?

Eye strain, also called asthenopia, refers to a group of symptoms that occur when your eyes get tired from intense use. It’s especially common in today’s digital age, where screens are central to both work and leisure. Eye strain is usually temporary and should ease once your eyes get a chance to rest — it doesn’t cause permanent damage to your eyes or your vision. The good news is, with the right strategies and care, most eye strain can be prevented or significantly reduced.

Common Symptoms of Eye Strain

Recognising eye strain early can help you address it before it affects your productivity and comfort. Symptoms may vary, but often include:

• Headaches: Persistent or recurring headaches after visual tasks like screen use or reading.
• Blurry or Double Vision: Difficulty focusing clearly, especially during or after intensive tasks.
• Dry or Watery Eyes: Screen use often reduces blink rate, leading to dry irritated eyes.
• Eye Soreness or Tension: Burning, itching, or a tired feeling around the eyes.
• Sensitivity to Light: Increased discomfort in bright environments.
• Difficulty Refocusing: Struggling to switch focus between near and far tasks.
• Twitching Eyelids: Involuntary eyelid spasms brought on by tired eye muscles.
• Neck, Shoulder or Back Pain: Poor posture while straining to focus, especially at a screen, can cause tension beyond the eyes themselves.

What Causes Eye Strain?

There’s no single cause of eye strain; rather, several everyday factors contribute to it:

Prolonged Screen Time

Long hours spent in front of computers, tablets, or phones is one of the most common culprits. Concentrating on close-up tasks reduces blinking and stresses your eye muscles. Computer use strains eyes more than reading print material because people tend to:

• Blink less whilst using computers, and blinking is key to moistening the eyes
• View digital screens at less-than-ideal distances or angles
• Use devices that have glare or reflection
• Use devices with poor contrast between the text and the background

Additionally, people who work with electronic screens are prone to eye conditions such as Computer Vision Syndrome, which is common among people who use VDU (Visual Display Units) screens at work. These screens can cause stress and eye issues.

To find out more about Computer Vision Syndrome, read our guide here.

Extended Reading or Close Work

Reading small print or focusing on intricate tasks for long periods can fatigue your eye muscles.

Visual Tasks on the Move

Driving for long distances, particularly in the dark, can cause visual fatigue.

Inadequate Lighting

Too much glare or very dim light forces your eyes to work harder.

Stress and Fatigue

General tiredness can amplify eye strain symptoms, even with normal visual activities.

Understanding Ocular Surface Disease

For some people, persistent eye strain is linked to ocular surface disease — a condition where the surface of the eye dries out more quickly than usual, and doesn’t have enough natural lubrication to repair itself. This makes the eye’s surface film prone to tearing, leaving the eyes feeling drained, gritty and tired, and can make it harder to focus on objects. If eye strain keeps coming back despite good screen habits and regular breaks, this may be a contributing factor worth raising with your optometrist. Our complete guide to dry eye covers the causes, diagnosis and treatment options, including IPL therapy, in much more depth.

Solutions for Relief

Take Regular Breaks

Use the 20/20/20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This helps your eye muscles relax and reduces fatigue during long screen sessions.

Optimise Your Environment

• Ensure balanced lighting with minimal glare
• Position your monitor at a comfortable distance (20-24 inches from your eyes) and slightly below eye level (10-15 degrees below)
• Adjust screen brightness and contrast to suit your surroundings

Wear The Correct Eyewear

If you’re already struggling with eye strain, your prescription may need updating or your glasses may not be optimised for screen work.

Keep Your Eyes Hydrated

When focusing, we blink less, which dries out the eyes. Try to blink regularly and use lubricating eye drops if your eyes feel dry or irritated.

Improve the Air Quality of Your Space

Some changes that may help prevent dry eyes include using a humidifier, adjusting the thermostat to reduce blowing air, and avoiding smoke.

Professional Eye Examinations

Routine eye exams are central to healthy vision and comfort. During your appointment at D.I. Blow Opticians, we’ll:

• Evaluate your visual demands and screen habits
• Screen for underlying issues like dry eye or uncorrected prescription changes
• Recommend personalised solutions, including tailored lenses or lifestyle adjustments

When to Seek Expert Care

Most eye strain can be reduced with lifestyle adjustments and appropriate eyewear. However, if symptoms persist despite taking breaks and improving your visual habits, it’s advisable to consult a professional. Persistent strain can sometimes signal underlying conditions, such as dry eye syndrome or vision changes, that require tailored care.

At D.I. Blow Opticians, we use advanced diagnostic tools, including retinal imaging and OCT scanning, as part of our comprehensive eye exams to ensure your eyes are healthy and your vision needs are fully understood.

Eye strain doesn’t have to be an unavoidable part of daily life. With the right approach, combining smart visual habits, ergonomic setups, and professional care, you can reduce discomfort and protect your long-term eye health.

Book an eye examination with D.I. Blow Opticians to get expert advice and solutions tailored to your vision and lifestyle, whether it’s digital strain, updated prescriptions, or specialised lenses that you need.

The post Eye Strain Symptoms: Causes and Solutions appeared first on D.I.Blow Opticians.

Keep Your Eyes Moisturised

We all have a natural tendency to neglect our eyes during the winter months, especially with cold winter winds and central heating playing havoc with our eyes. Winter air is drier than that of other seasons, and indoor heating only adds to the problem, as heaters and radiators strip moisture from the air, leaving none for your eyes. It’s important that you keep your eyes hydrated when temperatures start to plummet, as dehydrated eyes can feel dry, gritty, and sore.

Invest in some quality moisturising eye drops to keep your eyes moist and reduce irritation. Using a humidifier indoors will also help regulate air moisture. You can further minimise symptoms by keeping yourself hydrated, reducing the setting on your central heating, and protecting your eyes from cold winds and heaters at face level, particularly in the car.

When Dry Eyes Don’t Get Better

If your eyes still feel dry, gritty, or sore after a few weeks of eye drops and the changes above, it’s worth getting them checked. Ongoing dry eye is often caused by blocked oil glands in the eyelids, which drops alone won’t fix. A dry eye assessment find the cause, and treatments such as IPL dry eye therapy can help where drops haven’t. For more on causes and treatments, read our complete guide to dry eye.

Wear Your Sunglasses

Sunglasses aren’t just for the summer months.

In fact, they can be worn all year round to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays. Snowfall, ice and the sun sitting lower in the sky can create reflective surfaces that dramatically increase the amount of bright light your eyes are exposed to.

Unfortunately, some people can develop new light sensitivity during winter due to a condition known as snow blindness (photokeratitis), where UV glare from snow, water or other bright surfaces can cause the cornea to become inflamed. Whilst UV400 sunglasses can protect your eyes with the highest level of protection, you may also want to consider polarised lenses.

Related: Do I need UV400 protection for my eyes?

Eat a Healthy Diet

Maintaining healthy eyes isn’t just about what you put on them; it’s also about what you eat. Focus on eating leafy greens such as kale, and keep yourself well hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day. A balanced diet supports your overall eye health, not just during winter but all year round.

Monitor Your Screen Usage

We naturally spend more time indoors during the winter months, but that doesn’t mean your screen usage should increase. As tempting as it can be to spend more time scrolling on your phone, watching endless hours of TV, or gaming, remember to take regular breaks, especially if you work on a computer screen all day. The more time we spend looking at screens for extended periods, the more likely we are to blink less, which can cause dry, irritated eyes and even pain and redness.

Practise the 20-20-20 rule — every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This will help reduce any discomfort from digital eye strain and prevent your vision from deteriorating.

Wear Your Glasses

If you wear contact lenses, you might notice that they cause irritation during the winter months, which is perfectly normal.

Instead, try switching to spectacles, which will help alleviate any irritation. If you’re a contact lens wearer but don’t own any glasses, book in with us today and we can help.

Stay Safe While Driving

The reflection of light off icy roads can cause difficulty when driving, so ensure your windscreen is clean inside and out. Keep an extra pair of sunglasses in the car to protect you from low winter sun glare. Additionally, avoid pointing your car heater directly towards your eyes, as this can dry them out further. Do not use “night driving glasses” or yellow-tinted lenses; our guide on night driving explains why.

Practise Good Hygiene

Winter is notoriously cold and flu season, which can affect your eyes through inflammation. Keep on top of hand washing and avoid touching or rubbing your eyes where possible, to limit the number of bacteria and viruses you come into contact with.

Lighting Is Important

As the nights draw in, lighting is even more important during the winter months, with natural light becoming significantly lower.

Poorly lit conditions can cause unnecessary eye strain, redness and headaches, all of which can be prevented with the correct lighting.

When choosing lighting in your home for the winter months, consider the following:

• Opt for warm light bulbs to create a more natural feel in your home.
• Ensure you have multiple light sources in a room without relying on a bright overhead light.
• Shade any bulbs so that they do not shine directly into your eyes.

Still Concerned About Your Eye Health?

If you have any concerns about your eyes or you’re due a check-up, book an eye test at your local D.I. Blow Opticians branch with us today. Our team are there to help.

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