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 — 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.

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.

Practice 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.

Practice 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 closer, 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.

The post Winter Eye Care Tips for Healthy Eyes appeared first on D.I.Blow Opticians.

But eye strain isn’t just caused by screens. There are other causes too.

So, what is eye strain exactly? What are the causes and how can you prevent it? Read on to find out.

What Is Eye Strain?

Eye strain, otherwise known as asthenopia, refers to a range of symptoms that can be experienced as a result of looking at something for a long period of time. Although it can be uncomfortable, the good news is that it isn’t permanent and doesn’t lead to permanent eye damage.

Eye strain symptoms aren’t uncommon either. A recent study showed that 1 in 3 people noticed deterioration in their eyesight as a result of increased screen time during the pandemic. That’s why booking regular check-ups with your optometrist is so important.

Eye Strain Causes

Eye strain will often occur when the eyes are focused on a task or a digital device for a prolonged period of time. Common causes include:

• Driving for long periods of time
• Driving in the dark
• Stress
• Fatigue
• Reading without resting your eyes
• Exposure to bright light

Digital eye strain is particularly common, especially amongst people who work in office-based jobs or experience prolonged exposure to screens during any given time. If you have any concerns regarding your eyesight, remember that we are here to help.

Eye Strain Symptoms

Eye strain symptoms are varied and can differ from person to person. You don’t need to have all these symptoms to have eye strain.

Symptoms can include:

• Headaches
• Blurred or double vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Red, watery eyes
• Dry eyes
• Twitching eyelids
• Difficulty focusing
• Sore, tired, burning or itchy eyes

How To Prevent Eye Strain

Whether you’re frequently exposed to screens or find that you suffer with eye strain when completing tasks for a prolonged period of time, it is preventable. Regular eye examinations are essential for optimal eye health. Your optometrist will also check the overall health of your eyes and look for signs of any underlying medical conditions.

Besides booking routine eye examinations, there are other ways you can prevent eye strain.

Eye Exercises

Eye exercises are very common and your optometrist may recommend them if you struggle with eye strain.

A well-known eye exercise is the 20:20:20 Rule. This is a technique often recommended for screen users who suffer with computer eye strain. If you spend a lot of time looking at your screen or you’ve been heads deep in a book for a while, try and take a small break every 20 minutes to focus your eyes on something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.

This will help your eye muscles relax and should help offset the likelihood of experiencing computer eye strain or normal eye strain.

For screen users, there are other ways you can prevent computer eye strain:

• Adjust your screen brightness.
• Reduce glare with an anti-glare screen, wear glasses with an anti-reflective coating or reduce external light from windows.
• Modify your workstation by ensuring that your monitor and chair are at the correct height. Your computer screen should also be 20-24 inches from your eyes and the centre of the screen should be 10-15 degrees below your eye line.
• Wear prescription lenses specifically for screen use.
• If you wear contact lenses, consider wearing glasses whenever you’re using screens as your eyes can become dry and irritated with contact lenses.

Eye Strain Treatment

Eye strain isn’t enjoyable and is quite often uncomfortable. Here’s a few ways you can reduce or alleviate the symptoms completely:

• Give your eyes plenty of rest: Life can be so busy sometimes that we often forget to stop and take a moment to reset. Even though you might not be able to close your eyes for long, take a few seconds to close them when possible.
• Take frequent breaks: For screen users, you can use the 20:20:20 rule. However, overall, avoid working and reading in poorly lit conditions and try and use natural light sources where possible such as sunlight.
• Limit your use of computers and mobile phones: We understand that this might not be possible for everyone, but if you work on a screen all day, try and limit time on your phone in the evening. You can also adjust the brightness on both devices.

The Bottom Line

Remember, whilst eye strain is preventable, it should never be ignored.

If you’re suffering with eye strain, your optometrist can help and recommend specific treatments to alleviate your symptoms.

By implementing these tips and educating yourself, you can minimise the effects of it before it becomes worse. Our team are on hand to help whenever you need us too.

The post What is Eye Strain and How Can I Prevent It? appeared first on D.I.Blow Opticians.