No matter whether it be a PC, a laptop, a tablet, or a smartphone, staying long hours in front of a screen can leave your eyes extremely strained.
Image originally uploaded by hams37 on Flickr.com and reused under Attribution-Sharelike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0) Creative Commons License
So what can you do to solve this problem?
If you are a professional who makes a living from a computer device in any way, it is impossible to stop using it, or even reduce the hours that you work in front of it.
On the other hand, if you use a desktop or a portable computer just to have fun online, and you are literally addicted to things like the Internet and social media, again, it can be very difficult to cut down on your addiction.
In either of those cases, it looks like it is impossible to tackle the problem of strained eyes, simply because you can’t stay away from a computer for too long.
Having a rest every now and then can be an effective solution. For example, taking your eyes away from the computer screen and giving them a short break can relief the strain.
However, you should bear in mind that switching off your laptop or tablet and switching on your TV set will not do you any good. In fact, by “taking a break” from sitting in front of a computer screen, in order to just sit in front of another screen, you don’t give your eyes a rest, but you rather make them feel more tired, adding thus to the problem.
Instead, go out and have a walk. Visit the local park and try to relax your eyes by letting them be healed by the green surroundings. Or, if you are lucky enough to live by the sea, just go to the beach and let your sight go far, to the point where the sky meets the sea. When I lived in a seaside city, I used to this every morning, and it really worked wonders. Alternatively, you can just close your eyes for a couple of minutes (make sure that you don’t fall asleep), once per hour or every two hours. That’s what I mean by saying” “give your eyes a rest”.
Sitting in front of a computer screen is like sitting in front of a lamp that is turned on, which is something that has been used to torture people. You get the message now, don’t you?
Another option to treat your tired eyes after a long day (and night) of surfing online and socializing with your online friends, could be to use some very simple “eye yoga movements”.
You can get an idea of what these eye movements look like and what they are about, if you follow the link below that will take you to the relevant YouTube video.
You can choose to do these yoga eye exercises sporadically during your working hours, or apply them all just after you have finished work.
Personally, I would recommend doing them just after work, because stopping every now and then while you work can have a negative effect on your concentration and productivity.
Finally, if things get really bad with your eyes, you should seek medical advice immediately. Or even better, visit an optician and/or an ophthalmologist to have your eyes tested, as soon as you spot the strained eyes problem, because prevention is the best cure.
Do you suffer from similar problems? What have you done to deal with them?
Further reading:
What is computer vision syndrome?
5 signs that you have computer eye strain (and how to relieve and prevent it)