Relax Your Eyes: Your Guide to Eye Strain Relief

The eye is the second most complex organ in the body. For one thing, it contains over two million working parts!

Like the rest of the body, however, it can be affected by various conditions. Some examples include refractive errors, cataracts, glaucoma, and strabismus.

Eye strain is another common problem.

Have you experienced it? Looking for some eye strain relief tips? If so, you’re on the right page. We’ll be going over how to get rid of eye strain below.

Keep reading to learn more!

1. Follow the 20-20-20 Rule

Eye strain occurs when your eyes get tired from intense use (e.g. staring at a computer screen). That’s where the 20-20-20 rule comes in.

Basically, for every 20 minutes that you spend on an activity, you want to take a 20-second break and look at something that’s at least 20 feet away—that’ll help prevent eye strain.

For example, you can focus on a lamppost or tree across the street for 20 seconds. Need a reminder? You can always set an alarm for every 20 minutes while working. There are also apps that you can use that’ll help you follow the 20-20-20 rule.

2. Use the Right Lighting

Bright fluorescent lights can strain your eyes. In some cases, it can even lead to eye strain headaches.

Given that, you might want to adjust your lighting. For example, you can switch your fluorescent bulb for a natural daylight desk lamp. The warm light will be easier on your eyes and the shade will diffuse the rays so that there will be less glare.

Also, you want to be careful of blue light from digital devices such as smartphones and tablets. Not only can it lead to eye strain, but it can also increase your risk of macular degeneration, a disorder that affects the retina.

The good news is that there are filters that you can use that’ll reduce the amount of blue light that’s emitted from your screen. Or if you want, you can always wear a pair of blue light-blocking glasses.

3. Use Eye Drops

Staring at a screen for long periods of time can dramatically reduce the eye’s blink rate (from 15 times per minute to 5-7 times per minute) and that can cause your eyes to become irritated and dry.

The easiest way to resolve this is by using eye drops, or more specifically, artificial tears. They’ll keep your eyes moist and prevent dry eyes, which is often associated with eye strain.

For the best results, use a preservative-free eye drop. They may be more expensive, however, they’re much gentler on the eyes. Not only that but they can be used as often as you need without any adverse effects.

Getting Eye Strain Relief

And there you have it—three eye strain relief tips. As you can see, there are different things that you can do to relax your eyes. Remember, you only get one pair of eyes so be sure to take good care of them!

For more similar posts, visit the rest of our health section!