Eye strain

Eye strain
Other names	Asthenopia, aesthenopia, eyestrain
Specialty	Ophthalmology

Eye strain, also known as asthenopia (from astheno- 'loss of strength' and -opia 'relating to the eyes'), is a common eye condition that manifests through non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, pain in or around the eyes, blurred vision, headache, and occasional double vision.^[1] Symptoms often occur after long-term use of computers, digital devices, reading, or other activities that involve extended visual tasks^[2] which are broadly classified into external and internal symptom factors.^[1] The experience of eye strain when reading in dim light has given rise to the common misconception that such an activity causes permanent eye damage.^[3]

When concentrating on a visually intense task, such as continuously focusing on a book or computer monitor, the ciliary muscles and the extraocular muscles are strained. This causes discomfort, soreness, and/or pain in the eyeballs. Closing the eyes for ten minutes and relaxing the muscles of the face and neck at least once an hour usually relieves the problem.

A page or photograph which shows the same image twice, but slightly displaced–from a printing mishap, a camera moving during the shot, etc.–can cause eye strain due to the brain misinterpreting the image fault as diplopia and reacting by adjusting the sideways movements of the two eyeballs, in an attempt to fuse the two images into one.

Eye strain can also happen when viewing a blurry image (including images deliberately partly blurred for censorship), due to the ciliary muscle tightening in an attempt to focus the blurring out.

Symptoms

Symptoms of eye strain can include:^[4][5]

• blurred vision
• sore, tired, burning, or itching eyes
• difficulty concentrating
• dry eyes or watery eyes
• eye discomfort
• headache
• irritated or burning eyes
• sensitivity to bright lights

Therapy

One known method of relieving strain of the ocular muscles is taking periodic breaks by closing the eyes.^[6]

See also

• Astigmatism
• Computer vision syndrome
• Eye examination
• Light-on-dark color scheme
• Ocular neurosis
• Photophobia
• Vision therapy
• Visual looming syndrome

References

1. Sheedy, James E.; Hayes, John N.; Engle, Jon (November 2003). "Is all asthenopia the same?". Optometry and Vision Science. 80 (11): 732–739. doi:10.1097/00006324-200311000-00008. ISSN 1040-5488. PMID 14627938. S2CID 16299425.
2. FT, Vaz; SP, Henriques; DS, Silva; J, Roque; AS, Lopes; M, Mota (April 2019). "Digital Asthenopia: Portuguese Group of Ergophthalmology Survey". Acta Med Port. 32 (4): 260–265. doi:10.20344/amp.10942. hdl:10400.10/2236. PMID 31067419. S2CID 148571110.
3. Rachel C. Vreeman, Aaron E. Carroll, "Medical Myths", The British Medical Journal (now called The BMJ) 335:1288 (December 20, 2007), doi:10.1136/bmj.39420.420370.25
4. B, Antona; AR, Barrio; A, Gascó; A, Pinar; M, González-Pérez; MC, Puell (April 2018). "Symptoms associated with reading from a smartphone in conditions of light and dark". Applied Ergonomics. 68: 12–17. doi:10.1016/j.apergo.2017.10.014. PMID 29409625.
5. S, Jaiswal; L, Asper; J, Long; A, Lee; K, Harrison; B, Golebiowski (September 2019). "Ocular and visual discomfort associated with smartphones, tablets and computers: what we do and do not know". Clinical & Experimental Optometry. 102 (5): 463–477. doi:10.1111/cxo.12851. PMID 30663136. S2CID 58558016.
6. S, Lertwisuttipaiboon; T, Pumpaibool; KJ, Neeser; N, Kasetsuwan (May 2017). "Effectiveness of a participatory eye care program in reducing eye strain among staff computer users in Thailand". Risk Manag Healthc Policy. 10: 71–80. doi:10.2147/RMHP.S134940. PMC 5436759. PMID 28546777.

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