Eye fatigue

Eye fatigue causes

Eye fatigue can usually happen due to a variety of reasons. We have mentioned some of them below:

Muscle fatigue

The ciliary muscle is located inside the eye. It is responsible for adjusting the lenses in your eyes to allow you to focus on distant or nearby objects. When this muscle is used beyond its capacity, especially for longer periods, it struggles to focus on objects nearby. When you stare at an object for a long time, you prevent your ciliary muscles from contracting and relaxing, making it more difficult for them to adjust your lenses and to give you clear vision.

Extraocular muscles are another set of muscles that contract and relax to give you stable, clear, and strain-free vision. There are six extraocular muscles per eye, and these focus on an image to prevent you from seeing double.

When these muscles contract rapidly because of looking at an object for a long time, they feel strained and overworked. Like all muscles, our extraocular muscles need time to relax, rest, and gain energy to perform their task. Overworking your eyes prevents this rest, and can result in strained, tired eyes and, if left unchecked, possibly eye health conditions.

Ocular surface disease

Some people suffer from what is known as an ocular surface disease – a disease that makes the surface of the eye dry out more quickly than usual, and can cause difficulty in focusing on objects. With this disease, the eye's surface doesn’t have enough natural lubrication. This means that the eye's surface film is prone to tear, and cannot easily repair itself. This dryness causes the eyes to feel drained and tired, and results in eye fatigue.

Computer screen glare

The most common cause for eye fatigue is exposure to computer or mobile phone screen glare. When your screen's brightness isn't managed, the exposure can drain your eye of energy, due to processing either too bright glares or extremely low glares.

This is why screens must be regularly adjusted to suit your eye's brightness intake. Otherwise you may end up with frequent eye fatigue, which can easily affect your overall productivity. Avoid looking at fluorescent lighting, and check that the light from your computer screen suits your eye’s comfort level.

Reduce exposure to glare

If your eyes tire easily, you may want to adjust the lighting around you to cut down on the glare coming from your computer screen. For example, if there happens to be a lamp by your computer that is creating a glare on your screen, it may be better to reposition the lamp.

Installing a dimmer switch has also been proven to cut down on glare from computer screens and can be an effective eye fatigue remedy. Adding a glare filter to your monitor can decrease the glare, as it absorbs excess glare and prevents your eyes from absorbing it.

Change your location

Adjusting the height of your monitor can also make a difference. Keep your monitor elevated up to your head level, but slightly lower than your eye level. And keep your monitor about 20–28 inches away from your face, as this can decrease the likelihood of your eyes feeling strained or fatigued.

Take some time off the screen

Sitting in front of a screen for long periods of time is not recommended. This becomes even more important when you know your eyes are fatigued. You may want to get up from your seat, wash your eyes, and drink some water so that you rehydrate your eyes. This will also reduce eye fatigue by giving your muscles time to recover while you take a break from the screen.

Another recommendation is to follow the 20–20–20 rule. For every 20 minutes of screen work, look away, at something in the distance around 20 feet away, for about 20 seconds.

Wear prescriptive computer glasses

Sometimes, for chronic eye fatigue or extreme eye fatigue, taking a break from the screen, using eye drops, and changing the lighting just doesn’t help enough. An additional solution may be wearing glasses which block excessive blue light from a digital screen to protect your eyes.

For these glasses, you want to visit your optometrist, who will carry out an eye examination and then provide you with a pair of customised computer glasses. These glasses are preferable to wearing contact lenses, since they do not dry up, nor make your eyes uncomfortable by wearing them for long periods of time.

Back to overview