You often stare at the laptop screen for hours? Or often wear gadgets in a dark room? If so, watch out! These two activities can trigger eye stress which can cause discomfort when viewing.
Not only the mind, the sense of sight can also experience stress if it is given an excessive load. This condition, known as eye stress, occurs when the eyes become strained and tired from looking at or staring at something for too long.
Habits That Can Make Eyes Stress
Normally, the eye blinks about 15 times per minute. But when forced to focus and stare at something for too long, especially staring at a digital screen, the eyes will only blink about 5-7 times per minute.
In fact, the blinking process is needed by the eyes, because it functions to clean dust particles that enter the eye and moisturize the surface of the eyeball.
Driving too long, reading, writing, and staring at the computer screen and gadgets others are some activities that can cause you to experience eye fatigue and lead to eye stress. Especially if it is not supported by good lighting.
Eye stress can make the eyes feel dry, painful, watery, sore, hot, and itchy, and can even make the eyes more sensitive to light or easy to glare. In addition, eye stress can also be accompanied by double or blurry vision.
Eye Relaxation Techniques to Cope With Eye Stress
Although rarely causes damage to the eyes, eye stress can interfere with activities. To overcome this, there are several tips that you can do to make your eyes more relaxed during activities and not get tired easily, namely:
1. Set distance
Make sure the distance from the laptop screen, computer, gadgets, or books at least 60 cm from the eyes.
2. Use screen filters
Add a filter on your laptop or computer screen, so your eyes are not exposed to blue light for too long, which can cause eye stress.
3. Rest your eyes
If you're working at a computer, turn your gaze every 20 minutes to another object that is far away. Stare at the object for 20 seconds, then continue working. Next, every two hours, rest your eyes for 15 minutes.
4. Adjust the lighting
If the screen light of a laptop, computer, or gadgets much brighter than the light in the room, the eyes will have to work harder to see. Therefore, make sure your workspace or room has sufficient lighting for activities, not too bright or dark.
5. Remove contact lenses
If you wear contact lenses, give your eyes time to rest by occasionally wearing glasses. In addition, do not use contact lenses when sleeping and regularly replace them with new ones.
In addition to doing the methods above, you can also wash your eyes to relieve irritation caused by eye stress. Here are the steps for washing the eyes:
- Make sure your hands are clean before washing your eyes.
- Remove contact lenses if you are wearing them.
- Fill a small bowl or container with clean water, then dip your face into the container while blinking. Do it for 15 minutes.
- After feeling better, lift your face and dry with a towel.
You can also wash your eyes using an over-the-counter eye wash product at pharmacies or drugstores. This solution generally contains benzalkonium chloride which is safe for the eyes and is commonly used to treat irritation or dry eyes.
If the methods above have been done but you still experience visual disturbances or discomfort in the eyes, immediately consult an ophthalmologist to get the right treatment.