How Long Does Eye Strain Last

Eye strain is annoying. It’s uncomfortable. But is it a permanent thing? How long does eye strain last?

It’s important to remember that eye strain isn’t a disease. Rather, it’s a symptom that arises when you use your eyes for a long time without taking a break.

For instance, you are driving for extended periods. You also get eye strain when you read for hours.

Working at the computer can also cause eye strain.

Although it’s an annoying symptom, it’s not a serious condition. It means that it goes away, but only if you take the time to rest your eyes.

Read: Can Eye Strain Cause Headaches?

How Long Does Eye Strain Last and Does It Require Treatment?

In most cases, eye strain doesn’t require treatment. However, you can quickly relieve the pain by applying artificial tears.

The eye strain can last for a few minutes to an hour. But if your eye strain lasts for a day or so, it can indicate that you have an underlying eye condition. Talk to your ophthalmologist.

Symptoms of an Eye Strain

You can describe the symptoms as mild tearing, eye soreness, blurring of vision, doubling of vision, light sensitivity, tightness of the temples, and back/neck soreness, among others.

You may also get a headache. It’s a common symptom. The pain is located in both temples. But it’s not pounding.

The pain may not stop if you don’t halt your visual task. But once you do, the pain will go away.

There’s no specific test that can prove that your symptoms are the results of an eye strain.

However, if you are experiencing pain in the eye that lasts for hours or more than a day and it’s accompanied by visual loss and redness, then your doctor might prescribe you a treatment.

You may need to undergo an eye examination, especially if there’s redness or irritation of the eyes. If your eye strain isn’t relieved after resting your eyes, your doctor will examine your eyes and find out if you need glasses.

If your doctor thinks that glasses will make your eyes more comfortable, then you may need to wear prescription glasses.

Possible Treatments for Eye Strain

As mentioned earlier, eye strain doesn’t always need treatment. It has no long-term consequences. There’s no proof that it causes changes in the eyes.

It’s unpleasant and it can affect your ability to concentrate or work. It also leads to physical fatigue. Your productivity will decrease and your work errors will increase.

If you experience eye strain after reading or working on your computer for a few hours straight, try to adjust your lighting. Make sure that the light maximizes illumination while minimizes glare.

Furthermore, you need to take frequent brief breaks from your visual task. And make sure that you blink a few times.

It’s also helpful to massage your temples using your fingers in a rotary fashion. Do it for a minute or two. Close your eyes while you’re massaging your temples.

You may also need to increase the resolution of your screen. Then, reduce the ambient lighting.

Adjust the distance of your eyes from the screen and the reading material. You may also need to adjust the text size of what you’re reading or working on.

Don’t keep your eyes focused on your screen for hours. Make sure to take a break every 15 minutes by looking out of the window.

Make sure that you stand up after an hour of working on your computer. Move and stretch your arms.

What are the Possible Ways to Prevent Eye Strain?

One way to prevent it is to modify your task that’s been causing eye strain.

Wearing anti-blue light glasses may also help. They are specially crafted lenses. Their purpose is to block out the blue light from digital screens.

The lenses protect your eyes from glare, thereby, reducing potential damage to your retina after prolonged exposure to blue light.

In addition to wearing blue light glasses while working on your computer, you need to practice the 20-20-20 rule.

It means that every 20 minutes, you must look at something that’s 20 feet away from you and you must do it for 20 seconds.

Doing so will help relax your eyes.

To ensure that your eyes are properly lubricated, you may need to use eye drops or artificial tears. They can work too.

And when you are working on your computer, make sure that your computer screen is an arm’s length from you. Don’t sit too close to your computer because it will surely lead to eye strain, especially if you stare at your computer for too long.

You must always practice good screen habits.

Conclusion

How long does eye strain last? It won’t last for hours. It’s a temporary condition. You won’t need treatment for it.

However, if your eye strain lasts for more than a day and it has other symptoms, make sure to consult your ophthalmologist.

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