Due to your profession, you find yourself obliged to spend several hours in front of your computer screen. Lately, you have been feeling a tingling sensation in the eyes. Your eyes water, your vision clouds, becoming blurred at times, and you rub your eyes unnaturally. These events may be related to prolonged exposure to your screen. You probably suffer from what doctors call “THE DRY EYE SYNDROME”.

WHAT CAUSES DRYNESS OF THE EYE?

Tears moisturise, lubricate and clean the surface of the eye. They chase dust and micro-organisms that attack the eye’s surface.  Prolonged screen work decreases the frequency of blinking. You look approximately 30,000 times at the screen, the keyboard and your documents and the frequency of the closing and opening of eyelids drops from 10-12 to only about 7 per minute. This decrease in blinking reduces the amount of tear film and causes visual discomfort. When tears are too scarce, the dry eye syndrome appears. The eye becomes vulnerable to infections and trauma.

How to DECREASE OCULAR FATIGUE?

Think about improving your working conditions in front of the screen! The appearance of these symptoms is very often linked to improper use of the screen.

1) Consider the environment of your workstation and check your position when in front of your screen

2) Adjust the brightness and contrast of your screen

3) Keep your screen clean to avoid glare and reflections. Anti-glare screens exist!

4) Remember to reduce your screen time BY TAKING BREAKS (5 minutes per hour or 15 minutes every two hours) to relax from accommodation.

IN CASE OF DISORDER PERSISTENCE, CONSULT AN OPHTHALMOLOGIST.