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Ehsan Danish
| Eye strain | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Asthenopia, aesthenopia, eyestrain |
| Specialty | Ophthalmology |
| Symptoms | Headache, blurred vision, eye discomfort, and light sensitivity |
Eye strain, also medically termed as asthenopia (from astheno- 'loss of strength' and -opia 'relating to the eyes'), is a common eye condition characterized by non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, pain in or around the eyes, blurred vision, headache, and occasional double vision.[1]
These symptoms tend to arise after long-term use of computers, staring at phone screens, digital devices, reading, or other activities that involve extended visual tasks.[2] Various causes contribute to eye strain, including uncorrected vision problems,[1][3][4] digital device usage,[5][6] environmental factors,[1] and underlying health conditions.[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, also contributing to the symptoms.[7] These symptoms are broadly classified into external (related to the ocular surface) and internal symptom factors (related to eye muscles).[1]
Treatment involves environmental modifications, visual aids,[7] and taking periodic breaks.[7][8] 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.[9]
Causes
Asthenopia can result from various factors. These causes can be categorized as ocular issues,[1][3][4] digital use patterns,[5][6] evironmental factors,[1] or underlying health conditions,[3] including:[1][4]
- Uncorrected refractive errors (Astigatism, Hyperopia, Anisometropia, etc.)[6]
- Eye movement coordination
- Accommodative[6] and vergence stress
- Glare
- Flickering lights
- Allergy[3]
- Close viewing distance
- dry-eye
- Fatigue[3]
- Upward gaze
- Prolonged reading from smartphone[5]
Symptoms
Eye strain's symptoms can be broken into two groups: Internal Symptom Factors (ISF) and External Symptom Factors (ESF).[1] ESFs comprise of symptoms related to dry-eye such as burning and irritation, seemingly linked to the ocular surface.[1] ISFs are related to pain and ache sensations behind the eye and are linked to accomodative and vergence stress, caused by poor visual conditions.[1][10]
Symptoms of eye strain can include:[1][5][6][10]
- blurred vision
- headache
- sore, irritated, burning, or itching eyes
- dry eyes or watery eyes
- eye discomfort
- difficulty concentrating
- sensitivity to bright lights
Therapy
Given that asthenopia is caused by different factors, treatment may involve the work environment or visual conditions.[1] One known method of relieving strain of the ocular muscles is taking periodic breaks by closing the eyes[7] and blinking frequently.[8] Often found in connection to Digital Eye Strain (DES), eye strain can be reduced by following the 20-20-20 rule, which consists of looking at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.[8]
See also
- Eye examination
- Light-on-dark color scheme
- Ocular neurosis
- Photophobia
- Vision therapy
- Visual looming syndrome
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d e f Stein, Harold A; Stein, Raymond M; Freeman, Melvin I, eds. (2013-01-01), "Chapter 7 - History taking", The Ophthalmic Assistant (Ninth Edition), London: W.B. Saunders, pp. 99–110, doi:10.1016/b978-1-4557-1069-0.00007-4, ISBN 978-1-4557-1069-0, retrieved 2025-04-14
- ^ a b c García-Muñoz, Ángel; Carbonell-Bonete, Stela; Cacho-Martínez, Pilar (2014-10-01). "Symptomatology associated with accommodative and binocular vision anomalies". Journal of Optometry. 7 (4): 178–192. doi:10.1016/j.optom.2014.06.005. ISSN 1888-4296. PMC 4213865. PMID 25323640.
- ^ a b c d Antona, Beatriz; Barrio, Ana Rosa; Gascó, Adriana; Pinar, Ana; González-Pérez, Mariano; Puell, María C. (2018-04-01). "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. ISSN 0003-6870. PMID 29409625.
- ^ a b c d e Shukla, Yogesh (August 2020). "Accommodative anomalies in children". Indian Journal of Ophthalmology. 68 (8): 1520–1525. doi:10.4103/ijo.IJO_1973_18. ISSN 1998-3689. PMC 7640847. PMID 32709767.
- ^ a b c d 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.
- ^ a b c Kaur, Kirandeep; Gurnani, Bharat; Nayak, Swatishree; Deori, Nilutparna; Kaur, Savleen; Jethani, Jitendra; Singh, Digvijay; Agarkar, Sumita; Hussaindeen, Jameel Rizwana; Sukhija, Jaspreet; Mishra, Deepak (2022-10-01). "Digital Eye Strain- A Comprehensive Review". Ophthalmology and Therapy. 11 (5): 1655–1680. doi:10.1007/s40123-022-00540-9. ISSN 2193-6528. PMC 9434525. PMID 35809192.
- ^ 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
- ^ a b Sheedy, J. E. (2007-06-15). "The physiology of eyestrain". Journal of Modern Optics. 54 (9): 1333–1341. Bibcode:2007JMOp...54.1333S. doi:10.1080/09500340600855460. ISSN 0950-0340.
