Beating the Fatigue: How to Handle Tired Eyes

Living in a modern city like Singapore, we're faced with a multitude of near-visual tasks daily which contribute to a common ailment that we have all experienced but may not understand -- eye fatigue. The Eye Site optometrist Roger Lim tells us more, and how we can address this problem.

March 11, 2008 — Are you working in front of a computer all day? Poring over textbooks, reading magazines and newspapers, SMSing furiously or playing hand-held computer games? You're not alone if your answer is "yes" to one or all of the above, and you're definitely not the only patient or customer who has come to us with complaints of fatigue in their eyes. Symptoms include a stinging or tight sensation in your eyes, headaches and blurry vision -- these can affect you whether or not you have an eye prescription.

When we read or work in close proximity with texts, images or objects, our eyes are engaged in a natural process called accommodation, in which the eye muscles contract to focus images on the back of the eye so we can see clearly. Like any other muscle in our body, constant contraction in the eye will cause fatigue and strain, leading to the above symptoms.

While we can't escape the daily demands of our jobs and lifestyles, there are steps we can take to give our eyes a break and relax our ocular muscles:

• Look out at green landscapes at a distance for five minutes after every hour of near-visual work
• Place a warm towel over closed eyes for 10 seconds
• Apply pressure at the pressure points just below the tip of your inner eyebrows and hold for 10 minutes
• Refresh your eyes with an eye wash such as Optrex
• Take a nap!

To prevent these symptoms from occurring, The Lens Men and The Eye Site can prescribe the new and innovative Essilor Anti-Fatigue lens, a new generation of lens that gives relief to hardworking eyes while correcting vision. Because the lens retains your natural accommodation pattern, it provides much greater comfort than an ordinary single-vision lens. It is also available with a Crizal Alize coating for greater transparency and better contrast. This lens works best for patients between the ages of 20 and 45 and spend more than three hours a day working at close range -- it can even help those who have perfect vision but suffer from tired eyes.

The Lens Men and The Eye Site are offering a 20% discount on the revolutionary Essilor Anti-Fatigue lens to all customers and patients. If you're curious about learning more about them or have any questions, drop by for a visit and we'll be more than happy to share more details on the lenses, ways to address eye fatigue, or examine your eyes for any other potential ailments.

By Roger Lim, The Eye Site