Eye pain/strain only when looking at screens?
Posted , 71 users are following.
I'm 19 and have been very active on computers and other screens for many years and never had any problems. I have glasses for 10 years with no problems. I got my prescription updated over a year ago and had no problems, as usual, until about 5 months ago. One night while on the computer I started to feel a little strain like the screen was a little too bright. That had happened in the past very rarely so I didn't think much about it. The next day it got worse and I started having eye pain after about ten minutes of looking at my monitor (keeps in mind I've looked at monitors for hours before with no problems like this). For two weeks, I couldn't stand to look at ANY screens. TV, computer, phone, etc. I had to use my phone and PC occasionally but could only tolerate it when the brightness on these devices was completely turned down. The pain was like having really dry eyes but when I looked at a screen, I could feel a pain shooting through my eyes (mostly my right eye but still in both.) After two weeks, it got a little better and I could look at screens some, but the brightness has to stay low and it still hurts some more days than others. It's been 5 months and it won't go away. I've been using drops for severe dry eyes and it seems to have helped a little but not much.
NOTE: I went to my eye doctor a few days ago. He checked my prescription, focusing range, and looked into my eyes (but he didn't dilate them). He basically said my eyes were perfectly fine and told me to take breaks every once in a while when using a computer and pushed me out the door (in a manner of speaking). I've been taking huge breaks and limited my use to 1-2 hours a day and still I have the same pain.
What should I do? I start college for a tech degree this fall and it hurts to look at screens. I'm in a deep depression now because I can't find relief and I need to know how to fix this. I know there's something wrong with me, I just don't know what. Should I get a second opinion? I've read that if your eyes are really dry or something, you could have a tear or do some kind of damage and need to put antibiotic ointment on your eyelids to help repair them. I don't know if that's true but I friend described my problem to his eye doctor out of state and that's what he said. And I've read it in a few places online.
It would mean the world to me if anybody would lend their advice. I'm so close to just giving up and hope I can be happy in another career & routine that doesn't involve as many screens but it's making me miserable.
7 likes, 80 replies
ashutosh64528 unknownTous
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Please help me!!! Want to give entrance exam which is computer based but with this problem I can't pursue engineering
fay92990 ashutosh64528
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ashutosh64528 fay92990
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kellyshane unknownTous
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lawrence83871 unknownTous
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dezum lawrence83871
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juanita43819 unknownTous
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ashutosh64528 unknownTous
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mlim ashutosh64528
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ashutosh64528 unknownTous
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shelia22921 unknownTous
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Blink while reading, as we read we don't always do that, look away and around the room don't just keep reading, better yet, take a bathroom break every two hours or when you can focus your eyes on even looking out a window.
ashutosh64528 shelia22921
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I only start yawning after I see screen.When I see the screen for 5 mins and after that my eyes easily get very tired and I feel that my temporal muscles are very stretched and strained.If I stare at screen for more than 15-20 mins a time comes when my temporal muscles ,muscles just above my forehead, muscles just above my neckget very tired and stretched and I am not able to focus on anything(like reading a book) an I feel like I can't think anymore Now to get relieved from this state I have to rest on bed, and do continuous forced yawning till the muscles around around my eyes and muscles which I mentioned earlier get relaxed only then I could sleep and do other activities.My yawning is not natural and I can feel heat (hot air) coming from my mouth whenever I stare at screen to get back to normal.I can easily read books for 8-9 hours but whenever I see any screen beit of computer,TV or mobile phone I can't tolerate.In my case on looking at screen for long time my eyes not that much but my muscles which I mentioned get very hard and stiff and to sleep in night or read something like for 1 hour I can read only 1 page of book.Also get I have seen that when I go outside for walk and when I do forced yawn my vision gets improved(I am myopic) and there is some stiffness over my forehead muscles which get relaxed and I can easily focus on anything .When I increase my time of screening for very long like 1 hour then my muscles get stiff ,I have to do forced yawn ,go outside and try to sleep and for 3-4 days I can't sleep ,my body doesn't get rest(very less) due to which I have very low energy level , such that even if I try to shout the person sitting next to me could only hear or sometimes not.( If anybody has other suggestions please comment).
ashutosh64528 unknownTous
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2 years ago I didn't had the problem of seeing any screen but at that time something suddenly occured( or my body changed) that I lost my sleep.How hard I tried to sleep but I was unable to.It was like in 1 week I can only sleep for 1 day ( that also rarely happened).For me everyday was a struggle cause my body got very tired easily.This happened with me for 1 year but the day I started studying in led lights and not tube light my eye muscles didn't get tired or hard and stiff.But just after one year I found that whenever I saw screen my sleep at night becomes worse and sometimes I wasn't able to sleep when I used my mobile phone but that time I could stare at it for 1 hour or more. As my due to study pressure I limited my phone use to 10-20 mins and gradually I found my situation getting even worser and now it is difficult for me to look at any screen.(but can manage in dim light for 10-15 mins.
krits98565 unknownTous
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ashutosh64528 krits98565
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