Eye Fatigue?

With all this downtime it seems more people are using the internet.  So after a few days or even a few hours, your eyes might be burning, itchy, and tired. This might be a common condition called Eye Fatigue. There are some simple things that can be used to prevent or ease this problem.

Sometimes we may feel like this:




Are there some herbs that would help?

What are somethings that can be done to help?

I saw this gel mask, do these work?




Something I have found that helps is to massage around the temples like this:





To me eyes are one of the most important parts of the body!

This is a great topic and really important!!
I work on screens all day, have for years, and have occasionally had problems that scared me really good..... Since then I'm much more careful with my vision, after all I do enjoy seeing the trees, the flowers, bees, etc.

First, if you're using a computer, be at least an arm's length away. If you're using a laptop, get an extra keyboard, which will allow you to put the laptop up higher even with the top of your head, which will also help with neck pain.
There are alarms you can set or apps you can use to do the 20-20-20 thing: every 20 minutes, look at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. I live on a ridge and like to look out my window into my garden and then out to the other ridge I can see. There is a Chrome extension that is an easy fix, but there are a lot of other options. https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/eyecare-protect-your-visi/eeeningnfkaonkonalpcicgemnnijjhn?hl=en

I also have a pair of gamer glasses, which are a +1.25 prescription with a blue-light coating (they're yellow). When my eyes are strained, I use them (still at distance from the screen). And I keep eye drops right next to my computer, and try to use them as often as I can remember to.

(an odd note. I have worn contact lenses on and off for the last 30 years. I have a medical condition that means that in the next 10 years or so I will probably no longer be able to wear them, so I'm slowly learning to wear my glasses. I don't like them, I don't feel like I see as well, lots of whiney excuses. The only time I've ever gotten a corneal ulcer, in all of these years of wearing lenses for weeks at a time, was when I took out my lenses to start wearing glasses, ironically. The doctor explained that I was so used to the protection that contact lenses gave my eyes that I got used to blinking less, and when I stopped wearing contacts my eyes dried out. The moral of this story is blink, blink, keep blinking, and then blink more.)

A distinguished eye doctor (wrote textbook that is still highly regarded) who examined me once gave me three tips to healthy eyes;

1. Wear sunglasses when outside as much as possible
2. cover your eyes with a clean warm wet towel periodically to moisturize and rest your eyes
3. Wear purpose designed glasses for computer work.

I was looking at what herbs would be best for eye fatigue as I know I have seen them before.

Then I remember that when I was a teenager, all my friends were using cucumber slices on their eyes.  If I remember correctly, they said the cucumbers helped after they had been studying for exams and their eyes were tied.

The cucumbers also help with puffiness.




So my research for herbs led me to the use of tea bags for eyes.  From what I read it is best to use organic chamomile tea, green tea or peppermint tea. Steep two tea bags in a glass of hot water for about 60 seconds as that would be long enough for their benefits to work.  Then stick them in the fridge until they are chilled.  Close your eyes and place one bag over the eyelids for about 5 to 15 minutes





Have you tried the cucumbers or tea bags?  How did they work for you?

I am still new to the Bates Method of vision improvement, but the few times I've tried the long swing, I was surprised at how it immediately eased my eye strain. The idea is to trick your eyes into focusing differently for a moment through movement. This will use different eye muscles and allow others muscles to relax. Here is a video demonstration of the exercise:  


The Bates Method also stresses an importance on looking into the distance periodically or at least 10 minutes a day. Here the objective is take a break and look at movements in the sky or landscape no closer than 40 yards away. Remove your corrective lenses and really give your vision a break while looking into the distance, if it is safe to do so. For anyone who is interested in exploring more about natural vision improvement, Nathan Oxenfeld youtube channel is a good place to start. I picked up some useful tips in his daily routine video:  

I first learned about this topic by reading the book: Vision for Life by Meir Schneider Vision For Life Ten Steps to Natural Eyesight Improvement

I have also started to use Iris software to adjust blue light and reduce computer screen flicker.
https://iristech.co/
I really like Iris Pro for the features it offers, like a built in timer, but Iris Mini is extremely simple, does the trick and can be downloaded for free. https://iristech.co/iris-mini/

This is so helpful thank you. Right on our lockdown I started two part time jobs which require me to be looking at a computer screen for several hours a day and my eyes have been objecting!