Causes of visual discomfort
Many people are familiar with the situation when, after working at the computer for a long time, a headache, discomfort in the back, and tingling in the eyes appear. Improper use of technology leads to deterioration of vision. The main cause of rapid eye fatigue is monitor flickering. Reading screen information is stressful on the eyes. With constant overwork of the visual system, blood circulation is impaired, tissues suffer from a lack of oxygen. To replenish it, the vessels dilate, which leads to redness of the mucous membrane. Some vessels are damaged and burst.
A person’s eyes are constantly working, and disorders develop against the background of overstrain. Prolonged concentration on one object causes overstrain of the eye muscles. This leads to discomfort and pain when working on a computer.
People who have to work a lot at the computer complain of redness and tired eyes. To solve this problem, you can turn to traditional medicine methods. There are many recipes to quickly get rid of redness, swelling and eye fatigue at home. Let's look at some options.
Organization of the workplace and working hours
Place your desktop on the side of the window, the flow of light should fall from the left .
The best lighting when working at a computer is diffused light that does not glare on the screen. Use blinds or curtains on the windows to prevent bright sunlight from shining onto the screen.
In addition to the table lamp, be sure to use general light for lighting .
A good monitor is the key to healthy eyes
Keep your monitor screen clean, do not forget to wipe it at least once a week with a special liquid or wipes. If you use glasses, also make sure they are transparent.
Make monitor settings: contrast, brightness and screen frequency. Set that is most comfortable for you, but do not reduce it too much, as a dim screen will increase eye strain and make your eyes hurt more.
By default, the monitor is usually set to the minimum frequency. To adjust it, in the control panel, find the screen settings settings and set the maximum screen frequency.
Position the monitor correctly : its upper edge is slightly lower than your eye level, and tilt the lower edge slightly closer to you. This screen arrangement helps reduce eye fatigue.
Do not place the monitor closer than 60 cm from your eyes. If you can't see the image clearly at this distance, choose a larger font . It is also recommended to work with a dark font on a white background.
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Tips for using the computer
When typing text from paper, place the source directly next to the monitor. This way you can avoid unnecessary eye movements and head turns. Ideally, you need to master the ten-finger touch typing method , which allows you not to look at the keyboard when typing, and your eyes get tired much less.
It is recommended to purchase special computer glasses from an optical store that protect your eyes from computer radiation.
When working at the computer, watch how your torso is positioned: you need to sit straight, shoulders back . This is the only way to prevent neck and back pain and maintain normal blood circulation and nutrition to the eyes.
If you spend a lot of time on the computer, it's important to develop a work and rest routine that gives your eyes the break they need to relax.
Every hour of work you need to take a five-minute break, during which you do eye exercises or simply take a break from the screen and look out the window, look at the most distant object.
If you work on a computer throughout the work week, do not use it on weekends or at home in the evenings. It’s better to read a book in your free time - it will be good for your eyes, just don’t forget about good lighting.
Walking in nature, in a park area, observing the horizon and water has a very beneficial effect on the condition of the eyes.
Decoctions for tired eyes
✔ The most popular recipe for red and tired eyes is a simple compress made from tea bags. Strong brew refreshes the eyes. It is more effective to use not tea bags, but regular tea leaves. You need to soak cotton pads in the tea leaves, squeeze them a little and apply them to your eyes for 5 – 10 minutes. This remedy will perfectly help against inflammation. For edema, it is good to use green tea leaves.
✔ Herbal decoctions are good for the eyes. Pour a tablespoon of linden blossom into a glass of boiling water and leave for 10 minutes. Cotton pads are moistened in cooled linden infusion and applied to the eyes. The same decoction can be made with chamomile or cornflower flowers.
✔ A decoction of dill seeds relieves swelling and redness well. A tablespoon of seeds is poured into a glass of boiling water, infused and cooled. Cotton pads are soaked in the infusion and applied to the eyes.
✔ In summer, parsley will help cope with eye inflammation. A small bunch should be finely chopped, thrown into boiling water for 1 - 3 minutes and boiled over low heat. Cool, soak cotton pads in the infusion and apply to your eyes.
✔ Natural brewer's yeast will help relieve fatigue. A small piece about 1 cm in size needs to be dissolved in a glass of warm water. Moisten a cotton pad with the resulting solution and apply to the eyes.
✔ Ice is a wonderful remedy for the eyes. In the morning and evening, wipe your eyelids with a small ice cube. You only need to freeze purified and filtered water; mineral water will do.
Homemade drops for computer-tired eyes
• Dilute a tablespoon of light honey in a glass of warm water. Drop the resulting solution into tired eyes, 1 to 3 drops every 5 hours. It is better not to take dark varieties of honey, they can cause allergies.
• You can instill a drop of natural sea buckthorn oil, purchased at a pharmacy, at night. This will help relieve fatigue, inflammation and nourish the eye shell with beneficial substances.
• The best moisturizing drops were invented by nature itself. These are our tears. It's good to cry a little sometimes to relax your eyes and relieve dryness. If you have difficulty with this, you can simply chop a couple of onions.
Masks at home
> Special masks made from the simplest products help relieve eye fatigue.
> An excellent remedy is regular heavy cream. They are applied to the eyes for 10 minutes, then washed off with warm water.
> Grate raw potatoes and apply the resulting pulp generously to your eyes. Hold for 10 minutes. It is recommended to make potato masks in the morning and evening.
> A remedy familiar to many is fresh cucumber. It needs to be kept in the refrigerator, cut into circles and applied to the eyes.
> Mix banana pulp with sour cream and apply to eyes for 10 - 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. It is also an excellent relaxant and mood lifter.
> It’s good to make mint masks periodically. Chop a small bunch of mint and mix with cold cream. Leave it on your eyes for 20 minutes and rinse with warm water.
> Olive oil perfectly moisturizes and relieves swelling. Apply a few drops to your eyelids before going to bed.
Adjust screen brightness
To reduce eye strain, monitor screen brightness should match the brightness of the ambient light. You can adjust the desired backlight level by focusing on the white background of the text page. If it looks like a light source in a room, then the brightness is too high. When it appears gray or faded, the brightness probably needs to be increased a little.
If you are sitting near a window or if there are too many reflective objects in the room, you can resort to using special anti-glare filters that are fixed directly on top of the monitor screen.
Restorative gymnastics for the eyes
The eye muscles need strengthening. To do this, it is recommended to perform special gymnastics for the eyes. Here are a few simple exercises:
❶ Move your gaze from an object located nearby to an object located at a distance of 2 - 3 meters. It is best to perform the exercise while standing facing the window. You can look at trees, houses, passers-by.
❷ Bring your eyes to the bridge of your nose several times.
❸ Sit comfortably, close your eyes and completely relax your facial muscles. Spend 2 – 3 minutes in this position.
❹ Mentally draw letters of the alphabet and numbers with your eyes.
These exercises will only take a few minutes to complete. They can also be done at the workplace.
Adjust color temperature
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Most monitors allow you to manually adjust the color temperature. In dark rooms it is better to use warmer (yellowish) tones, and in good lighting - cooler (blue) tones. The easiest way to optimize your monitor's color palette is to use F.lux. This program automatically adjusts the temperature based on the time of day and ambient light. It is available for Windows, Linux and Mac.
For Android, there are a number of similar tools that allow you to activate the blue light filter and apply other settings that reduce eye strain. There are no such applications for iOS, since third-party developers cannot duplicate the system's night mode. iPhone and iPad users are left with only assistant applications for performing eye exercises and vision tests.
Bates-Shichko method
• Draw a rectangle with your eyes. First, draw a straight line with your eyes from left to right, then up, then from right to left and down.
• Move your eyes in a circle clockwise.
• Move your eyes from the floor to the ceiling, then from right to left.
• Draw wavy lines with your eyes, first from left to right, then from right to left.
To obtain a positive effect, each exercise is performed for 15–20 seconds. We must not forget about contraindications. You cannot perform eye gymnastics if you have a retinal detachment, after laser vision correction or lens replacement surgery.
Proper nutrition to improve vision
✔ Proper nutrition is important to maintain natural visual acuity. It is advisable to include foods that are healthy for the eyes in your diet: carrots, blueberries, pumpkin, spinach, broccoli. It is good to add foods high in calcium, zinc, vitamins E, D, B12, C and A to your daily menu.
✔ Compliance with the drinking regime is also important. Every day you need to drink at least 2 liters of clean water. This will be an excellent prevention of dry eyes.
Let's name a few products that are good for the eyes:
☕ Blueberries are considered a berry that is good for the eyes. It is best to eat it fresh, but you can also choose dried berries. Pour a glass of warm water over the blueberries and leave overnight. In the morning, eat a few spoons of berries on an empty stomach 30 minutes before the main meal.
☕ Nettle is very useful for the eyes. In summer it is good to make vitamin salad and nettle soup from it.
☕ Sprouted wheat has been a proven remedy for strengthening eyes for centuries. You can purchase it at the pharmacy and germinate it yourself.
☕ Fresh beets improve visual acuity and relieve eye fatigue. This root vegetable contains a lot of zinc, which is good for vision. Beetroot makes a good salad.
☕ Carrots containing vitamin A remain irreplaceable. Grate the carrots and add a little vegetable oil - a healthy salad is ready.
Symptoms of eye fatigue and strain
Before studying sets of exercises for the eyes or preparing traditional medicine, you need to understand whether the problem is precisely fatigue or whether there are signs of ophthalmological diseases .
If your eyes are experiencing fatigue, you can observe the following signs characteristic of this condition::
- moderate dull pain in the eyes;
- redness of the whites;
- burning and itching;
- painful sensations when looking at light sources;
- dry eyes;
- the appearance of small dots before the eyes;
- possible appearance of dark circles under the eyes.
One or more of these signs indicate fatigue. But additional symptoms in the form of severe bruising and swelling, increased intraocular pressure, an abundant blood network on the proteins and excessive tearing indicate that the person has an eye disease (most likely it is blepharitis or conjunctivitis).
Yoga for the eyes
Yoga is good for the eyes. This is a special set of exercises aimed at training vision and consciousness. Let's give an example of one exercise. You need to sit comfortably on a chair and place a lit candle in front of you. It should be exactly at eye level. The lights in the room should be turned off. First, they peer into the candle flame, then close their eyes and mentally try to restore visual impressions (surrounding objects, furniture, candlestick, candle, dripping wax, flame).
In the beginning, you can limit yourself to visualizing only the candle flame. The exercise will be considered mastered if you can look at the fire without blinking for 10 - 15 minutes, and then completely restore the resulting image with your eyes closed.
Adjust your monitor position
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The monitor screen should be 45–70 cm away from you. In this case, your eyes should be at the same level as the top of it. If it is not possible to adjust the height of the screen, you can place simple hard books under the monitor. Lowering or raising the chair should also help. The main thing is that the center of the screen is always 15–20 degrees below eye level.
