Computer screens, television, video game consoles... our eyes are increasingly stressed. Result: visual fatigue has become one of the main reasons for consulting an ophthalmologist.
20 million people are said to suffer from visual fatigue. Our near vision is increasingly stressed, which may explain this phenomenon, but it can also come from an uncorrected visual disorder, stress, artificial lighting or after intensive work on a screen.
Symptoms :
The patient complains of burning eyes, watering eyes or double vision. Sensations of irritation, tingling and increased sensitivity to light are also often found. For some, headaches and even dizziness are also felt. It is generally in the evening, after a day of work, especially work on a screen, that this fatigue is most felt.
Supported by the Ophthalmologist:
First of all, you must check that there are no uncorrected visual problems and ensure that the glasses correction is optimal and well balanced.
The ophthalmologist will also check through a complete eye assessment that there is no more serious cause to explain this visual discomfort.
Asking the optician for anti-reflective, anti-scratch and anti-UV treatment considerably improves visual comfort.
Detect, or even re-educate through orthoptic sessions, any possible fusion disorders between the two eyes or convergence insufficiency.
Possible treatments and solutions:
– Artificial tears or certain gels provide real relief because with your eyes fixed on the screen, you blink less and therefore secrete fewer tears. Hence the feeling of fatigue and dry eyes. In addition, a smoky environment or one ventilated by air conditioning systems will tend to dry out the eyes. Don't hesitate to ventilate and have drops on hand, recommended by your ophthalmologist, to combat dry eyes.
– Recommend wearing corrective lenses when working on screens or for close-up vision.
– Ensure compliance with the rules for working on screen:
It is important to properly arrange your workstation. You must eliminate all possible reflections on the screen, both those from outside light and those from your lighting. Avoid having a constant light source in your field of vision as much as possible. Regarding lighting, you should primarily use indirect light sources, such as halogens or desk lamps whose bulb is protected by a lampshade.
– Take regular breaks while exercising your distance vision. A few minutes every hour is enough.
– Adjust the screen light and contrast appropriately, choose fonts that are not too small or too fancy.
– General posture is also important: you should be facing your screen and not to the side. Adjust the height of your seat properly so that your eyes are slightly above the top edge of your screen. The distance between your eyes and the screen should correspond to that of your arms.
– And finally, in the event of an established binocular vision disorder or insufficient convergence, immediately undertake a few orthoptic rehabilitation sessions to improve comfort in sustained near vision.