Eye Strain

Eye strain, also called asthenopia or computer vision syndrome, is a typical eye condition that is discerned from the occurrence of numerous symptoms after intensely staring at digital screens for long.

The work landscape is now digitized meaning that executives are spending more hours gazing at computers and related displays putting them at risk. 59% of Americans suffer eye strain symptoms.  Indeed, it’s predicted that a good number of executives belong in the 59% battling eye strain and that eye strain is now more prevalent in workplaces than any other time in history.

Fortunately, it’s a health problem you can easily overcome with a proper routine and eye care.

Causes of Eye Strain

The eye strain that is affecting your ability to meet work expectations can also be caused by complications in the way our eyesight balance works inside the human inner eye.

Factors which worsen the situation include poor contrast settings of text against the set background, too much glare, and the normal flickering from devices screens.

Have a look at the following points and see if you do some of these practices that traditionally cause eye strain:

1. Intense Focusing

In many cases, eye strain emanates from focusing intensely on digital screens for extended time periods.

2. Binocular Vision Disorders

Binocular vision disorders (BVD) cause line of sight between the two eyes to become misaligned.

This deeply stresses your eye muscles inducing eye strain in the long run.

3. Exposure to Dry Moving Air

Being exposed to the dry moving air from the office installations such as fans, air cons, and heating systems can irritate your eyes causing the issue.

4. Prolonged Use of Digital Screens

You may not realize it but looking fixedly at your smartphone, computer, tablet monitors, etc. possibly occasions digital eye strain.

5. Existing Eye Problems

Underlying difficulties like having dry eyes and uncorrected vision can grow into eye strain.

6. Wearing Certain Spectacle Lenses

You may also provoke the condition when you wear glasses with wrong lenses. Putting on the right eye aids but wrongly is risky too.

7. Working in Poorly Lit Conditions

Exposure to harsh (or too dim) lighting in your office can be the start of unending eye troubles including blurred vision.

8. Stress/Fatigue

According to a research study published by EHSToday, emotional turbulence at your workplace is not good.

Work-related anxiety, overworking, and even tension between you and colleagues are all likely to lead to increased incidences of eye strain.

Why Executives Are at Higher Risk of Eye Strain

The typical executive lifestyle puts managers at a higher risk, and the reasons are pretty obvious:

1. Executives Work For Many Hours on the Computer

First, these days, executives and officials spend long hours trying to make sense of spreadsheets, preparing presentations, analyzing Gantt charts, and more.

The office hours often seem insufficient, so you sometimes have to carry work home or to the plane when hopping from one business meeting to the next.

These super busy schedules mean that you rarely take a break from your screens.

2. Work Has Become a High-Pressure Cooker

Besides the lack of resting hours, sometimes deadlines and targets have turned offices into a pressure cooker with disastrous consequences.

Working under immense stress and the inevitable drawn-out exhaustion- both thought to contribute to eye strain have thus become part and parcel of our ‘workstyle’.

3. Diabetes and High Blood Pressure

Even at younger ages, different cadres of professionals are falling victim to traditionally older-age, lifestyle-related diseases such as high blood pressure.

This is not surprising if you are into sedentary living and unhealthy dietary routines.

Truth be told,  your hands always seem to be full and such a lifestyle seems justified.

The only problem is that such unhealthy practices oftentimes cause problems affecting your sight.

Why Is It Important for Executives to Prevent Eye Strain?

Clearly, executives suffering from eye strain can’t reach expected performance thresholds and are always below their traditional best at work so long as the problem persists.

You will be grappling with issues such as:

1. Discomfort at Work

Computer usage triggered eye strain causes headaches, eye fatigue, neck soreness, and such agonies ensure you no longer enjoy your work.

2. A Decrease of Focus and Productivity

Because you are unable to focus and concentrate, eye strain may adversely impact your overall productivity. This can have a snowball effect and the entire organization will start feeling the heat at some point.

3. An Increase of Irritability and Bad Mood

Eye strain every so often causes a sustained feeling of agitation and fluctuation in moods. You will hence find it hard to collaborate with others in your teams.

4. Lack of Enthusiasm at Work

Lack of motivation and apathy may also become a permanent fixture at your workstation, in pursuing business goals, and practically in everything else. This could mutate into indifference and deeply entrenched unhappiness.

5. Increased Stress and Anxiety

Long-term eye strain may cause you to feel severely stressed and anxious. You will find Jobs highly disconcerting owing to your over-anxious mind.

6. Increased Fatigue

You may also feel constantly exhausted and have a lasting desire to shut your eyes and rest at every juncture even during important meetings.

In summary, eyes are any executives’ working tools and you must jealously protect them from all the ills coming from using digital devices at work.

When to See a Doctor

Seeing that acuteness differ, there is no set time frame within which managers should visit an optometrist and it instead comes down to your individual state.

That being said, it’s important that you consult an optometrist /ophthalmologist soonest if home self-care doesn’t help. That’s because what you are taking to be a passing cloud because of being mild can rapidly deteriorate to something serious if you don’t act on time.

Optometrists and ophthalmologists conduct a comprehensive eye examination to deduce the cause of the eye issue. They also tend to dig into one’s eye history as part of eliminating possibilities of other eye ailments. The doctor may seek answers from you on matters related to work, like hours spent at a computer on average, the most prominent symptoms, any previous treatment, and the conditions at your workplace.

Maintaining an accurate list of the symptoms you have been having and the duration they last can be very helpful to your doctor as he/she investigates the causes of your eye strain.

Treatment sessions don’t take fixed time durations, again since gravity is unequal.

Eye Strain Treatment

Medical experts recommend diverse treatments for eye strain associated with daily computer use with all tackling identified symptoms.

As we saw earlier, your ophthalmologist will discuss your background and eye problem history to determine the ideal procedure for you.

Here is a brief discussion of what your ophthalmologist could recommend for you and the steps he/she will take:

1. Doctor Treats Underlying Eye Conditions

If he has discovered that your eye strain is a result of other eye conditions like uncorrected vision, the consultant could seek to tackle this problem prior to suggesting other cures.

2. Computer Glasses

Doctors may also prescribe suitable computer eyeglasses to enable you to work more comfortably.

Find Out More About Computer Glasses!

If the symptoms are taking too long without warning,  go back to your eye doctor and seek their opinion.

He could propose different eye protection remedies.

3. Contact Lenses

You may also be advised to use contact lenses instead of computer glasses.

Like in other medical cases, the decision will depend on what your doctor feels, your special needs, and typical lifestyle.

4. Refractive Surgery

Where fitting, the ophthalmologist can suggest that you undergo refractive eye surgery. This eventually reduces dependence on eyeglasses or prescribed contact lenses.

How Long Can Digital Eye Strain Last?

Eyestrain related to computer use can be annoying. The good news is that it’s hardly serious and should start disappearing after you implement the applicable home steps as we highlighted earlier.

However, in some cases, symptoms of eyestrain signify underlying eye conditions needing further attention.

This is where your doctor comes in.

That being said, a majority of the recommendations work like a charm and you should be back to your usual productive and jovial self in no time.