Back when your grandma’s grandma was a kid, people’s eyes had it easy. An occasional book or newspaper was about the extent of their near work. In today’s culture, our eyes are relentlessly assaulted with near work. In fact, the majority of our professional and personal lives now happen in front of a computer, phone, or tablet screen. And guess what…
OUR EYES CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!
THE PROBLEM
When we look up close, a muscle in our eye contracts and changes the shape of our intraocular lens to help us focus up close. Can you imagine going to the gym and holding a dumbbell for hours at a time? Your muscles would start to spasm, get tired, and eventually you would give up.
Our eyes are going through the exact same process every time we sit down in front of our iPhone or computer for hours at a time. The muscles in your eye are not made for these long near sessions and they get tired!
It’s important to know that virtually everyone in the world would have this problem if they used a computer long enough. It’s not a problem with your eye’s focusing system, we’re just asking too much of them.
THE FIX
Long gone are the days that glasses for near are just for old folks. In fact, as a write this, my 20-something eyes are at ease looking through my near prescription. I see this most frequently in high school students, college students, and those who work on computers or tablets for at work.
Here are the most common symptoms I hear from my patients. If this sounds like you, WE CAN HELP!
-Eyes feel tired after being on computer
-Headaches across the forehead during and after computer work
-Feeling tired after computer work
-Words move on the screen or you even see double
-Irritated feeling eyes with computer work
If you’re having trouble working on your computer at school or work, quit suffering and let us help!
-Dr. Montgomery
Dr. Canaan Montgomery is an Optometrist in Paducah, KY. His interests are general eye care, ocular disease, and pediatric eye care.