Computer Eye Strain and Dry Eye Can Cost You Money, Productivity and Your Vision

If your eyes often bother you after a couple of hours at the computer, you are not alone. Computer eye strain, a form of dry eye disease, has become one of the most common reasons for eye doctor visits.

Eye health advocate Sharon Kleyne cautions that computer eye strain symptoms should never be ignored. Mrs. Kleyne is host of the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water syndicated radio show, and founder of Bio-Logic Aqua Research.

Sharon Kleyne notes that the tear film of the eye is 99% water and that computer eye strain symptoms usually result from tear film water evaporation. Symptoms include tired, burning or itchy eyes, blurred vision, headaches, poor sleep and elevated stress. The good news, Mrs. Kleyne says, is that with a few common-sense precautions, including the following tips, computer eye strain can be relieved and even prevented.

1. Have an annual professional eye exam.
2. Drink at least eight glasses of water every day.
3. Eat eye healthy foods (dark green leafy vegetables and foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids), exercise and fresh air regularly, and get sufficient sleep.
4. Keep a hand-held air humidifier, plants and/or an open container of water near your desk. Because the air is dry, adding water (moisture) to the air reduces dry eye and natural water evaporation due to dehydration.
5. Sip water while you work. Pour bottled water into a glass before drinking.
6. Try to blink more often, taping a reminder to the computer if necessary. When working at a computer screen, your eyes’ blink rate can drop from 30 times per minute to three times per minute, which increases tear film water evaporation.
7. Exercise your eye muscles by looking around the room at varying distances several times per hour (Take breaks away from your desk – outdoors if possible. Crack (or open) a window to let in fresh, humid air (indoor air can be dry, stale and dehydrating).
8. Turn off lights that are too bright, especially fluorescent lights. Or switch to a desk lamp.
9. Periodically throughout the day, moisturize the air around your eyes with a pH balanced (below 7.0), fine-mist eye spray.

The only all-natural, all-water, hand-held eye humidifying device with patented technology to supplement natural tear film water, is Nature’s Tears® EyeMist® from Bio-Logic Aqua Research, a sponsor of the Sharon Kleyne Hour Power of Water.

© 2012 Bio-Logic Aqua Research