Eye Strain
We all know that feeling at the end of hard night of working late or studying – the moment that our vision crosses over from blurry to seeing double. Our eyes are telling us that it’s time to go to bed. It simply becomes too difficult to keep our eyes open. Well, the last year in Zimbabwe might feel like one giant never ending all-nighter. Now, you may be thinking you have all the self-care tips you need for holding off the big stress related conditions like hypertension at bay, but you might be neglecting your eyes which are easily affected by stress and fatigue. Considering that it’s the end of the year, you’re probably suffering from both. You’ll know your eyes are affected by fatigue or stress by the following reactions:
- Eye spasms or twitches
- Dry eyes which may be painful
- Seeing irregularities such as colour, flashes, shimmer or even things that are not there in cases of extreme anxiety caused by stress.
- Narrow or tunnel vision.
We suggest seeing your physician for a general check-up as a priority if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, especially seeing irregularities. Your optometrist will be your next stop for things like dry eye. Finally, do your best to make some small changes to your daily routine to reduce the burnout and eyes strain. These are:
- Spending less time hunched over your computer screen by planning breaks every 20 to 30 minutes
- Adjusting the contrast on your screen for your phone or computer and making it dimmer.
- Getting to bed early and refraining from any screen watching activity for 30 minutes before bed.
- Blink often to refresh your eyes.