Health & Fitness

One of the leading causes of eye strain is computer eye syndrome. It is difficult to find a person in the United States who does not use a computer on a regular basis. Some of us actually stare at a computer screen all day long, which can mean eight hours or more. Computer programmers, web designers or copywriters may actually look at a computer screen for up to twelve hours in a day. Statistics show that more than 50 percent of people in the U.S. experience blurred vision, headaches, fatigue and eye strain due to long hours of computer work.

All of these above listed symptoms can lead to a poorer work quality or a loss of ability to work as efficiently and quickly as we need to. Not only that, but they can also lead to ongoing vision problems. Studies show that societys increased need to do close up work has increased the number of cases of nearsightedness and unbalanced vision between eyes. Other contributing factors, along with the long work hours near a monitor affect the level of experienced eye strain.

Some of these include poor lighting around the work area and computer monitors, which leads to glares and reflections, screens that flicker at medium to rapid speeds, and the amount of required eye movements necessary to keep up with the words dancing across the screen, as we quickly type them in. Further, people who already experience poor vision quality may suffer more due to a continued weakening of the eye muscles enhanced by computer eye strain.

How to Relieve the Eye Strain?
Symptoms can be reduced by fixing the causes. As far as your workstation goes, it is important to make sure it is well lit and that your computer monitor is working properly or look into anti-glare screens. You will want to sit with proper posture to avoid neck and back fatigue. It is important to take breaks and step away from the computer. There are also suggested eye exercises to help work out the eye muscles to strengthen them. It is also important to add fuel to your body by eating healthy food and drinking plenty of water.

Natural vision correction methods are based on a theory that basically supports the idea that the eyes can re-learn to see with training and good health. Many of us with vision problems have developed poor visual habits. Some of these are unavoidable, as the brain has a lot to do with it. However, it is believed by some that with practice, concentration and determination, these bad habits can be reversed to lead to improved vision.

Holistic vision health methodologies involve a re-education of the mind and eyes. The natural improvement theories support the idea that relaxation can lead to a reconditioning of the eye muscles. When we suffer from eye ailments, the eye muscles can become lazy and weak. It is believed by some that these muscles need to be worked out in order to gain strength again. Then once the muscles are stronger, vision can be improved.

The muscles can gain strength when you participate in a series of eye exercises. The exercises work the muscles of the eyes that you may not normally use because of your vision problem. For example, if you are nearsighted, there are certain exercises recommended to work the muscles that would try and bring focus to objects that are far away. While doing these exercises, your vision on the far away objects will be blurry, but the idea is that after a period of time of continuing the exercises, the blurriness will begin to decrease and you will start to see those faraway objects more clearly.

Helping Minor Problems
Natural eye care techniques may also benefit people who do not necessarily have vision problems, but may often experience eyestrain and computer strain syndrome. Many of the eye exercises promote relaxation. Eye stress, due to over use on nearby objects, can lead to headaches and tired or sore eyes. The eye muscles become weaker when they are tired and your vision may blur while in this state.

Some optometrists or ophthalmologists dedicate their lives to repairing poor vision. There are varying opinions on the best ways to improve vision, however. Some doctors and researchers believe solely on corrective lenses and eye surgeries. The most common types of vision problems are refractive errors. Nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and vision loss due to aging (presbyopia) are all types of refractive errors.

For prescription glasses or contacts, concave lenses are prescribed for myopic patients, while convex lenses are for those who are farsighted. The prescriptions for people with hyperopia will depend on the seriousness of the condition and whether or not it accompanies any other vision problems. Some people with vision loss due to aging may only need to wear reading glasses to view close up objects. Not everyone believes correctional lenses are the best option for vision repair.

Some doctors recommend laser eye surgery. The most common two are Lasik and refractive. Again, these types of treatments are not recommended for everyone, and there can be risks and complications without guaranteed rewards. With this said, there are numerous success stories told by doctors and patients who have experience with these surgeries. Other types of eye conditions resulting in vision loss, such as glaucoma or cataracts, may only have a chance of improvement through eye surgery.

Natural Vision Repair
Other types of vision improvement methods are holistic in nature. These include plans which combine steps to improve nutrition and diet and relaxation techniques involving various eye exercises for strengthening. Some natural eye care theorists believe eye exercises can improve eyesight by strengthening the eye muscles, relieving strain and stress and retraining the eyes to see.

Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (Lasik) is an eye surgery that has increased rapidly in popularity since 1996. This surgical procedure is suggested by ophthalmologists for patients with myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia and astigmatism. There is a lot of controversy revolving around this laser surgery, however, and not every professional believes it is actually right for all patients with the above listed conditions. There have been thousands of success stories from people who have undergone the procedure, but there are also many horror stories.

Most patients who have had Lasik procedures done experience the same side effects. Some of these side effects are temporary, but there are reports of them continuing on a permanent basis for some patients. The most common are dry eyes, a glare on the vision, light halos around images, fluctuating vision clearness, and poor vision at night. The dry eyes problem can be chronic for some patients, and can lead to more serious problems and discomfort.

Some disadvantages of surgery can also affect patients in a more than slightly negative way. Lasik involves cutting a flap in the cornea and then removing some corneal tissue from below that flap. Then the flap is put back into place. Once changes have been made to your cornea, they cannot be unchanged. If a doctor removes a piece of cornea that was perfectly healthy, your best vision capacity will be less than what it was before the surgery. Many horror stories share experiences of the flap of the cornea being cut improperly.

Not Everyone Is a Good Candidate
A lot of the controversy derives from the actual practice of selling the procedure to patients. Studies have concluded that many of the horror stories are a result of patients undergoing the procedure who were actually not good candidates for it. Some studies suggest that nearsighted patients with large eyeballs are the worst candidates. There are also reports that state that not all doctors have stressed possible complications or thoroughly explained what the procedure entails to their patients. If you are considering Lasik surgery, it is very important to know all of the facts, and to have an evaluation done that is catered to your specific eyes and eye condition.

There are several different eye exercises specifically for strengthening the eyes. These exercises are meant to create stronger eye muscles to encourage improved vision. One exercise is called rotating or clock rotating. If you are nearsighted, you are supposed to choose a faraway object to look at, and if you are farsighted you need to choose a close up object. You then imagine you are right in front of a giant clock, while placing your chosen focal object in the center of the dial.

You then look at your imaginary clock at the nine oclock position without moving your head and shoulders. After a couple of seconds you return your vision to the center of the clock where your object is. Then you repeat the same steps to the ten oclock position. You do this for every hour position on the clock. It is very important to look from the hour marks to your center object smoothly without jerking your eyes. If you begin to feel dizzy, try covering your eyes with your palms to complete the exercise. If the dizziness is overwhelming, you should stop until it goes away, but then continue the exercise.

Another type of eye strengthening exercise is eye rolling. This involves slowly rolling your eyes in a complete circle, while holding your head still. You do a few rotations in one direction, and then again in the other direction. While you are rolling, you are supposed to fully stretch your eye muscles the entire time. Another exercise is called fast blinking. You first have to choose an object to look at. Again, you choose a faraway object if you are nearsighted, and a close up one if you are farsighted.

Blinking Exercises
The fast blinking exercise helps reduce stress that may lead to weakened eye muscles. Once you have chosen your object, you inhale slowly and look at a small detail on the blurred image in front of you. While you slowly exhale, you blink rapidly until all the air is out of your lungs. You repeat this several times. The slow blinking exercise is the same, except you blink slowly as you exhale. While you are blinking and exhaling, you same the word relax over and over. There is also a squeeze blinking exercise that is virtually the same, except you look at a small detail on the object, close your eyes tight and count to three, and then open them wide to look at the detail again. You repeat the steps several times.