What you need to know about computer-induced dry eye

[Milo007]

Milo007 as I said, this is only my thought. I'm not medic but a two years dry eye sufferer.
Maybe in my case the cause is something else. What helped me most are anti allergy eye drops, and probiotics (tested separately for now). And I tried a lot of things in these two years.

I agree that a really prolonged session of computer can start a temporarily inflammation that you can stop with resting eyes and/or taking some eye drops given by an optometrist/ophtamologist. But a chronic inflammation caused by computer use seems really too much for me.

Did you take Accutane?

Have you tested for autoimmune antibodies?

Also if you have signs of eyelid inflammation then demodex could be the cause.

For me the causes were extensive computer use for the last 9 years and sleeping with my eyes open for the last few months. Also I have signs of demodex.

If you find the cause early and address it then you can even revert your condition back to normal if you have your glands intact.

[Fenix]

Milo007 as I said, this is only my thought. I'm not medic but a two years dry eye sufferer.
Maybe in my case the cause is something else. What helped me most are anti allergy eye drops, and probiotics (tested separately for now). And I tried a lot of things in these two years.

I agree that a really prolonged session of computer can start a temporarily inflammation that you can stop with resting eyes and/or taking some eye drops given by an optometrist/ophtamologist. But a chronic inflammation caused by computer use seems really too much for me.

[Milo007]

After many research I think that computer induced dry eye does not exist. It think that when doctors are not able to find the cause, they blame computers because it is the only thing we all have in common.
I saw 5 ophthalmologists and they all checked only eyes, just one said to check Sjogren. They seems to focus only on eyes ignoring everything else.
the first ophamologist I have saw, gave me every kind of eye drops, and lastly said "you have dry eye, the only thing you can do is to use Restasis".
After two years of trial and error, I found out that probiotics makes me feel really better. Maybe the problem is not in the eyes but it is a chronic inflammation due the bad bacteria in the gut, or maybe a food sensitivity/intolerance (that I need to check soon).
Dry eye may be caused by lasik or Accutane, but this is not my case. I can't believe that computer use causes a chronic blepharitis. There are a lot of research that point out that dry eye is only a sympthom of something else and the fact that probiotics are helping me reinforces my thesis.
Don't give up and try to find the real cause.
This is just my thought.

I must say your assumption that computer induced dry eyes doesn't exist is incorrect. Can you share your "research" that supports your claim?

Are you trying to say that computers can't induce dry eyes temporarily? There's a medical condition termed Computer Vision Syndrome which is more of a short term episode of typical dry eye symptoms after some heavy computer use. I believe prolonged digital screen use alone or in combination with air conditioned environments can induce dry eyes temporarily when our blink rates go down and the rate of evaporation goes up (both due to decreased frequency of tear film re-establishment and increased evaporation due to dry environment). If such habits continue the prolonged evaporative stress makes your tears hyperosmolar that starts the inflammatory cascade of dry eye with subsequent changes that include gland blockage (epithelial cappings and/or changes in the composition of meibum). Eventually your glands get blocked one by one and the sources of lipids shut down resulting in a low LLT and a consequently low TBUT. Decreased TBUT causes more hyperosmolarity that amplifies the cycle even more. This is the currently accepted theory of MGD development. So a reduced blink rate from use of digital screens is definitely capable of inducing evaporative dry eyes on a temporary or a chronic basis.

However dry eyes can be caused due to many other factors some of which you have mentioned (Accutane, autoimmune diseases, radiation destroying the glands, contact lens wear and so on). To be honest digital screen usage is the most widespread causative factor of MGD till date.


LASIK induced dry eyes are related to lacrimal gland dysfunction and it reciprocates to MGD at a later stage.

Posterior blepharitis is another term for MGD. So computer usage can cause posterior blepharitis.

MGD is the cause of evaporative dry eyes and not a symptom of some other medical condition in most cases. However MGD can be secondary to some autoimmune diseases as I mentioned.

[Fenix]

After many research I think that computer induced dry eye does not exist. It think that when doctors are not able to find the cause, they blame computers because it is the only thing we all have in common.
I saw 5 ophthalmologists and they all checked only eyes, just one said to check Sjogren. They seems to focus only on eyes ignoring everything else.
the first ophamologist I have saw, gave me every kind of eye drops, and lastly said "you have dry eye, the only thing you can do is to use Restasis".
After two years of trial and error, I found out that probiotics makes me feel really better. Maybe the problem is not in the eyes but it is a chronic inflammation due the bad bacteria in the gut, or maybe a food sensitivity/intolerance (that I need to check soon).
Dry eye may be caused by lasik or Accutane, but this is not my case. I can't believe that computer use causes a chronic blepharitis. There are a lot of research that point out that dry eye is only a sympthom of something else and the fact that probiotics are helping me reinforces my thesis.
Don't give up and try to find the real cause.
This is just my thought.

[Fenix]

This is probably the most comprehensive write up I have seen, and some treatments etc I hadn't heard of, great resource for others, one thing I would add in is possibly e-ink monitors, I have been looking into these again recently since i've noticed using my kindle seems much better than screen time, because as you said, using screens is part of most jobs and is only going to increase. I have read good reviews on e-ink monitors for dry eye however they are expensive, hopefully they become more popular and come down in price eventually

Hi alex123711, I was wondering if reading an ebook on an e-ink reader is less tiring for the eyes compared to a normal book. Do you have any problem reading a normal book? When I read a book for over 30 minutes (or less), my eyes starts to feel dry and inflammate. Maybe with an e-reader I can read more?

[alex123711]

This is probably the most comprehensive write up I have seen, and some treatments etc I hadn't heard of, great resource for others, one thing I would add in is possibly e-ink monitors, I have been looking into these again recently since i've noticed using my kindle seems much better than screen time, because as you said, using screens is part of most jobs and is only going to increase. I have read good reviews on e-ink monitors for dry eye however they are expensive, hopefully they become more popular and come down in price eventually

[hopeful_hiker]

I don't think the anti-depressants will reduce inflammation, but for me it does help with the pain. For example, I stopped taking nortriptyline last October for a couple days in a row, and I definitely noticed an increase in pain on day 3. When I put myself back on it, I felt better again. I can't say for sure whether naltrexone helps as well (I suppose I could experiment if I wanted to), but I at least know nortriptyline is effective for managing pain.

When I started serum tears 8x/day, it only took maybe a week or two for the grittiness to be gone entirely.

What did you pain feel like?

Grittiness is an interesting one for me. I used to get it under the upper eyelids sometimes. I find my sensations fluctuate so much. Once I had a very sore spot, which completely disappears (within minutes), and instantly grittiness begins in the eyelid area, then instantly disappears and brings on blinking discomfort.


P.S. And, of course, thanks for this compilation of knowledge!!

[Adish]

Thank you for this elaborate list!

I don't think the anti-depressants will reduce inflammation, but for me it does help with the pain. For example, I stopped taking nortriptyline last October for a couple days in a row, and I definitely noticed an increase in pain on day 3. When I put myself back on it, I felt better again. I can't say for sure whether naltrexone helps as well (I suppose I could experiment if I wanted to), but I at least know nortriptyline is effective for managing pain.

When I started serum tears 8x/day, it only took maybe a week or two for the grittiness to be gone entirely.

thanks for the response, I just started hormone therapy yesterday...I hope to see some effects mentally in a few weeks and hopefully restore better function of my glands in a few months.

Hearing that the grittiness went away with the serum drops has me hopeful.

thanks again for the response.

[pythonidler]

I have a question for you about the pain medications/antidepressants...how well have they helped you manage your pain and inflammation (burning)?

also, how well did serum drops help that gritty feeling?

I don't think the anti-depressants will reduce inflammation, but for me it does help with the pain. For example, I stopped taking nortriptyline last October for a couple days in a row, and I definitely noticed an increase in pain on day 3. When I put myself back on it, I felt better again. I can't say for sure whether naltrexone helps as well (I suppose I could experiment if I wanted to), but I at least know nortriptyline is effective for managing pain.

When I started serum tears 8x/day, it only took maybe a week or two for the grittiness to be gone entirely.

I have a question for you about the pain medications/antidepressants...how well have they helped you manage your pain and inflammation (burning)?

also, how well did serum drops help that gritty feeling?

[Rebecca Petris]

Wow, this is fabulous! Thank you so much pythonidler!

[mbperso]

Thank you , great work !

[mestizo]

Thank you! Great info

[pythonidler]

Hokucat m4shore thank you both for your kind words. My goal is to raise awareness for dry eye, and the more people know about it the better.