dry eyes caused by computer

[szymi91]

Hello

First of all I'm from Europe so sorry for my english.

I have problems with dry eyes for about half year. Every findings seems to be ok, so I think that computer may be a reason here. I would like to ask if there are people which suffers from dry eye caused by using a computer and is it possible to cure it by for example not using a computer for a few months?

Also my neurologist has said that my problems with dry eyes may be caused by stres and some somatization problems. Have you ever heard about something like this? My first problems with dry eyes has started durning driving license courses.

[PhoenixEyes]

Hi, Welcome and sorry to hear you're struggling with dry eye.

There's a section dedicated to computer use and dry eye so it can be a factor for some:

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...e-computer-use

One of the easiest things you can do is add a blink reminder to your web browser as an add-on or install a blink reminder software on your computer. Reduced blinking is considered a factor in dry eye from computer use. I also think a browser add-on to darken web pages or the software flux to darjen the screen in general can reduce eye strain. I posted about a few of them in another related thread:
http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...275#post204275

Stress can indeed have a big impact on the body, it is hard to quantify or assess though so it's not something that I feel someone could confirm or deny either way. But it's always a good idea to reduce stress as much as possible, there's no downsides so it's worth trying to target that factor. That could be with gentle exercise, listening to calming music while resting eyes, taking time out to meditate or do mindfulness, trying cognitive behavioral therapy strategies, talking to a therapist.

Here's a forum search for "stress" for more ideas:

https://www.google.com/search?q=site...one.com+stress

Some may also recommend supplements for anxiety, be sure to just try one at a time though to see what works as it can be easy to waste money on a load of them due to ease of access. I found taking a magnesium citrate supplement helpful in the past, but everyone is different. Here's some pages about it:
http://www.umm.edu/health/medical/al...ment/magnesium

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog...nal-chill-pill

Hokucat suggests drinking green tea with lemon and that might be a good place to start. L-theanine found in green tea has been known to reduce anxiety in some studies and the antioxidants from the mix of lemon/green tea may help the protective oils of the eyes flow more easily. You can read their experience here:

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...evere-dry-eyes

If you got dry eye while learning to drive and are now driving I'd also wonder if it could be from environmental factors e.g. air conditioning in the car, having windows down while driving, or just generally having the freedom to travel more. If so you might consider if moisture chamber glasses might help to protect your eyes while driving and traveling.

Hope you find an answer soon, best of luck.

[ths14]

Hi yes I have dry eyes from playing video games on computer 15 hours a day and im 15 years old lol you should try fish oil it really helps and im only on day 1 of using it http://www.barleans.com/swirls/fish-...r-16oz-be16fkl

[szymi91]

I've been eating some pills with omega-3 and it's not helping me in any way. My eyes burns terribly on evenings and it's already half of a year like this. The worst thing is that any drops or gels are not helping me.

[farmgirl]

Welcome szymi91:

You are making a good start to improving by reaching out to this forum. I am not sure what you have done so far to combat this problem but I might suggest what has helped me the most. If I had to pick 2 things they would be:

#1. Getting plugs put in the tear duct drains....all 4 of them
#2. Wearing moisture chamber sun glasses like Wiley X or 7eye when outside and sometimes inside if there is excessive air movement, like fans etc.

If you feel that your problem could be computer related then for sure in as much as is possible limit your time on those devices, TV, video games, tablets, cell phone and computer. If you do use them then take frequent breaks and do blink exercises. Here is a website that describes how to do that.

care-information/blinking-exercishttps://www.youreyesite.com/eye-es/

If you use an eye drop, please make sure it is preservative free, and never use drops that whiten the eye, like Murine. If you use an eye drop or gel and you get worse, however discontinue that drop you are probably sensitive to it.

I hope some of this helps....cheers....F/G

[ehsan372]

Hi i have same problem.
some thing help me :
Taking evning primrose oil every day.
get 2 punctal plug un my lowerlid.
shave my beard every day.
mangae and control stress with properanol.

[szymi91]

I wonder how can I get a dry eyes from spending a lot of time with a computer. How does it works and is it curable by for example limiting my time with a computer.

shave my beard every day.
.

Wait, what?

[Hokucat]

Hi Szymi91. One can get dry eyes from excessively using electronic devices because The tendency is to blink less or perhaps partially blink while using these devices. Dryeyekami just shared this past post below today, from a doctor I thought explained well how people with "Computer Vision Syndrome" blink 60% less while using electronic devices (that's an alarming decrease!). When this happens, oils from the meibomian glands that normally would be excreted and spread over the eyeball with tears to keep eyes moist with a normal blink is not released, and causes gland blockage, and eventually the glands die/atrophy:

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...nd-Evaluation=

There are different methods to treat this, depending on stage, if there's scar tissue, etc. These include reducing time spent on the computer and blinking exercises like farmgirl mentioned, and more advanced treatments like gland expression, IPL, LipiFlow and probing. The key is not to let your condition get too far along, not only because it can become extremely debilitating, but your glands can atrophy and then you can't get them back.

Hope this helps!

[MGD1701]

Hi Szymi91

Here is the blinking exercise demo by Dr. Laura Pierman - the best I can find from YouTube, in case you need it.
She explains in a such clear and interesting fashion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzeU...Q&spfreload=10

If doctors do not 'express your glands with fingers'
(this is a must, but most doctors do NOT do it) to check if these glands produce (clear) oil,
they have NO idea about dry eye. I visited 10 doctors and only 2 of them did that!!

Good luck!

[ehsan372]

I wonder how can I get a dry eyes from spending a lot of time with a computer. How does it works and is it curable by for example limiting my time with a computer.



Wait, what?

??? Shave beard and use antidandruff shampoo for hair help my eczema and dryskin and also my eye more oili.

[pythonidler]

Hi Szymi91

Here is the blinking exercise demo by Dr. Laura Pierman - the best I can find from YouTube, in case you need it.
She explains in a such clear and interesting fashion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzeU...Q&spfreload=10

If doctors do not 'express your glands with fingers'
(this is a must, but most doctors do NOT do it) to check if these glands produce (clear) oil,
they have NO idea about dry eye.

Good luck!

FYI, Dr. Periman is one of the few doctors in the Pacific NW that does IPL. I almost went to her for a session, but her staff wasn't quite fully trained yet.

[farmgirl]

Having spent 5 years perusing this forum I have noticed a shift in that there are more and more cases of computer related cases of dry eye. Sadly I predict that this will become epidemic with young people having an almost addicted dependency on their devices, there should be warnings on packaging like on cigarettes packs..If it isn't computers at work or school, it is cell phones, video games personal computers and TV in the off time. People need to take up more hobbies and get off of the devices.

Excellent information Hokucat.

[pythonidler]

Having spent 5 years perusing this forum I have noticed a shift in that there are more and more cases of computer related cases of dry eye. Sadly I predict that this will become epidemic with young people having an almost addicted dependency on their devices, there should be warnings on packaging like on cigarettes packs..If it isn't computers at work or school, it is cell phones, video games personal computers and TV in the off time. People need to take up more hobbies and get off of the devices.

Excellent information Hokucat.

As one of those computer-related cases, you're unfortunately correct. And yet there's almost no public knowledge about dry eye, except for the occasional Restasis ad.

[farmgirl]

Here is a great article on the importance of proper meibomian gland function and the possible causes of dry eye relative to the same, for all of you who suspect that excessive computer usage has lead to your current symptoms. This of course is not exclusive to excessive computer usage but since that is the topic of this thread the association is important.

https://www.reviewofoptometry.com/ar...nd-dysfunction

[Hokucat]

Thanks farmgirl, for this article. This is the most information I've seen about MGD all in one write-up. I learned some new things. Given the medical community is finding MGD (from various causes) is the leading reason for dry eyes, this information is so critical for doctors and patients to be better informed and to start addressing this condition early on, before a patient starts feeling all those dry eye symptoms and often with lots of damage already done.