Dry Eye from heavy computer use, please help me..

[Martins88]

Yes...from the laptop. I always had an lcd screen when I was younger. I knew something wasnt good for the eyes but never been advised by doctors or etc. Brightness is absolutely bad for your eyes. MY laptop had over brightness due to a screen repair. You would need to abstinante and diet such as vit b, C and omega 3. Just a complete diet that also focuses on Milk too. You need fat stuff. Just proves you how physical and mental health is more important then money but society will never tell you this.

Well, I've always been wary of computer-related eye problems so i always set my screen brightness to the lowest level. Even on my Phone, the screen brightness is also set to the lowest. I think what caused my eye problem is blinking less while using a computer.. I'm not a Gamer and only play computer games when a friend visits me and asks to play with me. I'm always busy with coding and other stuff and i always felt that if i blink, i will lose focus on what i'm currently doing.. I didn't know that low brightness setting is the only thing i was doing right untill i developed this eye problem. I only wish i knew about dry eye earlier.. I think they should start attaching a note on dry eye to every computer that is produced..LOL..

[dryeye4ever]

Well, I've always been wary of computer-related eye problems so i always set my screen brightness to the lowest level. Even on my Phone, the screen brightness is also set to the lowest. I think what caused my eye problem is blinking less while using a computer.. I'm not a Gamer and only play computer games when a friend visits me and asks to play with me. I'm always busy with coding and other stuff and i always felt that if i blink, i will lose focus on what i'm currently doing.. I didn't know that low brightness setting is the only thing i was doing right untill i developed this eye problem. I only wish i knew about dry eye earlier.. I think they should start attaching a note on dry eye to every computer that is produced..LOL..

LOL from 14 to 20 years old I had an LCD screen on a desktop computer and never dry eyes. Laptops and phones could cause dryness if high brightness. In your case, were you close to the screen or had you a laptop? YEs blinking rate is a problem but Im extremely sure that its not the only cause for a dry eye issue.

[DCRdryeye]

I haven't read every sentence on this thread due to time constraints. However, I don't think it's appropriate to simply suggest to someone 'COMPLETE ABSTINENCE FROM COMPUTERS'. What if it's their job? What if using computers provided upliftment, self-esteem, entertainment? It's like being without a car, I'd be lost without my car, wouldn't you?

Complete abstinence from computers is about as smart as saying complete abstinence from sex to heal a wound. In this day and age, we need to use computers, smart phones, etc, especially young people. Yes, we are hunters and gatherers and living beyond our bodies anatomical capabilities by viewing a 'screen' with less blink rates and minute movements of the eyes. We are supposed to look side ways to massage the lacrimal glands whilst looking for food and prey. Computers certainly do train the brain to blink less, and probably 'partially', thus weakening the muscle that causes us to blink. However, we live in a world of advancing technology and rather than avoid it, we need to learn to ADAPT rather than ABSTAIN from it.

ADAPT - DEZ has a section on tips for computer users. Use them! Simple.

[dryeye4ever]

I haven't read every sentence on this thread due to time constraints. However, I don't think it's appropriate to simply suggest to someone 'COMPLETE ABSTINENCE FROM COMPUTERS'. What if it's their job? What if using computers provided upliftment, self-esteem, entertainment? It's like being without a car, I'd be lost without my car, wouldn't you?

Complete abstinence from computers is about as smart as saying complete abstinence from sex to heal a wound. In this day and age, we need to use computers, smart phones, etc, especially young people. Yes, we are hunters and gatherers and living beyond our bodies anatomical capabilities by viewing a 'screen' with less blink rates and minute movements of the eyes. We are supposed to look side ways to massage the lacrimal glands whilst looking for food and prey. Computers certainly do train the brain to blink less, and probably 'partially', thus weakening the muscle that causes us to blink. However, we live in a world of advancing technology and rather than avoid it, we need to learn to ADAPT rather than ABSTAIN from it.

ADAPT - DEZ has a section on tips for computer users. Use them! Simple.

Me and Martins both have to work on the computer alot. We are in our early twenties and dry eyes make our everyday life hell. Imagine pursuing a career where you have to work on a computer. Its impossible, yes its possible but we will have a poor quality of life. If we dont abstain completely from screens, we will never heal. As simple as that. Its been 2 years and a half I have it and it removed every fun I had in life and im 23 soon 24. I have just accepted and moved on, I returned in school to do a short training to become an accounting clerk (computer usage). Problem is society will never tell you that health should be a priority. Why do you think we cant abstain from technology? Because of our daily needs and for $$$ (job related). Just proves you how capitalism is flawed.

You are discretly implying to us that we will have this for the rest of our lives. Like I said yes its possible but we will just have a poor life overall whether its mentally or etc.. If we knew there was a disease like this that would affect us for our rests of our lives, I think we should have been warmed and informed way better then this. I sure wouldnt like my child to have a problem like this in the future and just pretend he will have to `` deal with it and move on ``.

[Colin P]

I haven't read every sentence on this thread due to time constraints. However, I don't think it's appropriate to simply suggest to someone 'COMPLETE ABSTINENCE FROM COMPUTERS'. What if it's their job? What if using computers provided upliftment, self-esteem, entertainment? It's like being without a car, I'd be lost without my car, wouldn't you?

Complete abstinence from computers is about as smart as saying complete abstinence from sex to heal a wound. In this day and age, we need to use computers, smart phones, etc, especially young people. Yes, we are hunters and gatherers and living beyond our bodies anatomical capabilities by viewing a 'screen' with less blink rates and minute movements of the eyes. We are supposed to look side ways to massage the lacrimal glands whilst looking for food and prey. Computers certainly do train the brain to blink less, and probably 'partially', thus weakening the muscle that causes us to blink. However, we live in a world of advancing technology and rather than avoid it, we need to learn to ADAPT rather than ABSTAIN from it.

ADAPT - DEZ has a section on tips for computer users. Use them! Simple.

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That's you two told !!. LOL.. And i suppose it depends where exactly the wound is that needs healing ???..

As for computers causing Dry eyes?.
I find that everyone with dry eyes tries to blame it on something or other, and whatever is currently causing them problems is an ideal candidate..
Anyone can be photophobic you know! without ever suffering from dry eyes, you dont have to have blonde hair and blue eyes. Perhaps you're not too good with light, and untill using computers, just never realised. Computer use will bring it to the forefront for sure.
Now you have dry eye syndrome, and a poor tear film then light is gonna bother you more than a person with healthy eyes, even they rub there eyes after over use, and that will suffice. Yep over here in U.K were supposed to be 10yrs behind the U.S in everything we do. Well if life without computers or screens is impossible in the U.S ?? then thank fudge Europe is positively backwards (i'm on for 5-10mins only). It would be the perfect day if computers were abolished. All they have done is made our lives more hectic, they were supposed to make our lives simpler/easier; all they have done is sped everything up so we cram twice as much into our working day and home life, resulting in less time spent as families and socialising, kids now belive it or not sit in nightclubs at the weekend texting each other!, the dance floor and the clothes you wore used to create conversation and meet new people. I bet the next generation will be born without legs cos they wont need them.. Humans eh!? who'd be one.. Some-well a lot of people now find themselves cos of there job sat infront of computer screens all day, and have they got dry eyes?? nope!. My suggestion is that myself included, dry eyes and poor tear film is allowing screens to aggrivate our eyes and maybe we were a little photo phobic to start with (non dry eye related)?. We may have had an inadiquate tear film since birth? but age and the explosion of computers has now brought it to your attention.

[DryInUpstateNY]

simply stating abstinence is not a real solution for many.

I'm in my later 30's and have a 15 year career as an engineer. I have two kids, a wife, and a house.

I can't simply stop working on a computer. I''ll lose my home and have to uproot my family. A lot of good my mental health gained from not working on a PC will be compared to the mental health lost from losing my job...

it's simply not an option for many.

I'm lucky in that diet and Restasis (cyclosporine) seems to work pretty well for me SO FAR ( I hope indefinitely but we'll see). I caught the inflammation early and hit it w/ everything, including Restasis, diet, exercise, vitamins, allergy shots. All at once. it seemed to work well enough to nearly double my schirmer's score. My eyes are "normal". never will feel normal again, but normal enough for me to survive.

as far as PC work goes, I use it throughout my 8 hour day. I take frequent breaks. I drink a gallon of water while at my workplace. force yourself. it makes a difference. I had the fluorescent lights above my work area/desk removed from my office. I work in a dimly lit area now and my screen is dimmed to lowest setting. I use backgrounds that are gray instead of bright white. You can even do this w/ Microsoft WORD. it makes a difference. I didn't get to the point where I needed it but I know people here SWEAR by 7eye style moisture chamber glasses or wiley x brand. I plan on saving up and buying some for my office work as a pre-emptive measure. I also plan on bringing a mini humidifier to my desk at work to keep my immediate environment moist as my biggest complaint is the dust and forced air (either cold in summer or heat in winter).

diet:
I forego a lot of meat and I upped my vegetable intake. I adopted a primarily gluten free diet (basically avoid all processed bread/grains, etc) w/ some lean meats and fish and NO DAIRY. I dropped about 30lbs in a few months and my life is a lot better for it. I use HydroEye supplement and I don't know if it works as well as some desperate folks state it does, but I stopped it for lack of having ordered it and having felt better and 2 weeks passed and my eyes are a little more strained. Granted weather is a lot colder these past few weeks so these things contribute.

For drops, get a preservative free drop like Systane Ultra High Performance. It's my favorite by far w/ respect to effectiveness. I'm down to using them solely prior to bed and maybe once a day while at work.

Now what I feel is the number one contributor to this: STRESS.

I managed to reduce the stress w/ vigorous exercise. I went back to wrestling and judo and just amped up the exercise. it forced me to be very tired and sleep better. lack of sleep will exacerbate the dry eye symptoms by 10000x...

once I was sleeping better, stress reduced, and SLOWLY things got better.

Disclaimer: I have aqueous deficiency and no MGD.

[Martins88]

wow.. Lots of suggestions.. Gotta start from somewhere.. Hopefully, soon i'll be posting in the "Triumph" section.. Thanks all

[jack_bristow]

Guys, I have a solution to your computer problems. Sort of.

Never use anything with LCD/LED screen. Buy a used CRT and connect it to your computer or laptop. They are much easier on dry eyes, especially when you wear swimming goggles during use. I use Aqua Sphere Seal XP - their durability kinda sucks, but they fit.

Make sure to run the CRT at at least 85hz, 100hz if possible. I also have some advice on changing everything's color scheme. For years now, I made sure that all text that appears on my screen is bright-on-dim, as opposed to the usual dark-on-bright. My Internet looks monochrome, except for most pictures. The same is true for Windows UI, Visual Studio, and most programs I run.

If you feel like experimenting, you can try sticking with LCD/LED screens and use Gunnar goggles and their ilk, which are supposed to partially block blue light. I wouldn't expect much, though.

I managed to reduce the stress w/ vigorous exercise. I went back to wrestling and judo and just amped up the exercise. it forced me to be very tired and sleep better. lack of sleep will exacerbate the dry eye symptoms by 10000x...

It's funny... when I come back from Aikido at around 8pm, I also feel tired but the dehydration takes a BIG toll on my eyes and they feel messed up no matter how much Gatorade of Coconut Water I drink that evening. It only goes away in the morning.

[DryInUpstateNY]

It's funny... when I come back from Aikido at around 8pm, I also feel tired but the dehydration takes a BIG toll on my eyes and they feel messed up no matter how much Gatorade of Coconut Water I drink that evening. It only goes away in the morning.

I drink a lot of water every day.

I drink nearly 75 percent of my body weight in ounces of water.

Example, If I'm 200lbs., i'll drink nearly 150ounces of water.

When training hard, I stop every 15min or so and drink about 8 ounces or so. I also stop periodically to wash my face and the salt from my eyes due to sweat.

after training I drink about 30 ounces right off the rip.

You HAVE to drink a lot of your water several hours before you train. I drink a lot hours before, a little during, and a lot after.

[ran123]

Hi, am in the same boat. Got dry eye post Lasik in 2006. Life is a hell ever since. I have quit a job once already in 2006, as it demanded heavy computer usage. I couldn't even keep that job for 3 months. I lost interest in the work as my eyes were always in severe pain, constant headache, anxiety, slight nausea. The only thing that used to give some comfort was shutting my eyes and staying away from all kind of displays. No body understood why I quit the job. They just thought its an excuse for not working. So in 2010 I joined school to get MS degree. As the university is flexible on how many courses a student can take. I just took 2 courses at a time (to avoid over burdening my eyes with computer use) and successfully completed my education. Now I have a job offer in hand and am very happy with the nature of work and pay. Unfortunately my hormone linked dry eye is on a roller coaster ride. Few days my eyes feel so good that, I get over excited about my job offer. Few days its so bad that I can't watch computer even for an hour. I need to join the job next month, I constantly worry. I know, I can not really work long hours on computer and that I will have to quit the job eventually. People around me say, whats wrong in trying. But I am so sure that it wouldn't work but I still hope some miracle will happen and I will save my job. I know am crazy. Lasik sucks, ruins lives. I don't know why they cut the cornea and expect it to work normally. I wish, I can go back in time and change that one thing.

[DryInDenver]

For me, my LaserFit scleral lenses have helped immensely with computer use. But before the sclerals, I could get by with goggles and LOTS of drops. I'd suggest trying some goggles to try and isolate the dryness problem from the brightness problem. The Pyramex V2G Safety Eyewear goggles worked the best for me and are cheap if you want to try them: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . If these help, the problem may be related more to dryness than brightness. With my dry eyes, brightness was usually not a problem or cause of pain unless my eyes were becoming especially sore from the dryness. And if brightness or glare seems to be the problem, you may want to look into some computer glasses. I've read reviews in the past where they have helped people quite a bit with computer use. Gunnar was a brand (not cheap) that kept coming up, but I'm sure a Google search for "Computer Glasses" would yield other options too.

[L8rgator]

When I was a computer analyst and programmer I didn't have problems with dry eyes, but I had problems with migraines. They were directly related to the brightness. I combated that in part by wearing sunglasses, and/or glasses that blocked uva/uvb rays and have glare coating, when I worked. I also always keep all monitors and screens set so that their brightness is unusually low. There is actually a computer program that will dim a windows desktop for you - but unfortunately I can't remember the name of it right now.

Moisture goggles of many types can be helpful also. Weird looking though, if you work in front of other people.

Humidifiers can be helpful. I bought a tiny one I can set on my desk in front of my face.

I don't really use any of that stuff anymore though, now that I have a scleral.

[seanrez]

Hey guys,

I've had pretty awesome success with coconut oil. I've actually never had anything work this well, and I've tried many things. I just rub a little virgin coconut oil underneath my eyes (on the skin) and within an hour or so, it seeps in and starts providing relief. I've noticed a little vision blurriness from this but IMHO it's worth it. It also minimizes the appearance of wrinkles! haha

Here's what I use (it lasts forever!): Nature's Way Coconut Oil-Extra Virgin 16 Ounces
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B003...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

A little about me: I've had dry eyes for 12 years since I took Accutane in high school. I'm taking Restasis (which works a little), and I have my lower tear ducts plugged (which works pretty well). I also spend a lot of time on a computer, since I'm a financial analyst for a power company.

All the best,
Sean