Eyes Burn When Working at Computer?

Published by Lance Kugler, MD on March 16, 2015

Does your job require you to work on a computer? Do you spend more than two consecutive hours checking your email, playing video games, on Facebook or other social media websites during your leisure time? Computers are tools that help make us more productive and our lives easier. The bad news is that too much time spent looking at a screen can lead to “Computer Vision Syndrome” (CVS). CVS is when you feel that tired and strained feeling in your eyes. CVS does not cause permanent eye damage, but it affects your eye comfort. Man working on Computer

Common symptoms

Most of the symptoms that result from intense computer use are a result of Dry Eyes. When we are staring at something such as a computer screen, or book or magazine, our reflex to blink is diminished. This means that our tears evaporate and the surface of our eye becomes dry. Symptoms of dry eye include:

  • eye strain
  • redness
  • irritation or dryness
  • burning sensation in eyes

Ease Your Symptoms

If you have pain in your eyes after computer use, explore your options to help ease your symptoms. When working, taking regular work breaks by standing, stretching, and looking away from your computer screen is very beneficial. It is important to give your eyes a break from the screen approximately every 15 minutes. It may also help to use artificial tear drops to help keep your eyes lubricated and prevent dryness.

If the dryness is not relieved by artificial tears alone, then more comprehensive dry eye treatment may be needed. One such treatment is called LipiFlow and may be effective for people with increased dryness after computer use.

LipiFlow Dye Eye Treatment

Before undergoing any vision correction procedure, the evaluation and treatment of any dry eye symptoms are important. The specialists at Kugler Vision in Omaha are dry eye experts and are able to discover more serious cases and identify the causes of your particular dry eye symptoms.

From there, they will decide upon a personalized treatment plan just for you. The new LipiFlow system dry eye pulsation treatment maximizes your results especially for evaporative dry eye symptoms. This is an innovative way to treat moderate to severe dry eye discomfort.

The treatment is performed in our office and takes just a few minutes to complete. Our doctors evaluate the tear film quality, which is then viewed on a LipiView monitor. The results are captured and calculated immediately and the LipiView system produces a colorful image of your tear film. This new treatment is a significant improvement in technology. It works by applying heat and pressure to gently open blocked glands and allows your body to then naturally produce the normal tear flow.

It is the only treatment that directly addresses the root cause of evaporative dry eye thereby allowing the eyelid glands to produce tear film naturally. Please visit the Lipiflow Dry Eye Treatment page on our website to find out more information.

What’s Your Best Option?

If you have dry eyes from having too much screen time, learn about your options today! Contact Kugler Vision  to determine your best possible option for your dry eyes! Our specialists will perform all the necessary tests to make sure you are a candidate. You will receive all the facts about your dry eyes, and your decision will be easier than you think.

 

Share This Article

4 Comments

Darlene

Eyes irritated from to much college computer time. What more can I do besides eye drops and breaks every 15 min ?

Reply
Lance Kugler, MD

Hello Darlene! Thank you for reading. I can certainly understand the eye irritation of logging a lot of computer time through school– I remember that med school computer syndrome (screen time induced dryness) well! Our blog post on preventing eye strain has some great tips that may help you: https://lasikomaha.com/what-causes-eye-strain/

Proper distance from the screen, practicing the 20/20/20 rule (every 20 minutes, look at something 20 minutes away for 20 seconds) and practicing mindful blinking are all great places to start. If you think you may actually have Dry Eye Syndrome, it may be helpful to take our test here: https://lasikomaha.com/medical-conditions/dry-eye/do-you-suffer-from-dry-eyes/

Reply
christopher zaia

Lipiflow is not covered by insurance and it is extemely expensive is their any other way? I am in pain ever since brain surgery

Reply
Lance Kugler, MD

Hi Christopher! There are many treatments for dry eye. The best place to start is a dry eye consultation. We are currently offering virtual consultations. If you’d like to video chat one of our specialists, you can email us to schedule at [email protected].

Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *