7 Tips for Eye Strain During the Pandemic

The year 2020 is, appropriately, “The Year of the Eyes”. Thanks to working from home and Zoom-style conferencing, this year we need to take especially good care of our eyes. Long-term attention, fixed focus, and computer eye strain all place the eyes under significant stress. What can we do to maintain our eye health these days?

Here are some ideas from ICON Eyecare, the best eye doctors in Colorado and a great place to get your annual eye exam.

Humor

Are you starting to feel like Marty Feldman in “Young Frankenstein” from all of your Zoom time? With bad posture, eye problems, feeling like you’re set free when you take a break? A humor break is one way to relax our faces and eye muscles and, as tears of laughter flow, they get a good cleaning as well.

Movement

Moving the body and the eyes is essential. Change your position and your eyes’ focal distance by looking around your room, out the window, at the cat, or at your notebook. Avoid marathon staring sessions, no matter how engaged it makes you look.

Relaxation

Relax your body to relax your eyes. Breathe deeply, slowly from your abdomen. You can breathe through your nose and it will hardly be noticeable, but it will help you look more relaxed and smile.

Blinks

Don’t rely on your eyes’ desperate automatic blinks while you stare at your screen. Take charge and blink gently yourself, every two or three seconds. It will help protect and lubricate the vital living components of your eyes.

Darkness

Clear your eye strain by covering your eyes with your palms, keeping them in the dark while you let your eyes focus on nothing for a while, about 30 seconds minimum.

Refresh

Frequently during the day, for your spirit as well as your vision, while taking a break look into the eyes of your child, your pet, or the bloom of a fresh flower and enjoy a stress-free joy break.

Clear Your Creative Mind

By actively caring for your eyes and vision, you also help rebalance your brain’s function, allowing it to be more creative and agile.

When you are running your meeting from an agenda or a roundtable, or another process with natural transitions, schedule eye breaks. It’s a sure thing that every single member of the group is experiencing eye stress as well. As a participant, suggest it!

If you’re blinking more often, getting more headaches and eye aches, or having trouble focusing your eyes, come see us. The eyes don’t always tell us directly that they need attention. As a living part of our bodies, though, our eyes are vulnerable to stress. If you’re experiencing symptoms or spending a lot of time on Zoom, visit the best eye doctors in Colorado, ICON Eyecare, for an expert eye exam and treatment.