Symptoms of eye strain

What is eyestrain? 

Eye strain is often the result of excessive use of our eyes. It is a temporary alteration in the functioning of the eye, often associated with too much effort. The connected life and the omnipresent screens are therefore not good news for our eyes. But other factors can also contribute to visual fatigue: high light levels, cigarette smoke, an abundance of dust, air conditioning or wind.

The main symptoms of visual fatigue 

Eye fatigue: a tired woman who works in front of a screen, with little light, and who experiences symptoms of eye fatigue. The symptoms of eye strain are many - and varied. Depending on the extent of the fatigue, the sensations can be different. And even if it is not serious, eyestrain can quickly become restrictive and uncomfortable. Generally speaking, the signals that should alert you are:

• You feel a drop in your vision (visual acuity) during the day.
• You have difficulty accommodating from distance to near vision.
• Your vision is blurred or even fuzzy.
• Your field of vision is impaired.
• You have the sensation of seeing double (diplopia).
• You have a feeling of glare.
• Your eyes are irritated or red.
• You have a burning or stinging sensation in your eyes.
• You have regular headaches.
• You have a twitching eyelid.
• You have eye pain in or around your eyes.

Good to know 

Be aware that a person with a visual defect who is poorly (or not at all) corrected runs the risk of chronic eye fatigue. Indeed, blurred or even fuzzy vision can, in the long run, cause this type of fatigue. It is therefore essential to correct your eyesight properly and to ensure that your visual health is properly monitored, by renewing your glasses if necessary. 

These vision problems - inconvenient when they are regular - require adequate correction with eyeglasses equipped with specific lenses: the Essilor Eyezen® lens, for example, relieves your eyes of visual fatigue thanks to its special geometry which reduces the effort required by your eyes to see up close. In addition, it helps to protect your eyes from harmful light indoors (for example, in front of screens), but also outdoors, for greater comfort of vision in everyday life.

In some cases, orthoptic rehabilitation (eye gymnastics) may be necessary (and effective). To spare your eyes as much as possible, don't hesitate to make an appointment with an ophthalmologist to carry out a complete visual assessment. He or she will be able to tell you whether you are really suffering from eyestrain, or whether your eye discomfort is due to a vision disorder.

Note also that people over the age of 50 may experience some of these symptoms, but due to a completely different phenomenon. After this age, we secrete fewer tears, causing the eyes to dry out abnormally, often resulting in visual fatigue. Finally, some drug treatments can be responsible for eye strain.