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Eye Strain from Computer Use & Reading
Allie wrote:
If you are experiencing eye strain, from computer use and reading, should you remove your contacts and put on your glasses? (I don't enjoy wearing my glasses, and prefer my contacts, but if wearing my glasses will help with the eye strain, then I will switch). Thanks
Dr Carol Doman's response:
Allie,
I cannot answer this question for you specifically without knowing your exact situation. I would definitely recommend making an appointment to see your optometrist to find out the cause of your eye strain and what the best treatment would be for you.. There are a number of reasons why glasses are sometimes better for computer use versus contact lenses. When on the computer specifically we blink 50% less than during other activities and as a result dry eye increases. This increase in dryness can be more noticeable with contact lenses than with glasses. Depending on a person’s age the focusing with contact lenses and glasses can be different. People who have myopia (near-sightedness) and are over 40 will start to experience increased strain and problems focusing on things up close (computer and print). These symptoms will be worse with contact lenses because you have to use more effort to focus on things up close compared to glasses. If you are over 40 ask your optometrist about multifocal contact lenses, which give better near vision. Anyone spending prolonged amount of time on a computer are advised to follow the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes they should take a 20 second break and look 20 feet away.
Dr. Doman
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Eye Test with Drops
Brandon wrote:
Had my eyes checked two weeks ago. For the vision test, the doctor did not administer drops and said that my prescription had actually gone down / eyes had improved since last check. He then tested again after putting in drops, and said initial findings were incorrect. One eye slightly worse than last time, one eye the same. He said the initial findings were screwed because he thinks my eyes "spasm" when I don't wear my glasses...in order to see. I find this new rx too harsh or strong, my old rx was strong too I think but I'm never really sure how I'm supposed to feel with glasses. What do you think? I can see ok without glasses, they're mainly for computer & night driving.
Dr Carol Doman's response:
Brandon,
Checking your vision with the drops in will give the most accurate results. This is especially true with hyperopia or far-sightedness. In most people the results with and without drops will be the same. When we check the prescription for glasses ideally we want your focusing completely relaxed. Younger people have a very strong focusing ability, so strong that it is sometimes very hard for them to relax it during the test. We have a few ways of encouraging the focusing to relax, but the drops work the best. Some people have more of a problem relaxing their focus than others. It sounds like the prescription didn’t change much in your new glasses. It always takes some time to adjust to a change in a glasses prescription even if it is a small change. The fastest way to adjust is to wear them all the time. Another thing with hyperopia in young people is that without glasses the vision is not overly blurry as they can exert extra effort and focus more to make things clear. The problem with this is that it is not a good idea to do this on a continuous basis. Depending on the amount of the prescription some people are required to wear the glasses all the time, while others are only required to wear them during certain visual tasks. I would advise that you follow the advice of your optometrist and wear the glasses for what they recommended. I hope you will find this information to be helpful.
Dr. Doman
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Pain Behind Left Eye; Sensitive to Light
Patricia wrote:
For just over a month now I have been having pain behind my left eye. If feels like there are glass shards in the back of my eye and the socket feels swollen. I have also become VERY sensitive to light (sharp piercing sensation) so that I need to drive in the dark with sunglasses on so the headlights on cars are bearable. I have had to make other adjustments to deal with light as well. I wake up with this and go to bed with this. I have been to an eye Dr (ophthalmologist) and was told he didn't see anything but he only did a regular eye check up. Is this a sufficient exam to rule out possible eye problems?
Dr Carol Doman's response:
Patricia,
If you are having significant pain and extreme light sensitivity you should definitely make an appointment with your optometrist. They can evaluate to determine what is causing your symptoms. These symptoms could be a sign of several different things, some of which are quite serious. One thing that the optometrist would want to rule out would be iritis. Iritis is a condition where there is inflammation of the iris inside the eye. If this is left untreated it could lead to serious complications. Good luck solving your problem.
Dr. Doman
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