Specialist weighs in on how to combat eye strain and fatigue

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Ever since March, Ophthalmologists have been getting more complaints of strain and fatigue from their patients. According to specialists, eyes are a big muscle. When focusing on a near sighted object for so long, the muscle has to work even harder.

The brightness of a computer screen causes dry eyes as the brain forgets to tell us to blink. While products do exist to help combat this “blue light” from the screens, Dr. Whitney Purtzer with Focused Eye care explains that this is not necessarily the problem. Rather, eyes are not meant to view near sighted objects for such long periods of time.

“When we are sitting up close, we distress are eyes all day long. We just need to take more breaks. The 2020 rule is every 20 minutes you take 20 seconds and look 20 feet away to allow those muscles to relax,” says Dr. Purtzer.  

According to Dr. Purtzer, some studies show that there is a correlation among children with near work and near sightedness. She explains that it is not all because computer time, but a child’s overall well-being that requires them to step away from work – and look…at a distance.   

“A lot of the studies are saying just get your kids outside, the more that they can play outside the less likely they are to become near sighted. It is not the computers that will make them near sighted, it’s more just their overall health in general, that’s not what are eyes were built to do,” says Dr. Purtzer.   

Dr. Purtzer says for kids working on their online school, similar to adults, it is a good idea to follow the 20/20/20 rule. For every 20 minutes of work, try looking away 20 feet for 20 seconds to allow your eyes to relax. But the best solution for kids? Going outside and playing!