Eye Strain Headache

An Increasing Problem

There has been an increase in adults suffering from eye strain and headaches as we spend more and more time using technology.  Our eyes are not designed to do the close work that our daily lives now require.  This near-distance work puts extra strain on eye muscles.

Extended Use of Screens and Monitors are a Common Cause of Eye Strain Headache

Failure to use your eyes in a relaxed manner can lead to muscle tension in your eyes.  Tension in our eyes can lead to headaches, neck pain, and vision challenges requiring you to begin wearing wear or change the prescription for your glasses.

Our daily routines and work/life balance has evolved into using our eyes to view short distances.  Computer work, looking at our phones, and watching TV results in using our eyes to view short distances most of our waking hours.

Long Distance Focus Relaxes the Eye Muscles

For a few years, I lived in farm country.  Farmers routinely gaze over their fields and look into the sky to determine the weather patterns.  Focusing on long distances relaxes the eye muscles.  As our work and our lives have moved indoors, time spent looking at trees in the distance or gazing at nature has tended to decline.

Our eye muscles stay healthy when we vary the way we use our eyes.  Looking between our phones and the TV is not varied enough.

How it Works

Natural movement is beneficial for our bodies and is also helpful for the eyes.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, fourteen hours of outdoor time per week was correlated to a decrease in myopia, a condition where faraway objects are blurry (1.4 billion people – that’s 22.6% of the population are being affected with myopia).

The only way to relax the eye muscle is to focus on long distances.  Also, there are other muscles in and around the eye socket, such as the eyebrows to relax.  Test this out by scrunching your face.  Notice where there is tension.  Then relax.  This technique helps to relax the muscles in the eyes.

Hint: you can relax your eyes while taking a walk outside

There are muscles in the eyes that control the amount of light that gets in.  Our eye is working the entire time when we are in bright environments, causing tension in the eye.  Release this tension by going outside to experience darkness.  Over time, your eyes will acclimate to the darkness enabling you to see better in the dark.

Here are some simple techniques to rest overused eye muscles:

• Sit quietly with your eyes closed (No need to wear contacts or glasses)
• Let your mind explore any tension in and around your eyes
• Check your jaw muscles, eyebrows, and forehead
• Relax your shoulders and neck (Remember, everything is connected)
• Then relax those muscles
• Keep your head stable, moving your eyes in all directions
• Look right and left, then up and down
• Finish this exercise by circling the eyes (Make sure that you are moving your eyes in all the ways the eye can move – Imagine a clock face)
• Look at 12 o’clock, then 6 o’clock, then 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock
• Repeat looking now at all the numbers on this imaginary clock

We habitually hold tension in our muscles without realizing it.  The task here is to find the tightness and release it. (Hint: it is beneficial to do this tension scan across your entire body).  Use this technique to find some comfort when you are experiencing eye strain headaches.

Go outside, where focusing on long distances relaxes the muscles in the eyes.  Look at something that is the farthest possible distance from you to focus on.

Most of our waking hours (thousands of hours) are spent using about 3% of our eyes’ range of motion.  What would happen if you used your arm muscles in such a limited way?

Keep your eye problems from getting worse by making the eyes more adaptable, flexible, and relaxing them.  You might find that your eyesight will improve.  You might even experience a reduction in your headaches.

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