Computer eye strain symptoms, causes, prevention tips

In today’s world, people are constantly in front of their computer or laptop screens. This goes up to around 5 to 8 hours a day and we gradually start straining our eyes

In today’s world, people are constantly in front of their computer or laptop screens. This goes up to around 5 to 8 hours a day and we gradually start straining our eyes. We live in a digital world and people cannot imagine striving without these devices. 

This category would also include cell phones, which constantly sticks to us, all through 

the day. In this article, we will read through the symptoms and causes which would 

assure you your condition and remedies so that you can prevent and heal yourself.

Some common symptoms that you are straining your eyes because of these devices are:

• Eyes getting tired even when your body is active enough
• Dry eyes or watery eyes
• Blurred vision
• Soreness in back, neck and shoulders
• Sensitivity in the eyes due to light

If you ever feel any of the above symptoms, you can comfort your eyes with the remedies we have listed below:

Blink eyes repeatedly

Blinking is very important as it adds moisture and prevents you from itchiness and dryness. When you are using your computer screen, there are possibilities that you aren’t blinking at all! Add a blinking regime in which you would take out couple of minutes at every interval and blink your eyes.

Adjust the lighting of your room

Your computer should be present in a properly lit up room. Again, properly lit up doesn’t mean blinding light. Excess brightness could strain your eyes too. This could also include scorching sunlight coming through an open window. Use drapes or windows shades for blocking that out. For the electric lights, you need low intensity bulbs or fluorescent ones. Comfortable lights reduce stress and prevent further eye strain.

Adjust contrast and brightness

Go to the setting for display of your computer screen and adjust it to match the brightness of your room. You also have to adjust the contrast of backgrounds and features so that you don’t squint to see the screen! You can also alter the font sizes and colors.

Giving short breaks

Don’t stare into the screen for a long time and in the same position. You might be sitting in the office in the same posture for hours, and this is why you ought to take short breaks too. Be off your computer screen for 5 to 15 minutes to relax your eyes. Do it after every 1-2 hours. This would circulate blood and prevent from eye straining.

Move the monitor

If your monitor is fixed in a cramped space and that too right at the corner of the cubicle, you might want to move it. This will help you look away when you take a break. Try to move it to a position, so that it is at quite a distance while you take a break.

Getting rid of the glare

Glares coming out from your computer screen, windows, walls or any reflective surfaces could strain the eyes. It is best to install an anti-glare screen which would cover the reflective surface. If you don’t have it, try and close the drapes or shades of the windows for reducing the condition caused by sun rays.

Relax your eyes

Prevent eye strain in few simple ways:

• Focus on something which is at a distance and stare straight for a few minutes.
• Rub your palms till they are warm and then touch your eyes. Your eyes would be closed and you would have to take deep breaths. Visualize that you are looking at something at a distance. Open the eyes and release. Repeat three times.
• Close eyes and roll the neck, shoulder and head for relaxing the eyes. This would also minimize shoulder ache.

Splash water

When your eyes start burning, go and splash some water on the face. Splash normal to cold water and let the water dry on its own. You can get back to work after the water dries.

Face massage

Wet a towel with warm water. Rub your cheeks, neck and forehead with it. Keep massaging these areas and don’t rub the eyes. You can improve blood stimulation and not strain while working at the monitor.

Expert advice

If you still see these symptoms to persist after following all the above remedies, you might need to consult an optician. Eyes are sensitive and eye checkups should not be delayed at any cost.  Have an eye test, and let the doctor tell you, how critical your condition is and what the medicated solutions are.

Foods Rich in Antioxidants for Healthy Aging

Although magazine covers and "miracle" cosmetics packages all proclaim the anti-aging secrets they contain, as long as we wake up each morning, getting older is an unstoppable fact

Perhaps a better and more attainable goal than "anti-aging" is "healthy aging"—giving our bodies and spirits what they need to reduce the risks of physical or mental decline as our 30s become our 40s, then into our 50s, 60s, and so on.

Instead of dreaming about turning back the clock, you can help keep your body strong by equipping it with the biological equivalent of fresh batteries. "Why do you have to fight against aging if you have healthy aging?" asks Barbara Shukitt-Hale, PhD, a research psychologist and behavioral neuroscientist at the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston. That's not just a theoretical question, no matter what your current age.

Reducing risk, one bite at a time

Oxidative stress is the cumulative, day-to-day assault our cells endure. The longer we live, the more oxidative stress our bodies experience. Dr. Shukitt-Hale and her colleagues have studied several foods that appear to repair the toll this stress takes and even protect against further damage. The foods studied also increase the number of brain cells we have and improve their functioning.

We can use such help. "As we age, our bodies are less able to deal with the oxidative stress we encounter," Dr. Shukitt-Hale says. We also become more sensitive to inflammatory responses in our central nervous systems.

While some foods have been shown to support greater health, energy and mental strength in aging bodies, the biological mechanisms that produce those results aren't fully understood yet. Many researchers believe the beneficial effects are created by the variety of nutritional components in real food, working in combination.

That means you should look in the produce aisles, not the drug aisles, to find what you need. "Very few disease processes or healthy outcomes are attained through taking vitamin supplements," says Martha Clare Morris, ScD, director of the Center of Nutrition and Aging at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago. She cites bone loss and vitamin B12 deficiency as among the few conditions that current research shows can be improved with supplements.

By contrast, when vitamins and other compounds are obtained by eating certain foods, there are big benefits. "We think eating fresh fruit or vegetables, even frozen, is better than taking supplements, because supplements don't have all the compounds," Dr. Shukitt-Hale says. In her research lab, "we've broken down foods into families of compounds, and the individual families aren't as effective" as when they function together

You know that fruits, vegetables, whole grains and such are good for you, but some foods have been shown to be stand-outs for lowering problems linked to aging. You may want to include more of these on your shopping list:

"Brainberries": That's the nickname Dr. Shukitt-Hale and coauthor James A. Joseph, PhD, gave to blueberries and their cousins—such as blackberries, cranberries and strawberries. Berry fruits are rich in antioxidant polyphenolic compounds that protect against the age-related deterioration of cognitive and motor functions. Eating about a cup of berries a day—fresh or frozen—reduces oxidative stress (hence the term "antioxidants"), lowers inflammation and improves brain cell signaling.

Blueberries top the list of beneficial berries, but if your tastes are a bit more eclectic—arctic bramble berries, anyone?—most berry fruits carry a lot of nutritional power for their size. You may want to read the label closely: A USDA study of blueberries grown in New Jersey showed that those cultivated organically for commercial sale had higher levels of phytonutrients (beneficial compounds) than did the berries grown under conventional methods.

Red peppers, oranges, pine nuts, roasted sunflower seeds, safflower oil: Vegetables and fruits that are high in vitamin C help prevent skin appearance changes related to aging. Nuts and oils with high amounts of linoleic acid provide similar defense. Regardless of age, sun exposure or other factors, women who eat more foods that are rich in vitamin C and linoleic acid have fewer wrinkles, less skin dryness and less atrophy—the gradual thinning of skin layers.

Cocoa: It's not just for kids anymore! You may have switched to green tea for its antioxidant benefits, but cocoa is actually higher in the powerful phenolic phytochemicals that fight oxidative damage. Indeed, cocoa leads the list for antioxidant capacity—ahead of red wine, green tea and black tea. Make it with nonfat milk and you'll help strengthen your bones as well.

Spinach, kale, collards: Here's another reason to eat more vegetables: high vegetable consumption produces a slower rate of cognitive decline with age. Dr. Morris and her colleagues looked at more than 3,700 people aged 65 or older and found that those who ate about three to four daily servings of vegetables—particularly leafy greens—had much less decline in memory, recall and other mental functions than did those who ate less than one serving of veggies per day.

Walnuts: These popular nuts enabled aged rats to improve motor performance (such as walking on a plank) and thinking skills. Because of these results, researchers believe walnuts look very promising for strengthening cognition.

Fish: It's been called "brain food" for decades, but now there's evidence that fish helps keep your mental abilities strong while you age. Compared with people who ate less than one fish meal per week, those who ate fish once weekly or more often showed a slower rate of age-related cognitive decline.

How to Get Rid of Black Circles Under Your Eyes

 

How to Get Rid of Black Circles Under Your Eyes

 

Method 1 of 3: Addressing the Cause

 

Get your beauty sleep. get plenty of sleep nightly. It’s not entirely clear why inadequate sleep results in dark circles under the eyes, but lack of sleep tends to cause the skin to become paler (thus increasing the    appearance of darkness under the eyes), and reduces circulation. It’s also believed that too little time lying down is a cause in itself. Before going to bed at night, remove all eye makeup. If you don't do so, when you get older, your eyes can look much more tired on a daily basis.

• Determine how much sleep you need (it’s usually 7-9 hours per night, but varies for different people at different times throughout their lives). Try to get that amount regularly for a couple of weeks to see if that helps.
• Alcohol and drugs can adversely affect the quality of your sleep. Abstain from these products or use them only in moderation for best results.
• Get adequate vitamins that assist sleep. A lack of sleep, coupled with poor vitamin absorption tends to reduce adrenal function. The less adrenal function you have, the less B6 you tend to absorb. The less B6 you absorb, the less your adrenal glands function and you end up in a vicious circle. Sleep, regular vitamins (where needed), good calcium/magnesium support in the form of eating a lot of greens (which are higher in calcium and magnesium than dairy products are) and a good mineral supplement restores adrenal function

 
Treat your allergies. Allergies are a common cause of skin discoloration under the eyes. If an allergy is the root of your problem, treat the allergy or remove the allergies. Seasonal allergy problems such as the hay fever can frequently be effectively treated with over-the-counter and prescription medications.

• For other allergies, the best course of action is usually avoidance. If your dark circles or puffiness are constant, you may have an undetected food allergy or an allergy to a chemical in your home or workplace. Talk to a dermatologist for help determining what you may be allergic to. People with allergies also tend again to be deficient in B6, folic acid and B12 on occasion. Taking a multivitamin may also help
• gluten intolerance. Another common allergy that causes dark circles is gluten intolerance, which is an allergy to wheat flour in particular. More severely, you could have celiac disease. To test for celiac disease, have blood tests performed by your doctor. It's important to remember that you can be gluten intolerant, and not have celiac disease

       

Fix nasal congestion. A blocked nose can result in dark circles under your eyes because the veins around your sinuses are darkened and dilated

Eat well.Eat a healthy,balanced diet take vitamins , and drink  plenty of water  . A whole host of cosmetic problems can be attributed to vitamin deficiencies. Dark circles and puffiness are often attributed to lack of vitamin K or inadequate antioxidants. Also, a deficiency in B12 (usually anemia-related) can result in dark circles.

• Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially cabbage, spinach, and other leafy green vegetables. Take a daily vitamin supplement if necessary. Get adequate fluids to improve circulation.
• Reduce  salt intake  Excess salt causes the body to retain water in unusual places, and this can result in puffiness under the eyes. Too much salt can also impair your circulation and cause the blood vessels under the skin to appear bluer

       

Examine your smoking habit and decide toquit. Smoking causes vascular (blood vessel) problems that can not only threaten your life, but also make your blood vessels appear more prominent and bluer

   relax:  Relaxing might help remove sources of stress and anxiety that are preventing you from sleeping, eating and resting properly. In turn, relaxing enough will help the skin beneath your eyes to improve as you feel less stressed and more at ease. Skin tends to reflect a whole host of emotional and physical ailments, so don't dismiss the need to relax lightly

Accept what you can't change. 

There are some causes to under-eye circles you can't do much to reverse, unfortunately. These include:

• Pigmentation irregularities. These can cause darker circles under the eyes.
• Sun exposure. This can increase melanin production.
• Thinning from age. Aging thins the skin, making veins and vessels more obvious as your fat and collagen depletes over time.
• Heredity. Establish whether or not this condition runs in your family, as under-eye dark circles are believed to frequently be hereditary. This doesn’t mean that you can’t do anything about the conditions, but you should be prepared for minimal success when trying to get rid of them.
• Your facial features. Dark circles may be as simple as shadows being thrown by your own features.There isn't much you can do change this other than careful use of cosmetics

Method 2 of 3: Natural Remedies

 

  Use cucumber slices 

 Cucumber slices have long been used to reduce puffiness and refresh the appearance of skin around the eyes, providing a fast "pick-me-up" for tired and puffy eyes. Place a slice over each eye, extending over the darkened area. Do this daily, coupled with lying down for 10-15 minutes. Keep your eyes closed

Apply cool tea bags or an ice cube wrapped in soft cloth to your eyes daily

  The tannin in tea bags reduces swelling and discoloration. Lie down, preferably in the morning, and leave the cool and damp caffeinated tea bags over your eyes for about 10-15 minutes. Keep your eyes closed. You can refrigerate them overnight so they will be ready in the morning

Make a saline solution 

 Add 2 cups water with a 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and/or a half tea-spoon of baking soda in one of your nostrils. Have your head tilted to the side so that the water comes out the other nostril. It's best used when you're experiencing nasal congestion

Use a potato

  Place one uncooked potato into a liquidizer and liquidize the whole potato. Scoop out and place the pureed potato on your closed eyes .Keep it there for 30 minutes, lying on your back. Wash it off with warm water. This method works well for some people

 
Use a frozen spoon

 Put a spoon in the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Take it out and cover the circles with it. Hold it there until the spoon is warm again

Method 3 of 3: Cosmetic Solutions

 Apply an eye cream containing vitamin K and retinol

 Dark circles may be caused by a deficiency of vitamin K. Regardless of the cause, however, skin creams containing these two ingredients reduce puffiness and discoloration significantly in many people. Long-term daily use seems to have the greatest effect

Use an under-eye cream 

 Use a concealer that will camouflage the dark under-eye circles. It's important to use a concealer that matches your undertone (namely, yellow and peach (for bluish circles). After applying the concealer, set it with a light dusting of translucent powder. 

Have a skin patch test

  Before using cosmetics, try a skin patch test first. Cease using anything that irritates your skin, causes rashes, or makes your eyes sore or watery