How Vision Therapy Helps with Eye Fatigue
Do your eyes feel tired and sore? Eye fatigue is a common complaint, particularly among people who use digital devices. Vision therapy, an innovative therapy technique that enhances the eye/brain connection, could help you improve eye comfort and prevent eye fatigue.
What Is Eye Fatigue?
Eye fatigue happens when your overworked eyes become uncomfortable or struggle to provide clear, crisp vision. Symptoms may include:
- Blurry Vision
- Double Vision
- Burning or Stinging Sensation in the Eyes
- Headaches
- Dry Eyes
- Watery Eyes
- Trouble Concentrating
- Sensitivity to Light
What Causes Eye Fatigue?
Fatigue may happen after you've been using your eyes for close work, like reading, texting, or using your laptop. Eye fatigue has become a widespread issue, thanks in part to society's increased reliance on digital devices. A 2022 survey by The Vision Council reported that 80% of adults reported some degree of digital eyestrain, a condition closely related to eye fatigue.
Although eye fatigue often occurs after hours of intense focusing on a screen or book, that's not always the case. If you have an undiagnosed visual condition, you may experience eye fatigue symptoms in minutes rather than hours. These conditions may cause or worsen eye fatigue:
- Binocular Vision Issues. Binocular vision refers to both eyes sending the same information to the brain. If the eyes don't work together as a team, the brain struggles to produce a single clear image, which can lead to eye fatigue. Strabismus, or "crossed eyes," is a common cause of binocular vision problems. Noticeable cases of strabismus are usually diagnosed and treated during childhood. However, subtle alignment problems are less likely to be detected and can cause vision problems throughout life.
- Focusing Problems. Your eyes constantly adjust their focus when you look at objects at different distances. Undetected vision issues could affect the efficiency or speed of your focusing abilities, causing your eyes to work harder.
- Poor Visual Skills. Problems with eye tracking, eye movement coordination, or visual perception (the brain's ability to interpret visual information) can also cause fatigue.
You may have one of these problems without realizing it. In fact, these conditions can affect people who have 20/20 vision or who wear glasses or contact lenses to correct their vision. Vision conditions don't have to be severe to cause eye fatigue. Even a minor problem with eye movement, alignment, or focusing could cause eye fatigue symptoms.
Improving Eye Fatigue with Vision Therapy
Vision therapy addresses the cause of eye fatigue rather than just treating the symptoms. The therapy involves visual exercises and activities that help your brain and eyes work together. Your vision therapist performs a comprehensive vision examination to determine why you're struggling with eye fatigue. Vision therapists are optometrists who receive advanced training in vision therapy techniques.
Vision therapy plans are tailored to fit your diagnosis and aren't a one-size-fits-all approach to vision. In addition to participating in activities at the vision therapist's office, you may also perform some eye exercises at home to support your therapy.
The therapy can reduce eye fatigue by:
- Strengthening Focusing Ability. Activities, computer games, and visual aids improve your ability to shift your focus between distances and focus your eyes on a written page or screen more effectively.
- Improving Eye Coordination. Vision therapy helps your eyes work together as a team. When eye coordination improves, it's easier to track moving objects with your eyes or focus on near objects comfortably.
- Enhancing Visual Processing and Memory. Vision therapy activities reduce the mental energy needed to see by improving the speed and accuracy of the brain's visual processing and memory systems.
- Improving Endurance. Strengthening your visual skills can improve visual endurance, the ability to use your eyes for long periods without discomfort.
Visual therapy could offer the ideal solution if you're tired of dealing with eye fatigue. Ready to find out more? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the vision therapist.
Sources:
The Vision Council: The Vision Council Releases Focused inSights 2022: Digital Habits, 11/4/2022
https://thevisioncouncil.org/blog/vision-council-releases-focused-insights-2022-digital-habits
WebMD: 13 Tips to Prevent Eye Fatigue, 2/21/2023
https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/eye-fatigue-causes-symptoms-treatment
American Optometric Association: Accommodative Dysfunction
https://www.aoa.org/healthy-eyes/eye-and-vision-conditions/accommodative-dysfunction
Delhi Journal of Ophthalmology: Role of Binocular Vision Therapy in Strabismic and Non-Strabismic Conditions, 7 – 9/2024
