8 Tips to Prevent Dry Eye when You're Gaming

8 things to do to prevent dry eye when you are gaming:

1. Make sure that your screen height is sensible, if it is too high your eyes will be more open than usual which promotes more tear evaporation.

2. Make sure that you are NOT sitting directly facing an air current. A blow heater, air conditioning or even a draft from a window will quickly dry eyes that aren't blinking much.

3. Set a timer so that you are reminded to blink. Bear in mind that we should be blinking 15 times per 3 mins at least. Set a timer on your phone or get some freeware to remind you to blink.

4. Use preservative-free artificial tears at regular intervals.

5. Invest in a humidifier for your gaming room.

6. You might want to try out moisture chamber glasses.

7. Use the natural breaks in the game to pause and blink for 20 seconds.

8. Take a break every 20 minutes and blink 20 times in 20 secs while looking into the distance. 

For some people the dry eye has gone too far and they need specialist treatment, like prescription eye drops or Intense Pulsed Light treatments. 

Gaming Eyes can often be minimised by following the steps above and by practicing good eye hygiene. If your eyes continue to bother you at the end of the day, however, they are telling you something so you may want to consider cutting back the hours you spend gaming and see a Dry Eye Specialist if the pain and irritation continues. 

An Eye for Gaming

Playing video games calls for extreme concentration. In order to succeed you need to stay constantly alert and vigilant...after all getting sniped whilst playing Call of Duty usually occurs within a 'blink of an eye'. As such, serious gamers (and other people who spend long periods of time concentrating on a screen or monitor) can often go minutes without blinking.  Whilst this is good for gaming, unfortunately, it’s not so good for your eyes. 

An average person blinks around once every 12 seconds. Some gamers can go minutes without blinking. This soon has an impact on your eyes. People often experience 'Gaming Eyes'  after prolonged screen use. They complain of sore, bloodshot, dry eyes, often with headaches and back and/or neck pain and occasional blurred or double vision. The medical term for this is Computer Vision Syndrome and at The Dry Eye Centre we are seeing an increasing number of patients suffering Dry Eye as a result of prolonged screen use. 

If you're experiencing any of the above symptoms after spending long periods of time at work or play staring at a digital monitor, we would recommend having an assessment done by a Dry Eye Specialist. Without treatment, mild symptoms can growing increasingly worse and there are usually simple treatment(s) available to treat both the cause and symptoms you experience. 

    

FAQ: IPL Treatments at the Dry Eye Centre

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is: Why can’t I have Intense Pulsed Light treatment without having an initial assessment?

At the Dry Eye Centre we always perform an initial assessment before carrying out any treatment. We do this is because it is essential to determine the cause of your dry eye so that we can give you the correct treatment. Intense Pulsed light treatment does not work for everyone. We have many other treatments which may be more effective depending on the type of dry eye.

Do you have a question for our Dry Eye Experts? If so, leave a question in the comment section and we will use it in an upcoming FAQ post. 

Dry Eye and Computer Screens

At the Dry Eye Centre we have been astounded by the number of working-age patients that we see. Until recently dry eye in this group was uncommon. In our modern world many of us spend most of our day in front of a computer screen or using tablets or mobile phones. When we perform this type of activity our blink rate drops significantly as does the quality of the blink (often it stops being complete). One explanation is that when we concentrate it is similar to when we used to hunt...and if you blink when you are hunting you lose the prey.

Many of our patients report that when they go on holiday their symptoms often improve, and studies have shown that increased computer use can lead to Dry Eye. Heavily concentrating on a computer, mobile phone or tv screen has been shown to significantly reduce your normal rate of blinking.

Blinking performs two very important functions. First, it replenishes the tear layer across the eye and secondly it squeezes the Meibomian glands that release the lipid layer of the tears that stops the tears from evaporating. Once we stop blinking properly, the Meibomian glands can start to become blocked by the oil that is not being released as it should. This leads to a vicious cycle which eventually gives the symptoms of dry eye.

Once the glands are blocked it is possible to use Intense Pulsed Light therapy to unblock them and then to institute blinking exercises to stop the problem occurring again. 

If you think you are suffering from dry eye due to screen use, please come see us for an assessment. We can treat you before things become chronic and recommend therapies and exercises for you to do to keep your Dry Eye at bay.

Book an appointment with us or call us on 02076366080 today.

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