Eye fatigue and dizziness: what is the link? How to protect yourself!

You have arrived at the last round of Fall Guys, after having passed all the craziest obstacles, when all of a sudden, you are violently dizzy. Although this does not indicate anything serious most of the time, it can be a symptom of eye strain that should not be taken lightly. So if these vertigos regularly disturb your joy of becoming probably one of the best players in the world (in all modesty, of course!), this article will help you understand where they come from and what to do to avoid them.

In this article :

• 👀 What is eye strain

• 🤓 Our advice to preserve your eyes and avoid dizziness

• 🧑‍⚕️ When to see a doctor

Eye strain: what is it?

Today, screens are omnipresent in our lives: whether at work in front of a computer station or at home, where we spend our time in front of the television , on the computer, the tablet , the telephone or the e-reader, our vision up close is more and more in demand .

⏳ This prolonged use of screens and exposure to blue light are obviously not without consequences and expose us to certain health risks. Eye fatigue , also called asthenopia , is one of them and with it, those famous dizziness, as inseparable as Ratchet and Clank.

Why do screens cause eyestrain?

A little explanation of how your eyes work:

The vision process is a bit complex, but basically your eye is made up of two parts:

• 👀 the eyeball, which receives visual information
• 🧠 the optic nerve, which connects the eyeball to the brain.

In addition to blood vessels, each of your eyes is surrounded by oculomotor muscles for mobility, allowing you to look in all directions without special effort.

As we said above, our near vision is much more stressed and to see up close, our eye must focus, a bit like when you put your finger on the screen of your phone when you take a photo.

The muscles of the eye are then extremely solicited in order to provide the necessary efforts to see up close for a prolonged period.

👉 Like all organs of the human body, the eye can get tired and this is how the first signs of eye fatigue appear.

There you tell yourself that this mini accelerated anatomy course is all very well, but you still don't understand why the last episode of The Last of Us caused you these dizziness which you would have done well without! Don't worry, we're coming!

The effects of blue light on your eyes

Have you noticed that it's usually after a day or a few hours spent in front of a screen that your eyes start to get tired?

And for good reason (it's the case to say it!), screens and the blue light they emit are one of the main causes of eye fatigue.

Because blue light has a shorter wavelength than other colors, it penetrates the eye more easily and deeper , causing eye damage.

Other causes

Said like that, it seems like the screens are the sworn enemy of your eyes like Emperor Palpatine but they are obviously not the only ones responsible. In addition to the overconsumption of screens, quite a few other factors can explain eye strain, in particular:

• ☀️ The environment: sun, wind, cold, pollution, pollen, dust, humidity...

• 🚬 Cigarette smoke

• ♨️ Air conditioning and heating

• 🤧 Allergies

• 👓 Unsuitable optical equipment or uncorrected vision problems

• 💡 Inadequate lighting

• 🖥️ A bad working position

• 😰 Stress

• 😴 Lack of sleep

• 🧓 Age: from the age of 50, people are more likely to experience eye strain and its symptoms

But what are the symptoms of eye strain anyway?

Symptoms you shouldn't sleep on

Whether they appear all at once or one after the other, the symptoms of fatigue eye syndrome are the same:

• 🎯 Decline in visual acuity (sight is less good as the day progresses)

• 🌫 Blurry vision

• 👯‍♀️ Blurred Vision

• 🌵 Dry eyes (dry eye), stinging, burning

• 🔴 Eye irritation, redness

• 📸 Accommodation problem (it's the difficulty of refocusing the eyes between far vision and near vision)

• 🥴 Increased sensitivity to light

• 😵 Discomfort or pain around the eye area

• 🤯 Headaches (which can go as far as ophthalmic migraine)

• 😵‍💫 Dizziness (finally here they are!)

Why am I dizzy?

We don't necessarily think about it at first sight (did you notice the pun? 🤪) but eye fatigue, and therefore poor eyesight, can be two very common factors in the feeling of disorientation .

Remember that vertigo is an impression of rotation felt when you are perfectly still.

👉 The intensive use of screens and the fatigue caused for the eyes, which look at something close for a long time, therefore lead to this feeling of dizziness.

Our advice to preserve your eyes and avoid dizziness

Are you starting to have a little sweaty hands as you read our article because the symptoms mentioned, and more particularly these dizziness, are familiar to you?

Don't panic, you can start to relax again because in the digital age, eye strain is a disorder that affects ¾ of the population.

No need to put tape on your TV screen or stop your GamePass subscription, but rather to apply these few recommendations and "remedies" to regain your balance:

• 🤓 Protect yourself against blue light : we tell you and we tell you again, screen glasses are the most effective way to protect yourself from screen light. Don't hesitate to take a look at our collections ( screen glasses or Horus X gaming glasses ).

• ⓴ Try the 20-20-20 method : as its name suggests, the principle is to look every 20 minutes at an object 20 feet (6 meters) from you for 20 seconds. In 20 seconds, your eye will have had time to relax and be ready to go for its next intensive screen session (but until the next break in 20 minutes if you followed correctly).

• ☕️ Take the time to rest your eyes : it seems obvious and yet, we don't always do it, but a break of 5 to 10 minutes every 2 hours or so is very beneficial for your eyes. You can also take the opportunity to do a little exercise for your eye, called “eye gymnastics exercise” 🤸 (yes, yes, this eye sports practice really exists!)

• 🔃 Adapt your position and your workstation and/or game : to limit eye fatigue as much as possible, make sure your screen is at the right height and adjust the brightness to avoid reflections and glare. Pay attention to adopting a good posture as well.

• 🥗 Choose foods rich in antioxidants : don't hesitate to incorporate fresh vegetables, fruits, eggs or even nuts and fatty fish into your diet. They're packed with nutrients that can help protect your eyes from blue light and other environmental factors.

• 💧 In case of eye dryness , you can use certain medications such as artificial tears or eye drops to moisten your eyes well.

• 🫣 Eye massage : it may be a little less dreamy than a classic massage but your eyes will thank you!

• 🏋️ Exercise : there's nothing like reducing the pressure, pressing "reset" and giving your eyes a chance to rest a little.

When should you consult a doctor?

If despite all these tips, your eyestrain and dizziness problems persist and prevent you from fully enjoying your days, then it is recommended to consult an ophthalmologist .

👩‍⚕️ Eye assessment

After an in-depth ophthalmic assessment, your ophthalmologist can prescribe different solutions such as orthoptic sessions (a kind of physiotherapy for the eyes), which are very effective against eye fatigue.

If you wear glasses or contact lenses, he will check that your correction is still well suited and that there are no uncorrected visual disturbances.

He can also perform an eye test to ensure that eye fatigue is not linked to other vision problems such as astigmatism, myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, etc.

🩸 Blood test

If all these tests are still not enough to determine the origin of eye fatigue, and with it dizziness, a blood test may be carried out to check for possible nutritional deficiencies and diseases unrelated to the eyes (Ménière's disease by example).

Finally, be aware that taking certain medications, such as diuretics or antidepressants, can also explain eye fatigue and the feeling of dizziness.

The final word: Dizziness and eyestrain

We hope we haven't made you dizzy even more with all this information, but if there are things to remember, it's: with increasingly frequent eye fatigue, dizziness is also more and more more common.

Fortunately, you don't need to throw all your screens out the window to avoid them, but just apply these few tips to keep them as far away from you as possible (Mordor is good, but from afar): protect your eyes against blue light , take care of your eyes and remember to rest them regularly , adopt a healthy lifestyle and opt for a diet rich in antioxidants . And if you have the slightest doubt, obviously do not hesitate to consult!