Dry eye syndrome: how to protect your eyes from PC exposure

By Cristiano Antonino On Jan 19, 2023

PC exposure can cause dry eye syndrome due to blue light emission

Some disorders that affect us are in reality easily solved, even often without the need for medication.

One of these is certainly the phenomenon of dry eye, a condition that occurs very frequently and affects in particular those who spend many hours in front of a screen.

Here is how to protect your eyes at the PC.

What is dry eye syndrome

Dry eye syndrome is nothing more than an alteration in eye secretion, the balance of which is challenged by mainly external factors, including prolonged exposure to blue light from screens.

The eye normally emits secretions that make up the tear film, a kind of protective film that repairs the outer surface of the eye itself, i.e. the cornea: when this balance is disturbed, we are faced with dry eye syndrome.

Symptoms of dry eye syndrome

The symptoms of dry eye are varied and are generally found irrespective of the cause of the alteration, whether it is external (screens, pollution, etc.) or internal, i.e. linked to health problems that may or may not be related to vision.

Among the most common symptoms of dry eyes are:

burning
poor tearing
red eyes
photophobia (discomfort from light)
foreign body sensation in the eye
difficulty opening the eyes in the morning
blurred vision

Causes of dry eye

As we were saying, the causes of dry eye can be numerous, but exposure to visual displays such as computers, tablets and mobile phones has exponentially increased cases of altered lachrymation, also due to smart working and distance learning.

Many of the activities that used to take place in person – such as meetings and coffee breaks – in recent months are experienced behind a screen, to which one often remains attached for several consecutive hours.

Among the causes of dry eye, however, there may be other triggers, such as air pollution and dry, air-conditioned air, or illnesses, hormones, medication and incorrect contact lens wear.

Dry eye and blue light

One of the main reasons why prolonged and continuous exposure to displays causes dry eye is obviously the blue light emitted by the devices themselves.

When this light is between 380 nm and 440 nm, it is even considered potentially harmful to both the cornea and retina.

Treatment and remedies for screen eye dryness

If you experience the symptoms of dry eye syndrome, you should contact a specialist, who will be able to confirm through an eye examination whether your hunch is right and, above all, whether it is in fact due to too much exposure to blue light.

The first step for treatment is obviously to establish the cause of the dry eye.

Once identified, there are several treatments.

The main ones are:

use of eye drops, artificial tears, corticosteroids in eye drops, ophthalmic ointments and Cyclosporine in eye drops, to obtain temporary relief
closure of the tear duct by applying silicone plugs, either permanent or temporary
therapy with the latest generation of medical devices that allow stimulation of the eyelid glands responsible for the formation of the tear film using pulsed light (Intense regulated pulsed light) to restore tear balance

Chronic dry eye – how to treat it?

If, however, you spend all day in front of the PC and dry eye syndrome does not leave you, here is the ophthalmologist’s advice

make warm, moist compresses: soak a cotton wool pad or a make-up remover pad in boiling water and then put it on your eyes for about ten minutes to help the glands in the production of the tear film
wear glasses: wear glasses to protect your eyes during the day, especially if you work long hours at the computer
massage your eyes: massage lightly over the eyelids towards the eyelashes to help release lipid content from the glands and improve the tear film
eat foods rich in omega-3: these foods, such as cod and salmon, promote the production of tear secretions

Dry eye syndrome is a very frequent disorder, particularly for those who use computers a lot

Protecting your eyes at the PC is essential to limit the risks of dry eye, so wear special glasses and put into practice the advice of your ophthalmologist to relieve the stress on your eyes during and after exposure.