- S0MEONE ELSE
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- Exalted Member
Have you ever spent a couple of hours (days in some people’s case) gaming, reading forum posts, or programming and it seems that your screen just isn’t as sharp as it should be, your eyes are red, itching, burning, or maybe a combination of all four? Well this post is going to shed a little light on that and maybe help you get a little more quality gaming time in.
I am a fourth year Optometry student (Eye doctor for those who have never heard the term) finishing up my residencies, and when I have time Halo 3 junkie. I am not a doctor ( at least for another 2 months) so the information I am giving you is not meant to be general diagnosis for anyone just some educated tips for things that you can do to better improve your eye health and gaming comfort. If you have concerns or questions about your eyesight you should ask your eye care provider or family doctor.
First things first, a normal person blinks on average about 12 to 15 times per min, gamers on the other hand blink significantly less (5-8 times per min). This is the main problem. Your cornea (the clear part at the front of the eye) receives the majority of its oxygen from yours tears while you’re awake. Without blinking properly to wet your eyes you are not receiving enough oxygen which in turn causes the cornea to swell slightly, and there is your blurry TV screen. The improper wetting also causes dry eye which can cause redness, burning, and/or itching. For those of you who wear contact lenses this can be a greater problem since your contact lenses already block some of the oxygen to the cornea. (Especially when you wear them for longer than you’re supposed to…you know who you are) Another thing that can contribute to this is gaming with wind blowing directly in your face. i.e. Air conditioner, fan, etc. I, for example play with a fan blowing right on me so my eyes get dried out pretty quick. There are a lot of ways to help relieve some of these problems. The first being not to game for too long…yeah right. Second would be to use some kind of artificial tears. There are tons on the market that you can buy over the counter and they have instructions for use in the box. I like to put my drops in before I start gaming if I know that I’m going to be playing awhile and then as needed if I start to feel uncomfortable. My suggestion is to look into one that is best for your problem, and try to stay away from ones that have Preservatives, or ones that say, ”Gets rid of redness” these contain other chemicals rather than just being an artificial tear, and could cause mild allergic reactions in some cases. If you are worried about the redness and it won’t go away with the use of artificial tears or getting some sleep you might need to see a doctor.
The second reason for that blurry screen could be that your eyes are just tired. For all intents and purposes, infinity to your eyes is anything past 20 feet / 6 meters. I don’t know many people with a living room, bedroom, or family room that is 20 feet long so I would assume most people play closer than 20 feet to their TV. When your looking at the TV your eyes are “flexing” a muscle to keep it in focus. So just like any other muscle it can get tired. Try not to look at the screen constantly. While a games is loading get up walk around, look outside/ across the room, or even close your eyes to give your muscles a little rest.
Another reason for the blurry screen could be that you just need some glasses or contact lenses. Go see an optometrist! You see a dentist every year to check your teeth, why not get your eyes checked every year too. Wouldn’t it be great to see the food you’re chewing with your pretty white teeth?
Ok so I hope that some of this will help you gamers and computer users to have a more comfortable and healthier time gaming.