If you're reading this on a computer screen, you're not blinking frequently enough. Some of the activities most likely to lower your blink rate include:
- computer use
Blinking is the mechanism which spreads tears over your eyes, so the less of it you do, the drier your eyes will get. Mild dry eye symptoms will feel worse. Severe dry eye can be made intolerable by reduced blinking. If you're not already aware that a low blink rate exacerbates dry eye symptoms, being more conscious of how it specifically affects you is a first step towards getting it under better control. Some suggestions:
First, Get a blink reminder now!
Second, if you have a lot of eye pain from dry eye and computer use makes you miserable:
- check out our page with tips for surviving the office environment. Ideas range from frequent breaks (like closing your eyes during phone calls) to wraparound eyewear in severe cases.
- check out our forum for work/computer related dry eye management to see or participate in discussions with other patients.