Ask HN: What are your eye fatigue symptoms? What has worked to heal your eyes?
This decade might be the peak for backlit screen time across humanity (with screens having grown in prevalence to the point of ubiquity in many cultures, but tech like e-ink and RLCD seemingly on the horizon to shift things the other way).
How are your eyes faring? What are your specific symptoms? What has worked at ameliorating them?
Or, if one does want to just ask about it instead of looking up the answers, ask an ophthalmologist with access to diagnostic equipment, professional standards, etc.
I've had the problem of eye tension for many years. That is why I made an app called Black Screen that blacks out all the monitor screens on pressing the key. It really helps me, especially when I am at work behind my multiple screen workstation.
I have trouble focusing after string at screens less than 2 meters away for extended periods of time. My solution is to orient my desk so that I have a view of a larger room, to look out the window if possible, and take breaks outdoors.
There is a procedure. Basically they can suck the vitreous (the "fluid" in your eye) out and replace it with... saline, maybe? Since the floaters are in the vitreous, they get removed.
But when I asked about getting this, the surgeon who would do the procedure basically asked, "Why would you want to do that?" He asked in a way that made it clear that he didn't think I should do it. He didn't exactly say, but either it was either too expensive to be worth it, or too risky to be worth it, or too little result to be worth it. Yeah, that's his opinion, but he's paid to have medical opinions, and is much more qualified to have them than I am.
So: Yes, it can be done, but maybe you shouldn't (at least using that approach).
I've seen two doctors who took a look at my eyes and said everything's healthy, and that I'm just experiencing age-related presbyopia (I'm 43m).
My symptoms are as follows:
* My eyes become dry very quickly if they are open at a normal width.
* Due to the above, I spend much of the day with my eyes in a fairly squinted configuration.
* I cannot read, eg, text on my phone without squinting.
* Covering one eye (particularly my left eye) seems to improve my vision.
* My eyes often hurt / burn, especially in the evening.
* I have gnarly floaters in my left eye.
* Reading glasses are not much help; in order to benefit from them, I need to open my eyes more, which makes them very dry within 60 seconds.
* My eyes are often red and cloudy, especially in the morning.
* I occasionally wake up during the night from pain / dryness in my eyes.
* Unlike what I understand is typical for presbyopia, my vision does not degrade throughout the day, and is often a bit better at night.
Observations about things that have changed this:
* Sub-freezing temps seem to bring about a fairly fast (ie, within 1-2 days) and dramatic relief. Each year for the past few, I've gone to Colorado in mid-Feb for three weeks or so, and these are the best vision weeks of the year. However, I spend much of my time in Florida, so I rarely encounter cold temps.
* The drops that the doctor puts in to dilate pupils seem to trigger dramatic improvement, lasting 1-2 days.
* Spending time outside and using an RLCD monitor in the sun does seem to bring about some pain relief, but even multiple days in a row of this don't seem to improve my up-close vision or eye dryness.
I've tried searching every term I can think of, and as I say, I've seen multiple doctors (though I'm happy to go again). If anybody has any insight, I'd really value it. I'm struggling with this.
If you don't already you can use artificial tears throughout the day I always keep one in my backpack. Optase intense eye drops are the best I've found.
I had very similar symptoms and it turned out to be slow-onset allergic reactions. Dust mites breed like crazy here in Florida, yet are nearly absent in Colorado...
Searching or asking AI will give you more answers, and they will all sound quite similar, because this is a known problem with known solutions.
But when I asked about getting this, the surgeon who would do the procedure basically asked, "Why would you want to do that?" He asked in a way that made it clear that he didn't think I should do it. He didn't exactly say, but either it was either too expensive to be worth it, or too risky to be worth it, or too little result to be worth it. Yeah, that's his opinion, but he's paid to have medical opinions, and is much more qualified to have them than I am.
So: Yes, it can be done, but maybe you shouldn't (at least using that approach).
Some doctors would definitely push you to do surgery to make money, you should be glad this doctor didn't.
Here where I live that surgery is almost free, but I've decided to not do it because it's a minor annoyance.
Every surgery has risk during the recovery process, an infection can happen etc. Even though small, doctors can also make mistakes.
My symptoms are as follows:
* My eyes become dry very quickly if they are open at a normal width.
* Due to the above, I spend much of the day with my eyes in a fairly squinted configuration.
* I cannot read, eg, text on my phone without squinting.
* Covering one eye (particularly my left eye) seems to improve my vision.
* My eyes often hurt / burn, especially in the evening.
* I have gnarly floaters in my left eye.
* Reading glasses are not much help; in order to benefit from them, I need to open my eyes more, which makes them very dry within 60 seconds.
* My eyes are often red and cloudy, especially in the morning.
* I occasionally wake up during the night from pain / dryness in my eyes.
* Unlike what I understand is typical for presbyopia, my vision does not degrade throughout the day, and is often a bit better at night.
Observations about things that have changed this:
* Sub-freezing temps seem to bring about a fairly fast (ie, within 1-2 days) and dramatic relief. Each year for the past few, I've gone to Colorado in mid-Feb for three weeks or so, and these are the best vision weeks of the year. However, I spend much of my time in Florida, so I rarely encounter cold temps.
* The drops that the doctor puts in to dilate pupils seem to trigger dramatic improvement, lasting 1-2 days.
* Spending time outside and using an RLCD monitor in the sun does seem to bring about some pain relief, but even multiple days in a row of this don't seem to improve my up-close vision or eye dryness.
I've tried searching every term I can think of, and as I say, I've seen multiple doctors (though I'm happy to go again). If anybody has any insight, I'd really value it. I'm struggling with this.