Is your child battling dry eyes? Know its causes and symptoms

Dry eyes can be uncomfortable. For kids, the dryness makes their eyes feel stretched out. In fact, dry eye syndrome often causes a sandy, gritty sensation in the morning that usually gets worse throughout the day. It may cause your child to have blurry vision. But dry eyes don’t usually cause lasting problems with vision.

There are different causes of dry eyes. Most often dry weather, smoke, or pollution can bother the eyes. Other times, allergies or contact lenses can also irritate the eyes. You can work with your ophthalmologist to find ways to help your child’s eyes feel better. Meanwhile, home treatments often do help.

What causes dry eyes in children?

Dry eye syndrome can make it challenging for kids to do regular daily activities, such as reading, using a computer, and playing. Sometimes burning, itchy and irritated eyes, along with constant blinking, interfere with focusing in the classroom. A range of reasons can be responsible for your child’s dry eyes. Some of them include:

1. Severe allergies, with dryness caused by aggressive antihistamine use

2. Contact lens wearing

3. Sometimes, conjunctivitis (pink eye) can lead to a type of dry eye

4. Nutritional deficiency

5. Extended use of smartphones and other digital devices

What are the various symptoms of dry eyes in kids?

eye fatigue

Keep these tips handy to keep dry eyes disease at bay! Image courtesy: Shutterstock

Children cannot communicate their eye related problems in a proper way. Most of the time, they will rub their eyes, if there are any such issues. But the parents should keep a vigil on their kids to read their behaviour to understand the underlying cause of such behaviour.

Here are some common dry eye syndrome symptoms in children:

Frequent blinking

Redness around the eyes

Constant eye rubbing

Veering away from sources of light

Stinging or burning sensation in and around the eyes

Moments of blurred vision

Difficulty in reading, working on digital devices, or any activity that requires visual attention.

How to treat your child’s dry eye at home

Your doctor may recommend artificial tears to reduce the symptoms related to dry eye but you can also do home remedies to relieve dry eye syndrome.

Some helpful suggestions include:

1. Avoid smoke and other things that irritate the eyes.

2. Ensure your child wears sunglasses that wrap around the sides of the head. Try to use caps or umbrellas as these can protect the eyes from sun, wind, dust, and dirt.

3. Place a humidifier by your child’s bed or close to your child. Always follow the directions for cleaning the machine.

4. Do not use fans while your child sleeps.

eye fatigue

Itchiness may be common if you have dry eyes. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

5. If your child usually wears contact lenses, have your child use rewetting drops or wear glasses until the eyes feel better.

6. Be safe with medicines. Ensure that your child takes medicines exactly as prescribed. Call your ophthalmologist if you think your child is having a problem with a medicine.

7. Have your child use artificial tears at least 4 times a day.

8. If your child needs drops more than 4 times a day, use artificial tears without preservatives. They may irritate the eyes less.

9. If your child wears contact lenses, supply him or her with rewetting drops.

10. Put a warm, moist cloth on your child’s eyelids every morning for about 5 minutes. Then massage the eyelids lightly. This helps to increase the natural wetness of the eyes.

These 7 ways to reduce eyestrain will keep your pain away

Follow these expert-recommended tips to reduce eyestrain when your eyes get tired from intense use. Watch what you see and how you see it!

broken blood vessel in eye

Intense use of eyes can affect your eyes and you could experience eye strain, pain or irritability. Eyestrain is a common condition, usually noticed after intensely focusing on an activity for a prolonged duration. This can range from viewing a computer screen, reading a book or driving a car for a long period of time. It is becoming even more prevalent in this digital age with persistent use of devices like smartphones, computers, tablets day in and day out. This can result in eye discomfort and other problems. Do you also often have pain in your eyes? If yes, here’s how to reduce eye strain.

Symptoms of eyestrain:

Everyone is affected by eye strain differently. The most common signs of eye strain are:

Eyes that are sore, tired, burning, or itchy

Painful or irritated eyes

Dry or watery eyes

Double or blurry vision

Headache

Back, shoulders, or neck pain

Sensitivity to light

Difficulty focusing and reading

Feeling unable to maintain eye contact

You may experience one or more of these symptoms if you have eyestrain. However, according to the American Optometric Association, dry eyes, headaches and blurry vision are the most typical signs of eye strain. These symptoms can be managed by employing some eye care tips. But if the pain in your eyes is persistent, you should consult with an eye specialist to help you avoid eye fatigue in the future.

HealthShots reached out to Dr Siddhi Goel, Consultant – Ophthalmology, Asian Hospital Faridabad, to find out ways to reduce eye strain.

how to reduce eye pain

Get rid of eye strain with these tips. Image courtesy: Adobe Stock

Dr Goel says, “Generally, simple, non-invasive methods are enough to treat eyestrain. However, prolonged strain can be an indication of an underlying serious condition. Since every case is different, one should discuss his/her problem with a healthcare provider.”

Here are 7 simple things you can do to help prevent eyestrain:

1. Use the 20-20-20 rule

An easy way to prevent eyestrain is to limit the time spent on a single activity that requires intense focus. The 20-20-20 rule refers to shifting your focus from the activity every 20 minutes to an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. Also, make sure to balance your activity with some other things that ask for different uses of your eyes such as taking a short walk during lunchtime if you have been working on a computer the whole morning.

2. Maintain proper distance

It is highly important to maintain the correct distance and a proper position while working on digital devices. The screen should be placed a few feet away from your eyes and ensure viewing the screen at eye level or a little below them. The same applies to digital devices as well.

how to reduce eye pain

You should make a proper distance between you and the screens. Image courtesy: Shutterstock

3. Practice eye yoga

The muscles that support your vision and eyes can be toned and conditioned by performing eye yoga. It can control your stress levels and lessen eye strain. Simple eye yoga exercises include blinking, palming, and stretching your eyes. They can only offer relaxation and strengthen your eyes.

4. Find proper light

Improper light, which is either too dim or too bright, can be a cause of eyestrain. Further, if you are focus on something intensely like reading, the light should come from behind you. Also, ensure the screens being viewed are adequately lit.

5. Make use of eye drops

Viewing a screen intensely for long can result in a dramatic reduction in how many times you blink your eyes in a minute. When you blink less, your eyes turn dry leaving you irritable. Using eye drops like artificial tears can help you resolve the problems. Alternatively, you can try to blink more often when using the screen to prevent recurrence.

how to reduce eye pain

Use eye drops as required. Image Courtesy: Shutterstock

6. Close your eyes and rest

If you’re unable to keep your eyes open and they hurt badly, they need rest. In such a situation, simply sit down or lie down and close your eyes. Try to keep your eyes closed, your thoughts relaxed, and as unfocused as possible. For a few minutes, keep doing it, till you start to feel a bit better.

7. Make use of proper eyewear

Work with your doctor to find out if you need special eyewear to reduce eyestrain. Specialized lenses, devices, or eye therapy can work to relax your eyes. Besides, certain tints and coatings for lenses may also be helpful. You may also need to reduce the time you wear contact lenses to allow your eyes to rest.

So ladies, follow these above-mentioned simple tips to prevent straining your eyes and enjoy activities of your choice.