The feeling of "Irritated eyes” may be the tip of an iceberg that hides a more serious illness, which is why we should go to the ophthalmologist when the discomfort is not resolved with conventional treatments.

Irritated eyes and work

Most of us have already returned to work, vacations are over and one of the issues that always appears is the post-vacation syndrome, I have never been very clear about what it was but, if it is true that going back to work is hard, you The consolation remains that it is difficult for you to “re-enter”, it is that you have had a good vacation, that you have disconnected and, well, let's leave it here.

ocular irritation work

The issue is that in this return to work, we ophthalmologists usually have many queries about eye irritation and we do know what it is.

The tear in the eye

The tear is like oil in a machine, it serves to lubricate, helps keep the ocular surface moist and helps the eyelid slide smoothly over it.

If there is no tear, the surface dries up and the eyelid "scratches" the cornea, causing a microtrauma that causes the characteristic discomfort of feeling gritty, heaviness of the eyelids and blurred vision, which forces us to rub our eyes to see well again and is accompanied by "red eye", the typical picture of eye irritation.

Causes of eye irritation at work

In most cases several factors are associated:

  • Changes in schedules, we get up earlier and sleep fewer hours.
  • Pollution factors typical of the city.
  • Back to the computer screens.
  • Air conditioners.

Irritated eyes from sleeping a little

Regarding the schedules we will leave it aside. Each one must "order" the day but remembering that it is important to set a certain discipline, especially in regard to the number of hours spent sleeping and I am not only referring to the quantity but also to the quality, you have to rest, something closely related to diet and physical exercise.

Eyes irritated by pollution

The pollution factor is complex or, at least, there is little we can do. Those of us who live in cities like Barcelona must live with this situation. Perhaps remind those who ride a motorcycle to use full-face helmets, with the visor closed, of course. In addition to increased safety, the protection factor against CO2 of the cars, it will relieve us of unnecessary inconvenience.

Eye irritation from the screens

Computer screens are another "hot" point, they are not harmful by themselves, there is no emission of harmful radiation, at least at the distance we usually work. The problem with the screens is that when you have to fix your eyesight, we blink less and your eyes dry out, an effect that is usually accompanied by discomfort in the cervical area due to incorrect positioning in front of them. Remember that the ideal distance between the length of our arm and the lower horizontal plane that marks the eyes, with an angle of 30º between that plane and the line of sight on the screen, for the purists.

Eye irritation from air conditioners

I leave the air conditioning last because it is the most important. In September it is still warm and in coastal areas the humidity level is high, so we usually connect the air. This will not be bad for the eyes if we know how to control it.

The problem is when we abuse the air conditioning, when it is very strong. Especially if we spend many hours in a closed area and are exposed to low humidity. The tear film it breaks earlier than normal (8 or 10 seconds) and the surface of the eye dries out. This process goes unnoticed at first and only when the ocular surface begins to deteriorate is when the symptoms begin. Needless to say, those people who already had a tear deficit, more easily develop discomfort.

Let us remember that women over 45-50 years of age already have less tear secretion and if they take medications such as antidepressants or sleeping pills or there are dysfunctions of the thyroid gland, the lack of tears is further aggravated (this is valid both for men and women).

What to do in case of eye irritation

In most cases we think that it is unimportant and that it will pass, but it is better to consult a specialist.

  • First because if it solves us fast, we will stop feeling the inconvenience, which is always good.
  • Second, because there is a possibility that let's be starting a box of dry eye syndrome, isolated or associated with other systemic problems, which is no longer so trivial.

This syndrome is characterized by involvement of the lacrimal gland, an inflammatory infiltrate is produced that destroys it and the most important consequence is the reduction in the quantity and quality of the tear, causing dryness of the ocular surface. The problems are aggravated if it is also accompanied by alterations in the glands of the eyelids, the Meibomian glands, responsible for secreting lipids, the fatty part of the tear, which prevents its rapid evaporation.

In most cases, this situation is treated by avoiding the factors that cause it and applying artificial tears but, it is not always so simple.

Tips for eye irritation after summer

At present it is estimated that in a city like Barcelona, ​​3 of each 10 person suffers some alteration of the ocular surface, "irritated eyes", by changes in the tear and that the aforementioned triggers, such as pollution or air conditioners, They are the detonator of something more important than post-holiday discomfort, so we recommend that when these discomforts appear and they are not solved with artificial tears, go to the ophthalmologist to perform a more in-depth exploration, to find out if it is a Dry Syndrome with involvement of other mucous membranes or joints (discomfort of rheumatic type), in which case a more specific treatment is necessary since the consequences are of greater severity.

Summary
Sore eyes and back to work
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Sore eyes and back to work
Description
Many patients ask us about sore eyes and going back to work. Find out here if it is related and what factors of the routine accentuate it.
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Área Oftalmológica Avanzada
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