Many people are interested in what it is - asthenopia of the eyes. A photo in children of this disease is not attached for aesthetic reasons. The specifics of modern human life, of course, has a lot of negative elements that have a negative effect on the organs of vision.
Asthenopia is just one of the pathologies, which is characterized by rapid fatigue during eyestrain, and as a result, a decrease in visual acuity. Wearers of glasses with asthenopia of eyes and farsightedness indicate that in combination with optics, medical and folk methods should be used.
Causes
The main factors that can trigger a state of asthenopia are:
1. Regular visual loads with adverse factors:
- reading in low light;
- abuse of watching TV at close range;
- hours of continuous work in front of a computer monitor;
- driving at night and without regular stops
2. The cause of muscle asthenopia can be incorrectly selected means of vision correction (glasses or lenses) with astigmatism or myopia, as well as concomitant diseases characterized by muscle tension in the eyes (for example, thyrotoxicosis, myositis).
3. Other pathological manifestations in the eyes that cause muscle tension can also provoke the development of asthenopia, for example:
- with myopia, overstraining of the rectus ocular muscles occurs;
- with strabismus, eye fatigue is likewise observed.
Symptoms
Symptoms of eye asthenopia, which may indicate the presence of the disease:
- Constant discomfort, as if small debris had got into the eye that could not be pulled out.
- Some items may become blurry or bifurcated.
- The surrounding world can become sharply fuzzy, covered with a light fog or shroud.
- It is difficult to focus your eyes on one point; when you move your eyes to another object, the focus goes astray again.
- The actual shapes and sizes of the item can vary greatly from what they saw. The distance to objects may vary, and colors may also be misunderstood.
- A growing sensation of dryness in the eyes, turning into a burning sensation and increased with time or vice versa, increased lacrimation. Usually, all this is accompanied by severe pain, causing severe rubbing of the eyes to soothe the pain.
- Redness of the protein or covering it with a network of red vessels.
- Eyes begin to get tired more quickly from normal work, you have to blink more often to get rid of stress.
- Permanent headaches, photophobia arising from the background of constantly increasing fatigue, and symptoms of other developing diseases if untreated can also be added to these symptoms.
Asthenopia of the eyes - what is it, and what types are there?
Asthenopia is the rapid fatigue and strain of the eyes, especially with prolonged reading and other eye function. In most cases, an uncomfortable sensation occurs when you focus your eyes on objects that are located close to. There are several varieties of this eye pathology.
Accommodative asthenopia
This type of eye disease is the most common, which occurs subsequently in weakened accommodation, presbyopia (age-related changes in vision) and hyperopia. This is mainly due to spasm of accommodation, as well as systemic diseases.
The patient develops an overstrain of the ciliary muscle inside the eye, the relaxation and contraction of which contributes to a change in the shape of the lens, allowing you to clearly see objects in the vicinity. The accommodative form usually affects farsighted people in old age, as they have more severe accommodation.
It is usually eliminated by spectacle correction. Also, accommodative asthenopia can appear in schoolchildren, but after a while, due to increased functioning of the ciliary muscle and an increase in the eyeball, it can pass. A similar disease can also occur as a result of weakness of the ciliary muscles due to exhaustion or overwork, stress and shell shock.
It is difficult for patients with this form of asthenopia to read for a long time, as the letters become vague or may merge. A feeling of heaviness may appear in the forehead, temples, and eyes.
Muscle asthenopia
Appears due to weakness of the internal muscles of the eye, because for a healthy binocular vision they must be reduced. A person needs to keep his eyes in constant tension and additionally independently reduce them, which often causes some discomfort.
The main symptoms of asthenopia: frequent and prolonged headache, sore eyes and their rapid fatigability, bifurcation of pictures. It is worth noting that the unpleasant phenomena that were listed above can disappear when a person covers one eye.
In the absence of prophylaxis and effective treatment of this condition, binocular vision can be lost after some time as a result of convergent or divergent strabismus. The situation may be aggravated by the ability to provide symmetrical vision — this is called convergence. Muscle strain can develop with latent myopia or strabismus.
Mixed asthenopia
This form of the disease is a combination of muscle fatigue of sight with accommodative. The reasons for its development are similar to the reasons for the development of a muscular and accommodative form of asthenopia. With this form of asthenopia, instability of normal vision is noted, which is manifested by ambiguity during fixation of the eyes on small objects located at a close distance, double vision and headache.
Retinal asthenopia
This type of asthenopia is also called nervous, and often appears with retinal fatigue. Retinal asthenopia is manifested in the complication of practicing for a long time, sometimes it often becomes dark in the eyes, objects may seem blurred, obscure. Light sensitivity (photophobia) is also noted. A similar condition can occur even if there is no reason for its manifestation by the eyes.
Symptomatic asthenopia
This type of asthenopia is a symptom that occurs with some inflammatory diseases of the nose, sinuses and, naturally, eyes. The relationship with near-viewing is less obvious. In some cases, symptomatic asthenopia can be considered a sign of inflammation in the eye - sympathetic inflammation or uveitis.
Asthenic asthenopia
Diseases of the eye of an asthenic appearance arise mainly due to prolonged physical and mental overstrain, some infectious and general diseases, intoxications, improper and irrational rest and work. The main methods for correcting asthenic asthenopia are the use of vitamin preparations, general strengthening measures, the treatment of pathologies, the rational combination of rest and work.
Diagnostics
For the early diagnosis of asthenopia, an ophthalmologist must conduct a study of the organs of vision, using the methodological path. This makes it possible to eliminate dubious local symptoms, as they often signal not only eye fatigue syndrome.
Thanks to the use of innovative diagnostic methods, it is possible to carry out a comprehensive study of pathologies associated with vision. A comprehensive analysis allows you to perform effective treatment, so this is a very important process in the treatment of asthenopia.
Diagnostics is performed by the following methods:
- check of accommodation reserve;
- eyesight check;
- study of fusional reserve;
- study of the strabismus angle according to the Hirschberg method and on the synoptophore;
- strabismus check;
- refractometry with an ordinary pupil and mydriasis;
- study of the nature of vision.
Undoubtedly, all these tests cannot be performed on their own without leaving home. It is important to inform the ophthalmologist of all local (initial) symptoms, and not to delay the course of the disease. Although asthenopia is currently unrecognized disease. This is a sole prerequisite for possible eye problems. It is important to know that without appropriate treatment for this syndrome, quite serious consequences can occur.
Treatment
There are such methods of treating eye asthenopia:
- Muscular asthenopia is eliminated only in the treatment of strabismus. The main method of elimination is exercises for the muscular apparatus of the eyeball using a special device - synoptophore. Orthoptic exercises are performed on this device, the main task of which is to establish both vision and improve the mobility of the eyeballs.
- The accommodation form must be treated by correcting visual impairment by wearing glasses and contact lenses every day.
- To cure stenic form, you first need to identify the cause that leads to fatigue, increase the number of physical exercises for the body, improve rest and normalize the work day.
- Neurogenic asthenopia is treated with sedatives. Also in practice, use computer programs for treatment. They display various colors, shapes, lines and their movements, which contribute to muscle relaxation.
In the latter case, one of the methods is the use of drops from eye fatigue, which moisturize the mucous membrane of the eye, for example:
- "Vizin";
- Systeyn;
- liquid tears.
Prevention
Prevention of asthenopia is a series of the following simple steps:
- alternating eye loads and rest periods from 10 to 20 minutes every hour;
- during the rest, you need to do special exercises for the eyeball to strengthen their muscles: one of the simplest exercises is to look from closely placed objects, and then to the most distant ones;
- the workplace and the room should be well lit;
- Avoid sudden changes in lighting, for example, working behind a brightly lit computer monitor in a dark room;
- the font on the computer should be increased to the optimal size;
- Correct and comfortable fit behind a monitor with a straightened back;
- physical exercises and sports contribute to better blood supply to the eyeball, it is also necessary to periodically massage the neck and collar zone;
- improving the diet, which includes the regular intake of fresh vegetables, fruits and berries (raspberries, blueberries, currants, strawberries);
- regular intake of complex vitamin preparations for the eyes, such as: “Blueberry Forte”, “Okuyvayt lutein”;
- during a period of long visual stress, it is recommended to instill eyes with moisturizing drops or use drops of liquid tears.