Hi, I'm a male 38 years of age. I've been
having an eye problem unlike one I've ever
experienced. Historically I don't have a
long list of eye issues--I was diagnosed
around age 20 for nearsightedness and
since then where glasses in select
situations (e.g., driving at night or in
unfamiliar areas, large classrooms, etc.)
I also have experienced on again-off again
eye strain as part of a symptom set from
computer strain (e.g., hurting wrists,
tight neck/shoulders). This I have managed
reasonably well with eye relaxing
exercises I've found in books, the
Internet, etc. (In general over the last
10 years I've probably spent 40-60 hours /
week on the computer for work, personal,
etc.)
However, over the last 4+ weeks, I've
experienced a type of eye strain that is
different. At first I assumed it was just
related to close-up work (and indeed
perhaps it in part is). I was dong a lot
more reading in April and May than usual
and started to feel "eye strain", so I
started to do those relaxing exercises. It
felt a little different though & it
was a little while before I realized that
it wasn't the same kind of strain. I was
feel discomfort or pressure, particularly
on the inside of the eye towards the nose
and also along the bottom on the eye. This
slowly appeared and got worse, plateauing
over the last week. My eyes get strained
more readily when doing reading / computer
work now but the discomfort, while it
wanes if I don't do any work, doesn't go
away. Also, I experience some increased
discomfort while driving. It kind of
suggests to me that under any circumstance
where my eyes are put under some duress,
they feel "tighter". That said, my range
of motion, clarity, etc. haven't changed.
I know that as you age your ability to
focus on close objects lessens but I also
haven't really lost any ability to focus
clearly on close objects--I measured that
I can see objects to about 6" before
blurring.
Interestingly, over the last few weeks I
also developed slight wrist pains and my
shoulders and neck have been tighter. It's
felt too like perhaps some of the muscles
around my eye or on my head have been a
little tighter. Also, I have been waking
up to a feel of post nasal drip, though
not stuffiness. I know there is a lot of
pollen in the air and traditionally I've
had a minor allergy to it, but I don't
know if allergies or sinus issues could be
related to what I'm experiencing.
Any suggestions / interpretations are
appreciated.
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earlybirdfyl
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 18 Jun 2008 Posts: 2
Update Posted: 06-23-08 12:05pm
A cousin of mine's husband is an
optometrist and he just gave me a pretty
thorough exam. It turns out that in the 15
years since I got my last glasses
prescription (and the 5-10 years since my
last exam), my nearsightedness has
actually become less so. That is (if I
understand the #'s correctly), I've gone
from -1.50 to -.75. At the time I had
gotten that prescription I had been seen
several times so I don't think it was a
case of a quick "one-off" where a mistake
was made. Perhaps that only other notable
thing (I don't know technical terms) is
when a pen was held out to me and I closed
one eye and then opened it & closed
the other, apparently I saw the pen shift
more than probably the average person
would. Interestingly, while my pupils have
been dilated, the pressure I woke up with
has been less. In general though it still
seems like my eyes are experiencing a
"susceptibility" to strain that has been
quite limiting. Whether it's reading
(which I've basically stopped doing),
computer work (which I've significantly
reduced), or even driving (or just waking
up), my eyes get a feeling of tightness /
pressure on the inside towards the nose.
When not doing any of these things for a
few days, I definitely see some relief . .
. some but not total--as my eyes quick
strain again doing something.
