Strained eyes while playing games

[arachnophobik]

I experience this sometimes, usually when playing for around 4-5 hours straight on PC. It's also usually the time I stop because the more I continue, the more I feel nauseated. It gives me minor headaches and fatigue for some reason. I suggest that you also take a few hours of break when that happens too as it may be terrible for your health.

 

[BatmanWayne]

It only happens to me when I am very, very stressed or extremely tired, because all the time that I am playing on my PlayStation 3 my eyes are good and I can play a lot of time, but when I don't sleep well or I do a lot of sports and then I sit and take my dualshock to play, my eyes start to strain and it hurts.

 

[amitkokiladitya]

Eventually you'll end up getting glasses, yes. But this is only usually after years of strain and having a more ergonomic and suitable work/play environment for yourself will ultimately decrease the chances of this happening. I believe genetics also plays a role. I personally haven't reached the stage where I need glasses but I also haven't spent more than 6 hours per day looking at a screen for the most part. Keeping it at a lower brightness and ensuring that text is a legible size also helps. With gaming, just take a break and walk outside every now and then, you won't believe how much it will help.

Taking a break is always a great relief for strained eyes. Moreover as you said, it is the screen brightness that causes the maximum damage. Strict monitoring of the brightness meter can help to alleviate the ill effects.

 

[Cendrillon]

Computer glasses can improve your situation a lot!
If not, an even easier solution is collyrium eye drops. They are a huge deal in my country, and have several uses as well, not just for those of us who spend so much time in front of the computer.
Just remember to take breaks in-between along with whatever other alternative you have in mind :relieved:

 

[Bayoneutra]

If not, an even easier solution is collyrium eye drops.

Yeah! Artificial teardrops are my must when my eyes strain and go dry, it's super important to keep them hydrated because while playing we tend to reduce our blinking a lot. Investing in artificial eyedrops makes a huge change, trust me.

Someone told me an advice that works a lot so I'm sharing with you: Close your eyes for a bit and make your eyes move clockwise, as if you were watching the hours in a clock. Complete the circle and then open your eyes again and continue playing. It has made a difference for me and provides you a small break... However, as soon as you can just stand up, go to the kitchen, have a glass of water and distract yourself for a while before playing, otherwise you'll get a headache.

 

[Makef0rt]

Never in my life I had these issues. And I spend so much time in front of the PC, its a miracle I haven't experienced any problems yet. I do wear glasses with protective lenses, although glasses were part of my life since I was a kid, long before I started spending most of my time in front of the screen

 

[Jonathan Solomon]

Playing with shades is a great idea. It will surely reduce the direct impact of screen light on the eyes. I will try it for sure and hope others will also benefit from it.

Personally, I don't agree one bit. In fact, in my opinion, playing with shades on could do more harm to your eyesight than good. Shades are meant for UV exposure protection to the sun on bright days outside. Wearing shades on your computer seems like it would only strain your eyes more. Dimming the light in your central vision, forcing you to focus and strain excessively.

I don't think this is what you're talking about, but I have heard of professional gaming glasses. Apparently, putting them on dramatically reduces the eye stress of continuous hours of gaming.

 

[Pixie06]

I do experience this very frequently. My eyes become red and start paining too. If I play for extended period of time I end up having dark circles. I do wear glasses too but they do not help that much. I am currently using some eye drops. I stop playing when my eyes get irritated and try to relax.

 

[thart]

I have been told by an eye doctor that eye strain is a myth. Play your games in a well lit room and at the proper distance.

 

[Ash]

I think I have experienced it once, mainly because I was too lazy to get up and get my glasses. That gaming session lasted for around 3-4 hours straight which is probably why my eyes became strained. I've also got the occasional headache after playing a game for a long time. It's important to remember to take occasional breaks during the game. What I tend to do is just go for a glass of water or just walk around for a bit during the matchmaking phase for Rainbow Six Siege.

 

[Neo]

I spend most of my day in front of a screen. My vision is perfectly fine but it definitely strains my eyes a little and very rarely gives me a headache so I usually try to take a 5-10 minutes break every few hours or so and I just shut my eyes for a bit, splash some water maybe. However, my brother has been playing video games all day everyday without many breaks for many years now, but his eyes are in perfect condition, and he does get quite a lot of good sleep. His eyes begin to strain when he plays way too much with very less sleep, and I've noticed this happening to me too. So I believe getting some good sleep is absolutely necessary to prevent eye strains.

 

[PenguinManiac]

I don't think this is what you're talking about, but I have heard of professional gaming glasses. Apparently, putting them on dramatically reduces the eye stress of continuous hours of gaming.

Aside from regular breaks, this is the only way around it. They are special yellow-tinted shades that block out blue light (the main responsible of eye straining) and increase contrast, and they seem to actually work.
Also, avoid staring at the screen for too long without other sources of light, for that puts additional stress upon the eyes. Even a small desk lamp (preferably with warm light) helps.

 

[Zyni]

It happens to me more often when I'm working online than when I'm playing a video game. Too much bright, white, screen tends to take a toll and cause eye strain. Another thing that may make a difference is the fact that I tend to take breaks more when gaming than I do when working. If I'm raiding or something, we usually take a bio break once each hour. That's a good opportunity to stretch the legs, give the eyes a rest, grab a drink to stay hydrated, and then get back to killing stuff.

 

[Jonathan Solomon]

Aside from regular breaks, this is the only way around it. They are special yellow-tinted shades that block out blue light (the main responsible of eye straining) and increase contrast, and they seem to actually work.
Also, avoid staring at the screen for too long without other sources of light, for that puts additional stress upon the eyes. Even a small desk lamp (preferably with warm light) helps.

Thanks for teaching me something. I've never actually done any research into those special yellow tint glasses meant for gaming. However, from what you say, they're definitely worth investing into in the near future.

On another note, I've also noted acknowledging another light source besides your computer also works well! Generally speaking, I keep the room I'm in with warm contrast and brightness like settings.

 

[Zyni]

Thanks for teaching me something. I've never actually done any research into those special yellow tint glasses meant for gaming. However, from what you say, they're definitely worth investing into in the near future.

On another note, I've also noted acknowledging another light source besides your computer also works well! Generally speaking, I keep the room I'm in with warm contrast and brightness like settings.

Yeah, I didn't know if those gaming glasses would work either, but it sounds like they might be worth a try. Where do you buy them? Is one brand better than another?

I think this is 100% true. I should have mentioned it as well, since I've noticed it personally. If I sit in a dark room staring at a bright screen, it's no good. Having a light on makes a huge difference for me. I honestly don't know how people play in the dark, because I can't do it any more.

 

[WarVet]

It happens to me more often when I'm working online than when I'm playing a video game. Too much bright, white, screen tends to take a toll and cause eye strain. Another thing that may make a difference is the fact that I tend to take breaks more when gaming than I do when working. If I'm raiding or something, we usually take a bio break once each hour. That's a good opportunity to stretch the legs, give the eyes a rest, grab a drink to stay hydrated, and then get back to killing stuff.

It happens to me too. I figure a small break every hour usually helps me get back on track. The another thing that happens pretty often I that my hands become sore from typing. I do some stretching but nothing seems to work. Perhaps I should buy one of those special gloves.

 

[TheArticulate]

Somedays my eyes strain noticeably more than others. This week has been worse than others because I've been spending a considerably larger amount of time at my computer at work editing video and audio projects. So eight hours of that during the day followed by a couple hours of gaming in the night have lead my eyes to being noticeably more red than normal lately.

My roommate was noticing the same problem since he works on a computer all day as well, and he ordered some eyewear that's supposed to reduce the stress on his eyes while working on the computer. Maybe I should order myself a pair as well...

 

[Zyni]

It happens to me too. I figure a small break every hour usually helps me get back on track. The another thing that happens pretty often I that my hands become sore from typing. I do some stretching but nothing seems to work. Perhaps I should buy one of those special gloves.

Do you close your eyes for a bit in between as well? Letting them rest completely even for a short bit, helps me sometimes.

I haven't tried the glove, so I can't really say. In the mean time, try shaking out your hands. Put your arms out to the sides and just shake them for several seconds. You don't have to do it real hard, just do it every so often. It releases the tightness in the forearms as well.

 

[PenguinManiac]

Yeah, I didn't know if those gaming glasses would work either, but it sounds like they might be worth a try. Where do you buy them? Is one brand better than another?

GUNNAR and Pixel are the two most common brands, and most steamers that use gaming glasses also use those. The former has a wider selection of models, with different color shades and frames, and they're easy to find on Amazon, too. They're also partnered with MLG, so being in close contact with pro players must have helped their development process.
Pixel computer glasses are a little more expensive (70$ versus an average of 60$ for GUNNAR), but their lenses aren't tinted, even though they achieve the same effect. If you use your computer for designing or drawing, they're pretty much a forced choice (the yellow shade, of course, messes with colors).

 

[WarVet]

Do you close your eyes for a bit in between as well? Letting them rest completely even for a short bit, helps me sometimes.

I haven't tried the glove, so I can't really say. In the mean time, try shaking out your hands. Put your arms out to the sides and just shake them for several seconds. You don't have to do it real hard, just do it every so often. It releases the tightness in the forearms as well.

Those are good tips man I will give them a try. I had a friend who worked in an office and he said he had compulsory stretching sessions once a day with a professional to prevent any injuries. I will research into this too.