Computer Time Can Lead to Eye Strain, Headache & Facial Pain

At the Neuro Visual Center of New York, we’ve seen many cases of young people who suffer from headaches on an almost-daily basis, and have all been diagnosed with migraine disorder or chronic sinus headache. Facial pain and pain on eye movement, especially after long-term computer use, is a common theme among these patients, many of which have been suffering for years and have tried many medications with little or no relief. In each and every one of these cases, their binocular vision status was never adequately evaluated.

The Effects of Prolonged Screen Use

When staring at the computer screen (or any type of digital screen that emits blue light) for long periods of time, we ask a lot from our visual system. For one thing, it has to work very hard at maintaining focus so that there’s a clear image on the retina of each eye. Moreover, both eyes must center on the same point in space so the images taken in are on corresponding points on each retina. This puts a lot of pressure on the eye muscles, and can lead to feelings of eye strain, headache and even facial pain – a condition often referred to as computer vision syndrome. Other symptoms include:

• Problems focusing
• Blurred vision
• Dry, burning eyes
• Neck & shoulder pain

Neurovisual Exams & Prismatic Lenses

In addition, eye pain and strain can be also result from eyes that are out of alignment. Even the smallest misalignment forces the eye muscles into a state of constant stress and strain as the brain directs them to correct the misalignment. Through a careful binocular vision evaluation, our doctors at the Neuro Visual Center are able to identify these small eye misalignments that are normally missed during a standard 15-minute eye exam.

Our neurovisual evaluations include a complete, comprehensive ocular and binocular vision exam. It’s extremely detailed, and lasts approximately 90 minutes. Once eye misalignments are positively identified, we can then use special prismatic lenses to correct them, as well as provide eye strain treatment for computer vision syndrome, This treatment greatly reduces and sometimes even completely eliminates the symptoms of pain these young people were experiencing.

If you’re suffering from migraines, headaches, eye pain and/or facial pain, please fill out our questionnaire. If your score indicates that you may have a binocular vision problem, we’ll contact you within a few days. To speak to us sooner, feel free to give us a call (516) 224-4888.