Tired may appear swollen, bloodshot, or puffy. Your eyes can look and feel fatigued for various reasons such as allergies, diet, digital eye strain, and lack of sleep.
Here are five ways to get relief from tired eyes:
1. Take Screen Breaks
Long screen exposure can lead to digital eye strain and could take a toll on your eyes. To prevent fatigued eyes, it is highly advisable to take short and long breaks away from your digital screens to give ample time for your eyes to rest.
The 20-20-20 rule is best for short breaks. This means that for every 20 minutes, you should look away from your screen and have your eyes focused on an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This allows the tiny eye muscles a chance to relax. For longer breaks, stretching your back, neck, and legs while closing your eyes can help relax the eyes.
2. Avoid Allergy Triggers
Allergy attacks can wreak havoc on the eyes. Histamine released in the body during an allergic attack causes the blood vessels to dilate making the eyes and nose feel itchy and irritated. Allergies can also cause swelling, puffiness, and eye tiredness.
Avoid allergy triggers by driving with the windows closed or staying indoors during allergy season. Take antihistamine to aid in puffy, swollen, red, and tired eyes.
3. Keep Eyes Hydrated
A tired eyes may actually be just dry due to excessive screen time, age, or medications taken. If tired eyes are caused by excessive screen time, the easiest solution to keep eyes moist is to blink frequently and drink a lot of water. If blinking is not enough, artificial tears can help your eyes look brighter and provide relief. Consult your eye doctor to know which eye drops will work best on you.
4. Apply Cool and Warm Compresses
Warm compress over the eyes helps relax the eye muscles while cool compress help increase the blood flow to your eyes. This reduces any swelling and puffiness that makes the eyes look tired.
This is only a temporary solution, though. It is best to address the underlying cause of tired eyes. Visit your eye doctor for a permanent cure.
5. Ensure an Updated Prescription
Tired eyes may indicate an outdated vision prescription or may mean that you have to start wearing eyeglasses or contacts already. Vision changes over time and prescription glasses or contact lenses are required to be updated at least every one to three years to avoid any complications.
