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[Alebrije]

Lataley I feel some degree of eye fatige at long or extended gaming sessions , also on my work use my laptop a lot. I do not have a problem with my visual accuracy but at eh end of the day my eyes feel like they "burn" /irritated and look like this :

A friend that also plays videogames told mento get a gaming glasess , specifically a GUNNAR brand ones.

I have seen some people on Twich with those glasess , do they really work? Or what other recommendations you have to avoid dry eyes besides reduce time in front of PC/TV , is it there any kind of TV calibration that could help on this issue? How many hours do you play daily ?

Thanks

 

[Enter the Dragon Punch]

Either play for shorter amount of times or get eye drops that are meant to refresh the eye. Blink more.

 

[ChrisD]

..Shoot, that's why my eyes have been getting the red in them? I kept pinning the blame on allergies, but the pollen levels have been low.

I should be paying more attention to the time.

 

[lethial]

Eye drops or take a 20 min break.l could work. I don't game much longer then an hour or so at once anymore.

 

[DedValve]

Play with the lights on and get one of those backlights that go behind your tv.

 

[dsk1210]

I find my eyes dry out and tire when I am playing in low light.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

I sometimes think it's the act of staring at the TV that makes my eyes dry, but it ends up being the overhead fan in my room lol

 

[atomic moth]

You gotta take breaks man. It's not healthy. Every large company that has people on monitors for hours a day invests in programs to keep their employees healthy by encouraging breaks away every hour or so.

Go get some water, take a piss, do some push-ups, roll your shoulders, stretch, focus out the window. Really anything you want.

 

[DJ_Lae]

I haven't had eyestrain since the days of using CRT monitors, but I have looked into those Kodak bluereflect lenses that are supposed to filter out some blue light and be better for lengthy computer use.

But I can't find much information about them that isn't advertising gobbledygook.

 

[lunchtoast]

What about a F.lux type program?

 

[Mephala]

I swim in chlorinated pool. Add in some games, pc, TV and what not I have dry eyes pretty much every other day.

I use eye drops.

 

[OSHAN]

I thought I had eye fatigue once, it turns out I was just really tired.

 

[AshamanX]

I use Gunnars at work to fight eye strain and I'm really happy with them. If I'm sitting down for a long play session at home, I put them on and it helps.

 

[RoKKeR]

Eye drops and, not kidding, blink more. I tend to have dry eyes and both of these things help. I actually bought Gunnars a few weeks ago but returned them because A) they slightly distort/magnify things which I wasn't a fan of and B) I typically wear my very light prescription glasses while gaming.

Stuff like this OP:

 

[hwy_61]

I always thought those gunnars were complete snake oil.

Eye drops, kid.

 

[RedToad64]

You simply need to blink more. I'm not kidding - most people don't blink enough when playing games.

 

[Bear_King]

Ever since getting LASIK my eyes get fatigued and dry a lot more. There are some off brand computer glasses on Amazon I highly recommend. They can only help so much though. Also, use some artificial tears for dry eyes. They work great.

Now, if only I could get help for the severe motion sickness I'm getting from MGSV.

 

[NaDannMaGoGo]

One major factor can be the display you look at. When I switched from TN panel to one with an IPS panel I could look at the screen way, way longer before noticing the same kind of fatigue.

 

[Disgraced]

Either play for shorter amount of times or get eye drops that are meant to refresh the eye. Blink more.

You simply need to blink more. I'm not kidding - most people don't blink enough when playing games.

Eye drops and, not kidding, blink more.

It's true. Training myself to blink and keeping the lights on helped me drastically. Having a dimmer switch to adjust the lighting with how my eyes feel is awesome too.

 

[weekev]

If you are using a laptop at work, Id try and make sure you game on your TV so that you dont have a screen close to your eyes for huge periods of time. Also as others have said, take regular breaks and make sure you get enough sleep so your eyes are not already tired.

 

[ChrisD]

@Blinking more, that actually makes a ton of sense. It's one of those things you forget about entirely while you're focused on something.

 

[Shining Sunshine]

Take a break.

 

[hwy_61]

Now, if only I could get help for the severe motion sickness I'm getting from MGSV.

Dramamine bro

 

[chronic_archaic]

I get it occasionally, though I haven't experienced it until a few months ago.

 

[RoKKeR]

@Blinking more, that actually makes a ton of sense. It's one of those things you forget about entirely while you're focused on something.

Yep, I still forget to while gaming.

 

[Flandy]

My Vita is the only thing that fatigues my eyes. Wonder if it's because the OLED?

 

[Peltz]

Quit smoking weed dope-fiends. /s

No but seriously... eyedrops, take breaks, gaming in a well lit room, turning down screen brightness, and getting plenty of sleep will help quell your blood shot eyes.

 

[entremet]

Are you on a super low carb diet?

That can mess with tear production for some people.

 

[Madness]

There is nothing you can really do except blink more, put some quality artificial tears and take breaks. The older you get, the dryer and weaker your eyes will get as well. Believe me, I take Systane, Refresh Optive Advanced, and even have a Restasis prescription now for dry eye as a consequence of some eye surgery I had to get. I now cannot play for more than an hour at a time without getting severely dry eyes, red eyes. It's because we stop blinking as much when we're focusing. I've found my eyes get blurry too as the strain starts to kick in.

I may look into buying some gunnars, but I don't think they'll help much. Eye strain and dry eyes are two different things.

 

[Bear_King]

Dramamine bro

I am taking Dramamine for my extended sessions. I can't believe I'm taking meds to play video games! I'm getting old

 

[RdN]

That's why taking regular breaks is important.

 

[Lonewulfeus]

You could have chronic dry eye which a normal refresh type drop will not help long term. If you haven't had an eye exam in a while have one done and mention the dry eye. The doctor can check how long it takes for your tears to break up on the surface of your eye. A low TBUT is a big sign of chronic dry eye and can be healed with certain prescription drops over time.

 

[7DollarHagane]

Yup, just closing your eyes for 10 minutes can do the trick, and focusing on something distant helps as well.

 

[hwy_61]

I am taking Dramamine for my extended sessions. I can't believe I'm taking meds to play video games! I'm getting old

I've had vertigo since I was a kid. So, don't feel bad

 

[Mondrian]

I have diagnosed "dry eye syndrome"... which basically means midwestern, fair-skinned guy with blue eyes. My ophthalmologist (actual eye MD, not an optometrist) put me on preservative-free refresh optive and 3 grams of flax oil or fish oil per day. I chose flax, as it's easier on my stomach and doesn't give me fish burp. As a software developer who spends all day staring at a screen at work, this has changed my life... seriously.

*

*The lemon-flavored tastes like lemon starbursts

Both of these items cost about 30 bucks a month, but I don't mess around with my eyes. If you don't want to spring for the fancy flax oil, you can get milled flax seed at most grocery stores and just mix it in with yogurt or a shake or something. That'll save you a lot of money.

If you're ok with fish oil, people swear by this supplement:

I also use this once a week, makes my lids feel awesome:

 

[Lonewulfeus]

There is nothing you can really do except blink more, put some quality artificial tears and take breaks. The older you get, the dryer and weaker your eyes will get as well. Believe me, I take Systane, Refresh Optive Advanced, and even have a Restasis prescription now for dry eye as a consequence of some eye surgery I had to get. I now cannot play for more than an hour at a time without getting severely dry eyes, red eyes. It's because we stop blinking as much when we're focusing. I've found my eyes get blurry too as the strain starts to kick in.

I may look into buying some gunnars, but I don't think they'll help much. Eye strain and dry eyes are two different things.

I'm sure your doctor told you, but just in case restasis can take 3-6months to start showing results but it will help your eye produce more of your own tears over time.

 

[Ronzilla29]

If you have the brightness on tv high try to have an alternate light source besides tv on. If That's not an option because you're playing in a room someone is sleeping in or some other reason turn brightness backlight dynamic contrast etc down or off on the tv. Alot of tv's will have preset options for dark rooms as well so if you're in a dark room use one of those it makes a big difference.

 

[Cronox]

At some point not long ago I was looking into gunnars myself. My eyes would sting and water, sometimes seemingly randomly. Rather than spend money for prescription gunnars, I did the sensible thing - installed f.lux and turned down the contrast on my monitor. My monitor was waaaaaay too fucking bright. I don't need it to be that bright. I turned contrast from 50/100 to 30/100 and my eyes have been fine since. If there's sunlight coming into my room I turn it back up temporarily, but for night-time there's no reason to stare into the equivalent of a bright lightbulb. I've also experimented with the brightness setting a bit too. I play Smash Bros on my Wii U and that game is ridiculously bright. Before I changed my contrast setting there were certain menu screens that were literally painful to look at.

I'm very happy to have changed these settings, and as someone who has had TV's professionally calibrated I'll say I don't even care that much about accurate color reproduction. I'm not a professional working in photoshop here, I'm just trying to browse the internet and play video games. My eyes and comfort are more important.

Also the 20/20/20 rule is helpful, though I don't practice it sonsistently myself. When my eyes are feeling strained I use it though, and that helps. The rule says - every 20 minutes in front of your computer, take 20 seconds to look at something 20 feet away.

Edit: if you buy eye drops make sure they're preservative free. Many commercial eyedrops have preservatives that can irritate your eyes further.

 

[Zambayoshi]

Gunnars really work.

I've been wearing these for the last 18 months:

Sadly this model is no longer manufactured but the Gunnar lenses really remove a lot of the glare that you get when staring at screens for extended periods. I no longer get headaches from extended gaming sessions. My eyes don't get as dry either. Using a simple lubricating eye drop is also beneficial, although I mostly forget to do this.

 

[Keyser Soze]

I have seen some people on Twich with those glasess , do they really work?

No they are getting paid

 

[Madness]

I'm sure your doctor told you, but just in case restasis can take 3-6months to start showing results but it will help your eye produce more of your own tears over time.

Of course. I don't get dry eye as much throughout the day now, but nothing can prevent it from when I'm gaming for a good hour or two and not blinking as much, eyes naturally get dry then. Restasis has been amazing, but it's also ridiculously costly. I reuse one vial 2-3x a day because I carefully store it in a section of the fridge in a clean and sterile shot glass where it stays upright etc. No preservatives right, so it can become contaminated quite easily.

 

[GavinUK86]

Now, if only I could get help for the severe motion sickness I'm getting from MGSV.

Do you know you can turn off the camera shake?

 

[Ryoku]

When I'm playing Smash Bros and am serious, I tend to not blink. By the end of the match, my left eye will have a waterfall flowing down onto my face.

 

[vocab]

You could have chronic dry eye which a normal refresh type drop will not help long term. If you haven't had an eye exam in a while have one done and mention the dry eye. The doctor can check how long it takes for your tears to break up on the surface of your eye. A low TBUT is a big sign of chronic dry eye and can be healed with certain prescription drops over time.

I have tried restasis and it didn't do jack shit except fatigue my eyes more and burn like hell. I wanted to get another dose, but insurance decided I should pay three times the amount I originally paid. Well fuck that. My eyes are pretty fucked up these days. After a few severe pain attacks, and going through the later few years of school with insanely tired and dried eyes, I just power through the pain when it comes to games.

 

[illadelph]

 

[Uhyve]

Being tired and using the Oculus (for even 30 minutes) gives me crazy dry eyes, to the point where my right eyelid will start twitching. Doesn't happen with anything else, got the feeling I'll be going through alot of eye drops when the consumer version comes out.

 

[Resilient]

this is 100% due to ambient occlusion. shit fucks with your eyes. i've been gaming for 20+ years, and this only started happening to me with bloodborne and now MGSV. fucks your shit right up.

 

[Kemal86]

My Vita is the only thing that fatigues my eyes. Wonder if it's because the OLED?

Vita -murders- my eyes. Nothing else dries 'em out like playing the Vita. Not sure why. Never had that problem with any other handheld or monitor.

 

[3DShovel]

I have a pair of Gunnars and they really do work. If you can find them on sale, definitely grab a pair.

 

[Caronte]

Sleeping well is very important. When I was at the peak of my anxiety I could barely look at monitors, I would literally feel pain in my eyes within 5 minutes, because I was tired since I was sleeping so poorly.

Keep the lights on too while playing/using a PC, it helps a lot. I've also noticed that some monitors are worse than others. I don't have any problems with the screen of my Mac but the old Benq monitor I used before gave me headaches for some reason.