Digital Eye Strains are giving you Eye Bags

What price are you paying for those screen time every night? Eye bags! Frequent digital eye strains can lead to eye fatigue, which is one of the eye bag causes. This clinical syndrome arises from prolonged fixating on digital devices, such as computers, phones or tablets. The eye weariness and discomfort are attributed to reduced blinking, focusing at close range, and blue light glare, etc. All these factors can result in forcing the eye muscles to overexert, resulting in the onset of puffy eye bags.

Eye Strains (Digital) or Computer Eye Syndrome

Computer Eye Syndrome is a first world problem, driven by our modern and somewhat unhealthy lifestyle today. Whether it is due to work demands, or getting drawn to our screens for entertainment, it is easy to lose track of the boundary between essential and excessive screen use.

Computer Eye Syndrome, or Computer Vision Syndrome, is more than a mere discomfort. Often, digital eye strain can affect long-term eye health. Reduced eye lubrication due to not blinking enough can cause the eyes to not produce enough tears. Hence, dry eye syndrome can develop, triggering irritation and potential cornea damage. Frequent staring at digital screens at close proximity also increases the risk of myopia (nearsightedness). In severe cases, myopia can aggravate to the thinning of the retina, resulting in retinal tears and vision loss, especially if subjected to long term effect of blue light exposure from the devices.

Daily Eye Strain: The Silent Cause Behind Your Eye Bags

When the ocular muscles over work, they remain tensed and contracted for prolonged periods. Persistent eye strains can compromise our supporting eye structures, contributing to premature aging around the eyes. The delicate under-eye tissues lose their structural integrity, causing the facial muscles surrounding the eyes to lose elasticity and sag, including under eye bags.

Blue Light: Sleep Disruption & Fluid Retention

Digital screens emit blue light that can suppress our melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate our body clock. This body clock is a natural biological reminder, also called the circadian rhythm, or the sleep-wake cycle. It keeps our body awake during the day and regulates our rest and sleep at night. In addition, our circadian rhythm keeps our body temperature and mealtime hunger in check.

Hormonal Imbalances

Melatonin is produced nocturnally, meaning it reaches peak levels at night to signal the body for hibernation and rejuvenation. Therefore, when blue light from our devices suppresses this natural night-time melatonin production, it disrupts the natural sleep-wake cycle. Consequently, the hormonal imbalance induces poor sleep quality, which then causes fluid imbalance and fluid retention. Fluid tends to accumulate in the delicate under-eye area, causing puffiness or swollen eyebags.

Furthermore, the lack of sleep also triggers a stress hormone called cortisol in our body. Cortisol can influence the body’s electrolyte and sodium balance, as well as vascular function of the blood vessels around the eyes. Subsequently, stress can cause fluid to build up, and the blood vessels under the eyes to dilate. The impaired blood flow around the eyes leads to skin stagnation and discolouration, resulting in visible dark circles.

Dry Eyes & Eye Rubbing

When we focus intensely on digital screens, our blink rate can drop drastically. The tear film evaporates too quickly, leading to dry, irritated eyes. Rubbing the eyes then becomes a natural response to lubricate them. Eye rubbing can cause further irritation and capillary damage, which in turn leads to inflammation and fluid leakage. Over time, the physical rubbing of eyes stretches and weakens supporting tissue under the eyes, as fluid accumulates in the subcutaneous tissue. This induces eye puffiness and exacerbates existing eye bags.

Oxidative Stress from Blue Light

Blue light is a high energy, visible light that has one of the shortest wavelengths. Blue light may be naturally-occurring, but it also emits from the screens of our digital devices. It sits relatively close to UVA and UVB light on the electromagnetic spectrum. Therefore, excessive exposure to blue light, particularly at close range, significantly exacerbates the risks to eye health.

Blue light generates free radicals, which are unstable molecules that damage our cells. This speeds up aging, particularly in the delicate retinal tissues. Oxidative stress also degenerates the surrounding orbital tissues supporting the skin around our eyes, thus forming eye bags. The impact of oxidative eye stress can be more serious than just eye tension, headaches, blurred vision, or difficulty in focusing, etc. In possible cases , oxidative damage of the eyes can come down with conditions like macular degeneration and cataracts.

Prevent Eye Strains To Reduce Eye Bags

Computer eye strain is avertable, and therefore so are eye bags. Relax your eyes by focusing on distant objects or scenes. As a general rule of thumb, shifting your gaze from your screen every 20 minutes to anything about 20 feet away for 20 seconds is good practice. To add, consider getting anti-blue light glasses or screen protectors for your devices. These aids will provide an additional layer of protection against the harmful effects of blue light. Adjust your screen brightness and temperature to a level your eyes are comfortable with. Screen light intensity can worsen eye strain and overall visual fatigue.

By fine-tuning the above, one can relieve eye strains and improve sleep quality. Addressing both issues will help to slow down the progression of macular degeneration and reduce under eye bags. By promoting restful sleep, it helps to regulate blood flow and prevents fluid accumulation in the thin skin under the eyes.

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