We’ve all experienced tired eyes, but did you know they are also linked to brain fog?

One factor of tired eyes is decreased rate and velocity of blinking. The blink function is key to keeping the surface of our eyes moist, and helping prevent tired eyes. With fatigue, the blink rate slows and the eyes feel more tired.

Tired Eyes

Tired eyes is a common complaint to eye doctors. The possible causes include:

• Computer Eye Strain (Asthenopia) – too many hours on the computer or other devices, as well as extensive near work such as reading, sewing, and writing.
  • Smartphones and other handheld electronic devices can also cause eye strain. Small fonts and blue light can be hard on the eyes.
  • Excessive use of video games.
  • Dry eyes, which can be aggravated by computer use. Studies have shown that computer users tend to blink less while on the computer.
  • Poor posture and/or improper computer station set-up
• Lighting. Ongoing exposure to either poor lighting or lighting that can strain the eyes such as fluorescent lighting
• Improper eyeglasses or the need to get corrected glasses. One should also be tested for possible muscle imbalance between the two eyes if glasses are not correcting the problem. For a local Behavioral Optometrist, go to www.oepf.org
• Muscle tightness in the neck and shoulders.
• A poor diet which can include excessive caffeine. For more information on a healthy diet, go to our page on the Mediterranean Diet.
• Adrenal fatigue

If you have eye pain, fatigue, headaches, photophobia, and irritability, you could have migraines. Migraines can be triggered by eye strain, but they tend to last longer. They also don’t improve with eye rest.