Eye Fatigue from Studying

[ERDOC555]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I've noticed that my eyes get absolutely exhausted and I have trouble focusing the few days before an exam when I am doing q-banks and computer heavy studying for a few full days back to back.

It's usually not a problem during the weeks leading up to the exam since I'm not staring at a screen for more than a few hours each day, but I'm worried about eye fatigue once dedicated step 1 studying begins where I'm sure I'll be looking at a screen for 60-80 hours a week.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks to avoid having your eyes tire out or know of ways to refresh your eyes?

 

[libertyyne]

have you tried taking short breaks or focusing at a distance for a few seconds before returning to the screen?

 

[Neopolymath]

I've noticed that my eyes get absolutely exhausted and I have trouble focusing the few days before an exam when I am doing q-banks and computer heavy studying for a few full days back to back.

It's usually not a problem during the weeks leading up to the exam since I'm not staring at a screen for more than a few hours each day, but I'm worried about eye fatigue once dedicated step 1 studying begins where I'm sure I'll be looking at a screen for 60-80 hours a week.

Does anyone have any tips or tricks to avoid having your eyes tire out or know of ways to refresh your eyes?

I would recommend first using the various programs available to change the screen color temperature (built into w10 and f.lux etc) as well as considering a pair of computer glasses. They are usually marketed to gamers but I know people who use them all day and it completely negated similar issues to what you describe.

 

[ERDOC555]

have you tried taking short breaks or focusing at a distance for a few seconds before returning to the screen?

I definitely don't take enough breaks, I'll glance away every once in a while, but I don't think it's long enough to help. I wonder if setting a timer and every hour taking a walk around my apartment would help. The hard part is getting up, as I get super lazy when I study. I'll try standing up and walking next time I have an extended study time.

I would recommend first using the various programs available to change the screen color temperature (built into w10 and f.lux etc) as well as considering a pair of computer glasses. They are usually marketed to gamers but I know people who use them all day and it completely negated similar issues to what you describe.

I actually recently figured out how to use the blue light filter on windows, and it helps a bit. Do you have any links to a good pair of those computer glasses?

 

[libertyyne]

Second vote for f.lux. Excellent program, I think it helps me with sleeping as well. I have been staring at screens for the past week for 12+hours a day and havent felt substantial strain.

 

[Neopolymath]

I definitely don't take enough breaks, I'll glance away every once in a while, but I don't think it's long enough to help. I wonder if setting a timer and every hour taking a walk around my apartment would help. The hard part is getting up, as I get super lazy when I study. I'll try standing up and walking next time I have an extended study time.



I actually recently figured out how to use the blue light filter on windows, and it helps a bit. Do you have any links to a good pair of those computer glasses?

I can't personally vouch for a particular product but I know that my friends have bought them off Amazon and they were not like $50 or something obscene. I think they were less than $20 actually.

 

[HybridEarth]

There are some computer monitors on the market that are really easy on the eyes (no pun intended). I have a couple, and on the days I need to crank out 12 hours on the computer, the only exhaustion I feel is mental, eyes are totally ok. May be a good option if you don't want to wear special glasses when you study.

 

[KHE]

See an eye doctor.

 

[Foot Fetish]

Welcome to the club. I literally stare at my laptop for 8+ hours everyday. I don't really have any solutions to offer...but, on the bright side, we'll be able to afford LASIK once we're dermatologists 😀

 

[Crayola227]

Not giving medical advice, just sharing my own experiences

I always had perfect vision, until medical school. Then at some point first or second year I went to the optho, and it came up that I was having a hard time seeing the ppts from the back of the lecture hall, as had always been my practice.

Sure enough, I ended up nearsighted enough to need a script. My optho told me this was actually a really common thing for medical students, even over college, as the number of hours that you spend staring at something close up goes through the roof.

So, if I could go back in time....

I would talk to medical professionals that know more about eye health than I do, and I would make pains to practice more of what they would call good eye health.

He told me I should spend at least 5-10 minutes on the hour every hour looking at something far off. One should ideally be taking these sorts of study breaks anyway, to walk, stretch, the walking/looking far off could be combined for efficiency, you know. Your phone is your enemy, you know.

More time with study strategies that are better on the eyes.... listening to stuff while driving/running outdoors/treadmill, watching videos and looking at ppt on a screen that's a good distance away (you can hook a computer up to big screen tv across the room or projector in study room)

This sort of applies to some strategies for dealing with screen glare.

 

[allantois]

Well I have an iMac which gives me no trouble, but I couldn’t stare into a small laptop all day.

 

[DexterMorganSK]

See a Doc!!

+2 for using f.lux

Use printed ppts/notes when you can (less screen time)

Take a 5 min break per hour just for your eyes: close em

When taking this 5 min break, use as needed:

 

[WhyNeedAName]

As the optometric person here, I would highly recommend the blue blocking glasses. Blue light prevent melatonin from being secreted (so with the blockers, you can get sleepy easier compared to looking at a blue light for the same time). Also, try lowering the brightness of your laptop so the blue light being emitted isn't as powerful. All in all, most important one is to get sunlight. Sunlight makes your brain release dopamine and that helps cease longitudinal growth in your eye (which causes you to be myopic).

 

[Premedstress23]

I have the same problem.It really has messed my eyes and my body as I was constantly tired even if I had more than enough sleep. The advice my eye doc gave first is that if you wear contacts then do not wear them when studying. In addition, take breaks where you are NOT starring at the screen and studying for the MCAT. Make sure your labtop is about eye level and sit at a desk. Additionally, try to avoid any screens when your not studying which includes TV as well. Finally, make sure you do not study late in the night.

Hope this helped!

 

[Keona]

Please go see an eye Dr. Convergence insufficiency is something common in professional students and shows up in long studying sessions or exams. Even if you See perfectly at a distance it doesn't mean that something else isn't going on.

 

[22yis]

Bought "GAMMA RAY 801" glasses on amazon for like $10 and it solved this problem for me. Wear then whenever im on the computer now

 

[WhiteCoatWonder]

Not giving medical advice, just sharing my own experiences

I always had perfect vision, until medical school. Then at some point first or second year I went to the optho, and it came up that I was having a hard time seeing the ppts from the back of the lecture hall, as had always been my practice.

Sure enough, I ended up nearsighted enough to need a script. My optho told me this was actually a really common thing for medical students, even over college, as the number of hours that you spend staring at something close up goes through the roof.

So, if I could go back in time....

I would talk to medical professionals that know more about eye health than I do, and I would make pains to practice more of what they would call good eye health.

He told me I should spend at least 5-10 minutes on the hour every hour looking at something far off. One should ideally be taking these sorts of study breaks anyway, to walk, stretch, the walking/looking far off could be combined for efficiency, you know. Your phone is your enemy, you know.

me TOO! and my vision loss progressed in the exact same way (back of the room, started with ppts then fuzzy halos around people). i kept thinking i was just tired, had diabetes or had gotten a little overzealous with the moisturizer but alas, no. friggin md cost me my eagle eyes!!

hope you do not have MG but that you do have an eye appt! 😀

 

[Hyahh15]

Question banks like UW also let you reverse the screen (turn the background black with white letters). USMLE software lets you do this too, which helped me a lot with step studying.

I also had perfect vision until med school, went to the optometrist and they set me up with both a distance AND a reading prescription. It sucks, but it's worth it for studying.