Studying -- Tired eyes

[Gabby]

It's exam week and I've found that after about 5-6 hours of studying, my eyes get blurry and tired to the point where they narrow into slits and I just can't read anymore. I take a break, but even when I come back, I can only go about a half hour before it happens again.

Any tricks of the trade? I tried Visine and it didn't help.

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[Mace1370]

Naps? Caffeine? Speed?

 

[Gabby]

How exactly do caffeine and speed prevent blurry vision from reading?

 

[Mace1370]

You're too wired to care!

 

[ArcGurren]

Meditation and short naps.

 

[Frozen]

Go see an Optometrist, more than likely a pair of reading glasses will do the trick.

 

[littlejuan]

Go see an Optometrist, more than likely a pair of reading glasses will do the trick.

This sounds likely. Welcome to the club!

 

[genswim24]

It's exam week and I've found that after about 5-6 hours of studying, my eyes get blurry and tired to the point where they narrow into slits and I just can't read anymore. I take a break, but even when I come back, I can only go about a half hour before it happens again.

Any tricks of the trade? I tried Visine and it didn't help.

I have a friend in med school who didn't blink enough while they read. They started focusing on it more and it really helped them out. Just something to consider, but you should probably go see an eye doc either way and get your vision checked out.

 

[beyondbethany]

I agree on visiting the opt. I have good vision but I wear reading glasses to prevent headaches, especially when using a computer for extended periods. Are you taking regular breaks during your 5-6 hour stints? 5-10 minutes of break time every hour would probably help too.

And an optometrist will probably tell you never to use Visine drops, they are awful for your eyes (unless you are using the 'tears' kind). They constrict the small blood vessels in your eyes to reduce the redness. I use Bauch & Lomb lubricating drops occasionally.

 

[C5toC9]

Abstain from masturbation for a while.

 

[smq123]

It's exam week and I've found that after about 5-6 hours of studying, my eyes get blurry and tired to the point where they narrow into slits and I just can't read anymore. I take a break, but even when I come back, I can only go about a half hour before it happens again.

Any tricks of the trade? I tried Visine and it didn't help.

Visine is worthless. It's only good for cosmetic purposes, but it is otherwise so full of chemicals that it can actually make your eyes DRIER.

You're probably not blinking as often as you should, so your eyes are drying out, which makes them tired and makes your vision blurry. Use artifical tears (I use Systane, personally), particularly the ones withOUT preservatives. While I was studying for Step 1, I used to keep them in the fridge - the cold drops felt good in my tired eyes.

 

[mjscal]

May need reading glasses or your eyes may be dry in which case artificial tears may help. Systane, Optive etc are all good. Preservative free may be better but more expensive and probably not necessary unless you are allergic to BAK.

 

[thepoopologist]

I'd snort some cocaine.

 

[thepoopologist]

Red Bull works too. If you want to be a boring old slouch.

 

[cartoondoc]

Take frequent breaks while you're studying.

After being stable through all of college, my vision got significantly worse during med school. Now it's stable again.