[thastings]

Since it hasn't been mentioned yet, I must add this: when we work and focus, especially when using digital screens, we tend to blink a lot less frequently. If tear composition is not good or there are other exacerbating factors (e.g. an AC with high flow), the break-up of the tear film can easily lead to eyestrain and even blurry vision. In such situations, preservative-free artificial tear drops 3-5x a day can lead to pretty good results. In some cases, one needs to try a few, each for a week or two, before finding the correct one. Pro tip: any eye drop can cause discomfort for a few seconds, especially if the dry eye symptoms have persisted for a long time.

Further reading: https://eyewiki.org/Dry_Eye_Syndrome

[jaggederest]

There's an interesting new treatment, Miebo in the US, Evotears in other areas. It's basically a tear film reinforcer (pure PFAS!)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfluorohexyloctane

It's really eerie how moist it makes your eyes feel after even a few uses. I have definite reservations about instilling megadoses of PFAS directly into my eyes but there's no doubt that it is amazingly effective.

[thastings]

Thanks for this! Haven't heard of this agent yet, but it really seems promising.

[convolvatron]

just a +1 here. I thought I had serious eye fatigue and focus problems. screwed around with various prescriptions. changed optometrists twice. went to an opthamoloist, and she just said..wow, yours eyes are really dry, use these drops. helped immensely

[LexGray]

I asked by eye doctor why there was so much mucus around my eyes and after she dumped in a little dye she noted my eyes were almost like sandpaper from not blinking enough.

This seems like something that could have a technical solution beyond just putting liquid in your eyes. I am wary as liquids are sometimes contaminated with bacteria or other substances. Perhaps screens or headbands that trigger blink reactions.

[jbornhorst]

+1. Something interesting I’ve learned - there can sometimes be a .25 - 1 Diopter difference in the Rx depending on one’s tear film. (Which intuitively makes sense - it’s the surface of the focusing lens, essentially). PF free eye drops have been very helpful for me.

[walterbell]

Yawning helps with tear production.