Do your eyes hurt? Here's what you can do:

Having dry or, sometimes, watery eyes is a symptom of eye strain.

Eye strain is a problem all workers experience, especially remote workers sitting behind a laptop, hunched over a keyboard and intensely staring at a screen. Also called eye fatigue, it is caused by reduced blinking because you're really focused on the task.

Just in case eye strain is new to you, your eyes are strained if

1. they are dry and itchy

2. watery and red.

3. Your vision is blurred,

4. you've got a stinging headache or

5. heavy eyelids

How can you treat eye strain and relieve your eyes? I've got 5 solid inexpensive tips for you:

Rest

This is the easiest of all the tips. Just close your eyes for 2-5 minutes. Let the redness, the irritation and the mild headaches ease.

The 20-20-20 Rule

This is easier than it sounds. So the rule is: every 20 minutes, look away from your screen, at something 20 feet away, for 20 seconds.

This is an excellent reason your workspace should be by the window. This way, you could just look out the window, appreciate nature for just 20 seconds and dive back in.

Adjusting your work environment

Here are three things you could do:

One, you could fix the lighting on your devices and in the room, to reduce glare.

Two, you could lower your screen to be at eye level and slightly farther away.

Three, you could get a humidifier, because you know, you've got dry eyes.

Eye massage and exercises

Massage your eyes by running fingers gently over them in a circular motion

For the exercises, they are not tasking. Just rub your palms together to warm them, then place the warm heat on your eyes. These feel good, you should try them.

There's another one. A lesson in focus, if the dryness is affecting your work.

Grab a pen, hold it at arm's length, and focus on it. Slowly bring the pen closer to your nose while maintaining focus. Repeat a few times.

It's also a way to give your eyes a much-needed screen break.

Artificial Teardrops

There are artificial tears to help moisten your eyes when they are really dry. You can get these over the counter.

But if you suffer dry eyes over a long period of time, it might be neccessary to get an eye exam.

In conclusion, you've been armed with everything you need to releive your eye strain. But you should also know that there are other symptoms of eyestrain that has nothing to do with your eyes. These include neck, shoulder pain, and back pain.

As you work everyday, try to evaluate your posture and tune in to your body to find any pain that is not prominent.

That'll be all for today.

Hey Dev, carry on.