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Originally Published: April 13, 2001

Dear Reader,

Don't switch to Braille just yet... While eyestrain (eye muscle soreness caused by overuse) may be irritating and have you wanting to turn the page on your career, it won't do permanent harm to your vision. Symptoms of eyestrain are our bodies' way of telling us to give our baby blues (or browns, greens, or grays) a rest. They include:

• sore and/or tired eyes (e.g., itchiness, dryness, redness, tearing, or other discomfort)
• headaches
• backaches
• problem with focusing of the eyes

A fifteen-minute break every couple of hours or so from your proofs whenever symptoms set in will help restore optimal ocular operation. The following eye revitalizers may be helpful to try during this recess:

• Rest the eyes by closing them gently and loosely. While maintaining a relaxed face, use the palms to enclose the eyes in greater darkness. Throughout, breathe slowly and deeply.
• Keeping the head steady, stretch the eyes by looking from side-to-side, upwards, downwards, and crossways. Clockwise and counter-clockwise circular movements are also good. All eye movements need to be done slowly and smoothly. Do each exercise three times.
• Slowly open and close the eyes at least ten times. Then increase the pace for at least another ten blinks done softly. Relax with a massage of the temples using the fingertips to finish the activity.

Below are some archived postings with an eye on strain prevention.