When thinking about the impacts of extreme heat, our minds go first to dehydration, heat strokes or sunburns. But what a lot of people don’t know is that hot weather can also have a big impact on their eyesight — particularly on the muscles that keep our eyes focused. Although it may not be as immediately visible as other heat-induced ailments, not taking into account the impact of heat on your ocular health can have a painful, tiring and even long-term effect.
Your eyes are a system of muscles, nerves, and tissues that work together to support vision. These hold them in place by moving such as focusing and alignment. But extreme heat can take a toll on these muscles, potentially causing a range of symptoms that you should not It doesn't matter if you are working or exercising under the sun or driving long hours in the heat, your eye's muscles are constantly exposed to environmental stress. This stress, in addition to dehydration, bright light and screen use over time, can weaken the muscles or cause them to have to work harder than normal, which may add up to eye fatigue and discomfort.
Blurred vision, headaches or a sensation of tightness around the eyes are some of the most common complaints in a hot summer. Those are signs of eye strain in extreme heat. While many think it’s merely fatigue, this strain can be a result of sustained exposure to heatwaves and poor eye protection.
Excessive heat retains moisture for a long time so does the eye area, prolonged exposure to increased temperatures leads to rapid loss of moisture in the body including the eye area. Lack of hydration will cause the eye muscles to fatigue more quickly and not coordinate as well to re-focus. That is why folks complain a lot about double vision or even eye twitching during the hotter months of the year. In such conditions, eye strain in extreme heat becomes a common issue, especially for those who already have vision problems or wear corrective lenses.
Also, the discomfort is not just bodily. Studies indicate that eye strain during extreme heat can even lead to reduced work productivity, lack of concentration, and sleep disturbance. For children and adults, reading, driving, or even just watching television can become difficult if the eye muscles have been overstrained by exposure to heat. The drying difference between cold and dry air and heat from screens can even aggravate the situation in air-conditioned environments, making eye strain in extreme heat even more aggravated.
If you’re someone who spends extended periods of each day on digital screens — for work or amusement — the issue is compounded. The blue light emitted by screens makes your eye muscles work harder to refocus in hot situations, and this strain becomes overwhelming. Digital fatigue and eye strain in unnaturally high temperatures often accompany each other in the summer days, especially in tropical regions such as India.
One lesser-known effect is that of heat on tear evaporation. A thin film of tears helps keep your eyes moist and healthy. But when it’s hot and dry, those tears can evaporate more quickly, leaving your eyes feeling dry and gritty. That dryness can cause compensatory overuse of eye muscles as they try to stay focused and lubricated — another cause of eye strain in extreme heat
Here are 4 key bullet points on what happens to eye muscles in extreme heat:
- Increased Eye Fatigue: High temperature can overstress your eye muscles when you squint, causing your eyes to become fatigued and uncomfortable.
- Dehydration of Eye Muscles: Excessive heat can cause overall body dehydration, resulting in the flexibility of the eye muscles being affected, leading to dryness and strain.
- Spasms or Twitching: Your eyes may twitch or you may have muscle spasms due to extended heat exposure causing heat stress and electrolyte imbalances.
- Reduced Eye Coordination: In severe heat, the muscle coordination of the eye may become less efficient, leading to trouble focusing, sometimes resulting in temporary blurred or double vision.
Avoid waiting for those symptoms to escalate. If you’ve had headaches, blurred vision or general discomfort these summer months, it could be simply eye strain in extreme heat.
However, there are steps you can take to protect your eye muscle strength while maintaining long-term comfort when using multiple screens. From grown-ups working outside to young children taking online summer classes, everyone is at risk in some way.
Make this summer the summer you make your eye health a priority. Importance of Eye Care & The Eye Foundation , we believe that preventing sight loss is just as important as treatment! With our focus on long-term eye health, schedule an appointment with our specialists now and get the right treatment for your vision problems!
