Eye strain happens to everyone as they get older. Sometimes it even happens sooner in life due to degenerative conditions – and the list of conditions that might trigger it is vast.

If you find yourself struggling to see the cards or using the zoom functions on your phone or PC more often than you used to, it might be time to have your eyes checked out.

Here are a few thoughts around eye strain, bridge games and what you can do about it.

Genealogy, anyone? 

There’s no need to speak to alienated family members with the advent of genetic testing that can answer the same questions without a lot of the awkwardness. (Of course, it also helps if you’re adopted and would like to know if you are at any physical health risks due to genetics.)

If you have any sort of health issues yourself already or suspect that someone in your family might have, genetic testing is the first place to start.

It can tell you whether you have an increased risk of many health conditions or if you are on track to developing some of these already

It can also point towards risk factors for things like addiction: Things you might not even know you had to be careful with.

Most genetic conditions can be tested for: It can tell you more about your own health – and sometimes the future health of your kids and their risk factors too.

What’s causing it?

For the title, I’m using “eye strain” as a general term because it’s one of the first symptoms people often go through (and one of the symptoms that appears most commonly).

But the first thing you should know is that “eye strain” is a very general term in this context.

There are plenty of things that can trigger it, and plenty of conditions it can signal.

Of the ones that have to do with the eyes, it could be glaucoma, but it could also be cataracts; it could be an eye infection, or it could be a long term sign of eye fatigue or so-called arc-eye for certain careers.

Of the ones that don’t have to do with the eyes, the list is just as vast: Eye strain could mean many different things in a clinical setting. Sometimes yellowing of the eyes means that your internal organs aren’t keeping up (and might sometimes point to worse). Blurring of the vision could mean that your eyes are tired after too much stimuli, or it could be a warning sign of diabetes.

The most important thing is to see your doctor if you experience any symptoms – of anything, ever. Having dealt with chronic illness my entire life, I can say that it’s always better to be safe than sorry, and an emergency room trip is better than risking worse.

The first signs of eye strain

How do you spot eye strain? Well, you might have to squint to see it.

Well, it’s true.

Realizing that you’re zooming in more often or that you make more spelling or reading mistakes can be the first sign of eye degeneration or disease – and sometimes reading glasses can be enough to help in cases where we’re talking about normal eye degeneration that people experience with age.

Walking into things more often? You’re probably not clumsy: It could be your vision instead.

Paid way more for that bottle of wine than you thought? It’s a common sight-impaired mistake – and one that many people take advantage of.

Keep getting the wrong change? Double check: You might have handed someone the wrong amount of money.

Parked your car straight into someone’s wall? It could be that your eyes didn’t see the distance.

Impressionist painter? What if your take on color isn’t intentionally done with flair, but really how you see it and the result of an eye condition? 

Is someone’s cooking horrid? They might not be able to see what they’re doing.

If we’re talking about kids in school, sometimes behavior that mimics hyperactivity (and dropping test scores) can be fixed with glasses: It’s not that the kids aren’t paying attention, it’s that they’re likely trying to mask something like failing vision in a classroom.

Eye strain is best spotted with these small things, then you can start to take a closer look at the symptoms.

All of these things can happen to people with impaired sight (even if they themselves don’t realize it yet), and the only reason I know any of this is my own sight. Most of these things have happened to me at least once, or I’ve noted them happening to others.

As for the straight symptoms, they can include tired eyes, swelling of or around the eyes, eye muscles feeling tired or hurting, constant eye inflammation, blurring, distortion of color and light sensitivity (and yes, there’s a longer list, too).

If you’re a bridge player with eye strain, have it checked out!