TL;DR
In a personal essay published by Tiny Buddha, Ayurvedic medical student Joey Dua describes recurring eye burning during long study days and the moment he noticed he had stopped looking beyond his screen. He says short pauses and looking into the distance changed how he approached attention, while stressing that he cannot claim the practices are proven therapies.
Ayurvedic medical student Joey Dua says recurring eye burning during long evenings of studying led him to reconsider how he used his attention, in a personal essay published by Tiny Buddha. His account describes hours of screen-based study, a brief difficulty focusing on a distant wall and small pauses that changed his habits; it does not establish that the practices he tried treat eye strain.
Dua writes that in his second year of Ayurvedic medical school, his eyes began burning around 9 p.m. each night. He says he was studying for 12 or 13 hours a day using lecture slides, PDF reference books and practice questions on electronic devices. At the same time, he was learning about factors that Ayurvedic teaching associates with eye discomfort, including prolonged close focus and inadequate rest.
One winter evening, after a power flicker drew his attention away from his laptop, Dua says he struggled to focus on the far wall for a few seconds. His vision sharpened again, and he describes the episode as not medically dramatic. What stayed with him, he writes, was realizing he could not remember the last time he had looked beyond his desk: a nearby window framed a neem tree, a water tank and rooftops he had not noticed for weeks.
Dua says he began trying practices described by his professors, including resting closed eyes in darkness, looking at distant objects, closing his eyes fully during the day and splashing them with cool water in the morning. He reports that pausing helped him notice tension in his jaw and shoulders and the pace of his breathing. He explicitly says he cannot tell readers these practices are proven therapies and notes that some have been studied little.
How Screen Habits Narrowed His Attention
The essay’s central point is a personal observation, not a clinical finding: Dua came to see eye discomfort as a prompt to interrupt his routine rather than a problem to ignore. He connects long hours of close screen use with other habits he noticed, including eating without paying much attention and partly scrolling while talking with family. His account may resonate with readers who spend much of their day on devices, but it cannot show that screen use caused every experience he describes or that his response will work for others.
Its broader relevance lies in the distinction Dua draws between concentrating on one task and being attentive to the surrounding world and one’s own physical state. He writes that looking toward distant rooftops seemed to loosen his thinking. That is his reported experience; the source does not provide research demonstrating a general effect on attention. The essay is best read as a first-person reflection that invites readers to notice discomfort and make room for breaks, rather than as health guidance.
A Student Studying Eyes on Screens
Dua identifies himself as a BAMS student, studying Ayurvedic medicine, and says his coursework had moved largely onto screens. In his account, he was learning Shalakya Tantra, a branch of Ayurveda dealing with the eyes and head, while spending much of his day reading close-up digital material. The contrast between what he was studying and his own routine forms the starting point of the essay.
He says he responded to the burning at first by rubbing his eyes, blinking and returning to work as exams approached. The essay does not include an examination by an eye-care professional, a diagnosis or clinical measurements. It also does not give a publication date in the supplied source material. Dua says his eyes still get tired and that screens remain part of his studies; his reported change is to pause rather than automatically push through the discomfort.
“I was not paying attention. I was narrowing it.”
— Joey Dua, in his Tiny Buddha essay
What the Personal Account Cannot Establish
The essay does not establish the cause of Dua’s eye burning or the brief episode of difficulty focusing at a distance. It reports no clinical assessment, diagnosis, treatment or follow-up measurements. Dua says his focus returned within seconds and that there was nothing medically dramatic about the episode, but that is his characterization, not a clinician’s evaluation.
It is also unclear whether the practices he describes reduce eye strain for other people. Dua says some have barely been studied and does not present them as proven therapies. The source provides no controlled comparison or broader evidence about their effects on vision, stress or attention.
Dua’s Ongoing Study Routine
Dua says he remains a student and continues to use screens, but now responds to burning by closing his eyes for a while or looking toward the neem tree outside his window. The essay does not announce a study, a medical intervention or a planned follow-up. It closes with his account of trying to make room for the evening view and treating discomfort as a cue to pause.
Readers experiencing persistent or concerning vision symptoms should not treat a personal essay or its informal practices as a diagnosis. The source does not offer medical advice or report that Dua sought professional assessment.
Key Questions
What happened to Joey Dua’s eyes?
Dua says his eyes began burning around 9 p.m. during a period when he studied on screens for 12 or 13 hours a day. He does not report a diagnosis or a clinical examination.
What did Dua say prompted him to rethink his habits?
After a power flicker, he looked away from his laptop and says he briefly had trouble focusing on a distant wall. His vision sharpened again within seconds, but the moment made him notice how long it had been since he looked beyond his desk.
Did Dua say the eye practices are proven treatments?
No. He describes trying palming, distance gazing, fully closing his eyes and cool-water splashing, but says he cannot call the practices proven therapies and that some have been studied little.
What does Dua do when his eyes start burning now?
He says he no longer automatically pushes through the discomfort. He may close his eyes for a while or look at the tree and rooftops outside his window.
Source: rss
