Q: My eyes appear tired most of the time and they look sleepy after one hour of work. I also yawn very frequently, though I sleep properly for 7 to 8 hours. I don't have any vision problems. A black shade is forming around my eyes and I have a lot of strain. After that I am not able to concentrate on a particular topic. I take 5 minutes break every one hour. I don't have any habits other than drinking coffee and tea 2 - 3 times daily. Sometimes in the evenings my mind goes blank. How can I overcome my problems?

A:Your symptoms are describing asthenopia or weak eye muscles. This causes loss of concentration when attempting to read/ study etc. The treatment is convergence and orthoptic exercises and combining it with a course of multivitamins. The patient should visit his ophthalmologist for an assessment to rule out any refractive errors, at which time his orthoptic assessment can also be done. Once the degree of convergence insufficiency is noted, he can strengthen muscles by the simple exercises. There may be other reasons such as lack of adequate sleep, which may need an evaluation by the general physician.