Far-infrared (FIR) therapy has gained significant attention in clinical applications, but its specific effects on relieving visual fatigue have been relatively under-explored. This study, conducted by Y. Feng, L. Wang, and F. Chen and presented at the 2019 Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, sought to bridge this gap by employing innovative eye-tracking parameters alongside traditional indicators.
The study involved twenty healthy participants who underwent two consecutive days of experimentation. Two eye-tracking tests, random digit search and fixed-point gaze, were used to evaluate visual fatigue. A visual stimulus program was presented to each participant before subjective grading and eye-tracking tests. Following this, participants either used a FIR thermal eye mask or physically closed their eyes for relief. Subsequently, subjective grading and eye-tracking tests were repeated.
The results demonstrated significant differences in fixation frequency (FF) and saccade amplitude (SA), along with eye blink frequency (BF) and subjective score (SS), before and after relieving visual fatigue with a FIR therapy mask. This suggests that FF and SA are valuable indicators for evaluating visual fatigue. Notably, FIR therapy outperformed eye-closing rest, indicating its potential to expedite the relief of visual fatigue.
In conclusion, the study provides compelling evidence that FIR therapy, as measured by eye-tracking parameters, can effectively alleviate visual fatigue. The findings highlight the promise of FIR therapy in enhancing visual well-being and may pave the way for further research in this domain. The full study can be accessed here:
