How to Reduce Computer Eye Strain (Or Stop Frying Your Eyes!)
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Twenty years ago most of our reading was done via print, now most of it is via pixel. Our eyes are not used to looking at a computer screen or any digital screen; this is a new task for them. In this article I talk about how to reduce computer eye strain resulting from this new stress for our eyes.
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More than 200 million Americans spend a lot of time everyday working or studying on a computer. Think of the people you know and then think how many of them spend at least an hour a day on a computer. Or try to think of two people you know that don't. That is how omnipresent computers have become in our lives. And it has happened very quickly.
Twenty years ago most of our reading was done via print, now most of it is via pixel. This requires a different type of focusing from our eyes, which we have yet to become accustomed to. A result of this is constant stress on the eyes and visual system that causes blurred vision, headache, eye strain, dry eyes, difficulty focusing the eyes at various distances, double vision, light sensitivity and neck and backaches.
These are the symptoms of computer eye strain or Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) to give it the official title. The American Optometric Association recognizes CVS as a condition caused by repeatedly stressing some aspect of the eyes or visual system. A 1998 study found the prevalence of eye symptoms among computer users ranges from 25% to 93%, (Thompson, 1998). These are huge numbers of people whichever end of the spectrum you look at (and that is 10 years ago so think of the numbers now).
How to Reduce Computer Eye Strain?
Various approaches have been touted about relieving eye strain from computers:
• Consciously blink the eyes every now and then - this helps replenish the tear film
• Look out the window to a distant object or to the sky-this rests the ciliary muscles
• Every 20 minutes, focus the eyes on an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds - the 20/20/20 rule
• Close your eyes for 20 seconds, at least every half hour (I can't see this flying in my office - everyone sitting around occasionally closing their eyes - sounds like sleeping to me)
• Change your computer workstation to facilitate good posture. (This can help minimize some physical symptoms of CVS but ergonomics alone cannot solve a visual problem)
Alternatively you could buy computer glasses.
Eye strain is mitigated by computer glasses. They enable your eyes to focus on the computer screen, which is typically farther away than reading material is normally held. The good ones are designed to wear when doing computer work and deal with computer eye strain symptoms.
The benefits of using computer glasses:
• Relieve symptoms caused by struggling to focus, such as headaches, eyestrain, tired eyes, and burning eyes
• Correct blurred vision
• A decrease in eye fatigue
• A reduction in glare and reflective light
• An increase in effectiveness, productivity and performance
The Macular Degeneration Support organization says that because your eyes react differently to the stimulus of a computer, 70-75% of computer users need computer eyeglasses.
How do computer glasses work?
The idea is to move your eye's focal point closer without using your eye muscles for accommodation and thus eliminate the constant refocusing effort that your eyes go through when viewing the screen
What's the difference between computer glasses and reading glasses?
If you already wear regular glasses or reading glasses, you may be tempted to dismiss the need for computer glasses. Unfortunately, regular glasses are not right for computer work. Reading glasses correct near vision only and do not correct the intermediate zone (arms length) that causes computer monitor eye strain.
However, care must be taken while buying computer glasses. Unscrupulous vendors will sell cheap tinted glasses as computer reading glasses, for instance. Hence, check out a reputable source to get your computer glasses.
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