Computer Vision Syndrome and Eye Strain

Many people have a computer at home and at work, which causes constant focus on the screen, due to the advancement of technology more people can shop online, watch their favorite episodes on the web, talk to friends and family with video chat, as well as do research for school, it seems that there is nothing that we can not do on the computer and with every advantage of new technology there is a dis-advantage, one of them being computer vision syndrome.

It is important to note that when the eyes are focused on a computer display for protracted, uninterrupted periods of time persons can easily experience headaches, blurred vision, neck pain, fatigue, eye strain, dry, irritated eyes, as well as difficulty refocusing the eyes.

These conditions are temporary and can be improved by having proper lighting; since the near focusing effort required during long hours of work puts strain on the muscles of the eye other areas are when the eyes get too dry. It is recommended to use artificial tear solutions to help reduce the effects of dry eye in CVS. Proper rest to the eye and its muscles is recommended to relieve the associated eye strain.

Consciously blink the eyes every now and then to helps replenish the tear film as well as look out the window to a distant object or to the sky, by practicing this routine you will provide rest to the ciliary muscles. Do this every 20 minutes, focus the eyes on an object 20 feet (6 meters) away for 20 seconds. Interestingly this will give the right amount of distance recommended by a optometrist and ophthalmologist. Alternate routines include closing the eyes for 20 seconds, every 30 minute.

Small plus powered eyeglasses help with regaining focus of near objects and is used by those who do tailoring or embroidery. People working on computers on a daily basis will experience computer related vision problems so it can be helpful to learn how to relieve the stress on the eyes. It is important to note that the eyes and brain react differently to words on a computer screen than they do to printed text.

As you are probably aware the eyes respond well to most printed material. Most text consists of bold, black letters on a bright, white background. This makes is easier for the eyes to focus on images with well-defined edges that are strongly contrasted against their backgrounds. The difference with a computer screen is that there are not defined edges. Characters displayed on the screen are made up of several small dots, or pixels.

So the eyes has a hard time focusing on the pixels this constant struggle to focus leads to fatigue and tired, burning eyes, mistakenly people will try to alleviate the problem by leaning forward or by tipping their head to look through the bottom portion of their glasses, this will only result in a sore neck, shoulders and back.

If you think you might be feeling some of the symptoms of CVS, you may benefit from a pair of computer glasses. Its best to get the proper lightening in the space, make sure to use over the counter eyeglasses and take plenty of breaks through out the day to relax and reduce stress on the eyes.