Computer vision syndrome (CVS) is a temporary condition resulting from focusing the eyes on a computer display for protracted, uninterrupted periods of time. Some symptoms of CVS include headaches, blurred vision, neck pain, redness in the eyes, fatigue, eye strain, dry eyes, irritated eyes, double vision, vertigo/dizziness, polyopia, and difficulty refocusing the eyes. These symptoms can be further aggravated by improper lighting conditions (i.e. glare or bright overhead lighting) or air moving past the eyes (e.g. overhead vents, direct air from a fan). [Source: Wikipedia]
With the increasing access to digital devices, Computer Vision Syndrome is becoming a common ailment
Nowadays ours eyes do not get adequate rest as most of the time we are either on our computer, laptop, i-pad, mobile or watching television. Eye strain caused by excessive use of computer is called Computer Vision Syndrome or digital vision syndrome. It manifests as tiredness, inability to work for long hours, blurring of vision, double vision, watering, redness, itching and pain in eyes. These symptoms will be present in 95 per cent of people who use the computer for more than three hours a day.[Source: The Hindu]
Some Excerpts from the second article:
What To Do
Posture and Exercises
Good posture and regular exercises of back and cervical muscles are a must if you use the computer for more than three to four hours a day.
Lighting
The room should be well illuminated with the light source positioned in a way that light does not fall directly on your eyes or on the screen The light source should be behind the screen or on the ceiling and partially covered. anti-glare screens and spectacles can also help.
Dryness
Normally we blink 10 to 12 times a minute. When we watch TV our blink rate is 5 to 6 a minute and while working on the computer it further goes down to 3 to 4 times a minute. Reduced blinking causes evaporation of tears thereby increasing the osmolarity (concentration) of the tears. The hyperosmolar tears induce inflammation and tear film instability which in turn cause increase reflex lacrimation. In other words, the dry eye caused by Computer Vision Syndrome may present not only as dry eye but may present as watering and inflamed eye.
To overcome this, it is better to have the computer screen 20 to 40 degrees below the eye level. This causes partial closure of the eyes by the lids thereby decreasing the evaporative surface.
Your comments and views are welcome. Muchas Gracias !!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_vision_syndrome
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/dont-let-the-tears-dry/article6147645.ece
http://www.public.iastate.edu/~rhetoric/105H16/cofp/smkcofp.html
According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, CVS affects approximately 90% of the people who spent three hours or more at day looking at a computer. The lighting, air quality, and the time spent focusing on a screen are the main factors that could bring about CVS. Taking breaks by closing your eyes or focusing on objects far away could help give the overused muscles a necessary time out. If giving your eyes a little breather is hard to remember you could set a reminder or timer. Some other variables to consider that could contribute to eyestrain is the environment. If the room is really bright you could consider tinted glasses or maybe a certain pair of glasses just for computer use. If there is a lot of airflow that is drying out your eyes, some lubricating eye drops might help. Also make sure your settings are so that the font and screen lighting can be read with ease.
http://www.goodeyes.com/avoid-computer-vision-syndrome-cvs/
Dear Sudar, this is a very important issue, and I am very happy to follow and learn from the experts in the field.
According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, CVS affects approximately 90% of the people who spent three hours or more at day looking at a computer. The lighting, air quality, and the time spent focusing on a screen are the main factors that could bring about CVS. Taking breaks by closing your eyes or focusing on objects far away could help give the overused muscles a necessary time out. If giving your eyes a little breather is hard to remember you could set a reminder or timer. Some other variables to consider that could contribute to eyestrain is the environment. If the room is really bright you could consider tinted glasses or maybe a certain pair of glasses just for computer use. If there is a lot of airflow that is drying out your eyes, some lubricating eye drops might help. Also make sure your settings are so that the font and screen lighting can be read with ease.
http://www.goodeyes.com/avoid-computer-vision-syndrome-cvs/
In addition to what has been said, one may look at a blue background for 15 secs for every 15 min spent looking at computer screen!. Adequate rest/sleep and/or use of artificial tears may also help in reducing the dryness of your eyes.
Transcendental meditation may be practised at least once a day. A little stroll across the park, and reading newspapers / jumble / Sudoku can divert our attention from LCD monitors / mobile screens. Walking is always a good exercise. In USA, I used to regularly attend the Symphonies conducted by St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.
Thank you for such an interesting issue.
I 'll follow every answer with great interest.
(Yes I believe that, as for every neurological stress, good sleep would be the best preventive therapy. (But patients laugh ironically whenever we give this advice, and would prefer medication...)
Kind regards, Maria
There are some tools like workrave (http://www.workrave.org/) which help you with pauses.
Avoid contact lenses and/or use lubricants frequently. Small refractive errors that normally don't create problems might be necessary to correct. Especially blurred vision during or after the task should warrant a comprehensive examination with an eye-care provider trained in this field (as ordinary prescribing rules for reading might not apply). The 20/20/20 rule of thumb suggests that looking at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds every 20 minute might be useful. Please note that some of these tips are hidden among the many good tips above.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1475-1313.2011.00834.x/full
An imbalance in the relationship between accommodation (focusing) and vergence (eye teaming) can contribute to and/or exacerbate CVS. The accommodation and vergence mechanism are synkinetically linked, but hopefully there is a bit of a buffer or freedom between the two systems so that if focusing deteriorates over time, eye alignment does not have to be altered to counteract it, or if eye teaming begins to break down, accommodation does not have to then compensate for it. If such freedom between accommodation and vergence is not available, significant nearpoint symptoms and asthenopia can ensue. A good binocular vision workup by an optometrist may discover a conditions such as convergence insufficiency, convergence excess, accommodative insufficiency or other nearpoint binocular dysfunctions. These can be helped through specific nearpoint lenses and/or vision therapy.
Apart from improving the lighting condition, one must improve blink rate by intermittent changing gaze from the computer to a far object.
Following may be of interest to you. AAPOSS also has guidelines for children.
Kind regards
A French health watchdog has recommended that children under the age of six should not be allowed access to 3D content.
The Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (Anses) added that access for those up to the age of 13 should be "moderate".
It follows research into the possible impact of 3D imaging on still-developing eyes.
There is scientific basis. If anyone is interested you will find the link and the report is below "en savoir plus" (152 pages)
https://www.anses.fr/fr/content/technologies-3d-et-vision-usage-d%C3%A9conseill%C3%A9-aux-enfants-de-moins-de-6-ans-mod%C3%A9r%C3%A9-pour-les
The easiest and chiepiest exercise to relax the eye is so named black spot 5mm diameter on the window. You need to mark this spot at the level of your eyes. Stand in front of this mark on the window at 30cm distance concentrate on this black spot and and swith to distant lokated object -biuding or tree and repeat 10 times after 20 min computer activity. Believe me it works. Good luck !
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