By Dr. Cesar R. Bartell
Do you have Computer Vision Syndrome?
Do you routinely work at a computer for hours at a time? Do your eyes feel tired and strained by the end of the day? Are your eyes red and irritated after working at your computer for extended periods of time? Do they burn? Does your vision get blurry after you have been on the computer for several hours? If you experience these symptoms and you spend a significant portion of your days working at a computer, then you may have Computer Vision Syndrome.
What exactly is Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)? It is a combination of vision and eye problems that arise from extended computer use. With the prevalence of computers in the work place and in our society in general, eye care professionals are helping people find ways to manage CVS more routinely. Generally these individuals have problems with blurry vision, eyestrain, tension headaches, dry eye, and end of the day redness and fatigue.
The solution for each individual needs to be tailored to the individual case and usually involves multiple remedies, since Computer Vision Syndrome is a composite of different problems. There are a few simple steps most people can take to improve their visual and ocular comfort when working at the computer. Here are a few recommendations I give to my patients.
Take short visual breaks
The eyes relax to look into the distance but they have to actively focus to see things up close. Focusing up close is accomplished by a small muscle within the eye that has to work constantly when you are viewing a computer display twenty-five to thirty inches away. When you have to maintain this type of continuous effort for hours at a time, that muscle can get quite fatigued. As with other muscles in the body, this is more than enough to cause muscle spasms.
In most people this results in blurry vision after looking up from the computer following several hours of work. This can take minutes to hours to clear up; sometimes it is difficult to refocus or even maintain focus on the computer. The stress of maintaining the eye’s focus on the display terminal all day is one main reason a person feels the eyes are fatigued and strained by the end of the day. The take-home message is that taking a brief break from focusing the eyes throughout the day can work wonders. Take 20 seconds every 20 minutes to just look up and out the window or across the room. This will help relieve spasm of the eye’s focus and help relieve blurry vision, strain, and fatigue.
Blink
Most people who work all day at a computer display terminal notice that their eyes start to burn and feel irritated after several hours. In short, their eyes are becoming dry. Dry eye can be a complex condition and there are many reasons the surface of the eyes gets dry, including decreased blinking. One purpose for the human blink reflex is to rewet and redistribute the tears over the surface of the eye.
The average person blinks approximately 21 times per minute. Studies show that a person working at a computer has a reduced blink rate of around 7 times a minute. At the end of the day the individual working with a computer for six hours has blinked only one third the normal amount. The result is the tear layer over the eye evaporates, is not as stable, and the eyes get dry. This may cause redness, irritation, and burning. Taking a visual break for 20 seconds every twenty to thirty minutes to look away and to blink can help to improve dry eye that occurs with extended computer work. A conscious effort to blink more may help as well.
Lubrication Therapy
Most offices and homes this time of year run the air conditioner quite heavily. Because we live in a relatively dry environment and air conditioners make the air drier, visual breaks and blinking may not be enough. Keeping a small bottle of artificial tears at the workstation for periodic use throughout the day can be quite helpful to keep the eyes moist and comfortable. I don’t recommend any particular brand of tears, but I usually advise not using any product specifically for relieving redness as these contain chemicals that can make dryness and redness worse with continued use.
Lower the Monitor
It is recommended that the top of the display unit be at eye level. This makes it so that the individual at the computer screen looks ten to fifteen degrees down while reading the monitor. Studies have shown that there is less stress on the eye muscles while reading when looking slightly down. In addition, when looking down the eyelids cover more of the front surface of the eye and there is less exposed surface area to dry out. Looking down at the monitor also facilitates blinking.
Summary
Taking 20 second visual breaks every 20 minutes, or taking a break from the computer screen every half hour to perform other tasks can be quite helpful in preventing and relieving many eye and vision symptoms that occur with long days of computer work. Using an artificial teardrop periodically throughout the day can also help relieve dryness and irritation. Positioning the computer monitor at an appropriate height may also increase visual comfort.
Keep in mind that there are many other factors that may affect vision and eye health with computer work. Conditions such as uncorrected farsightedness, astigmatism, age-related near vision problems, dryness due to other physiologic changes or related to contact lens wear, and eye allergies can have a role in Computer Vision Syndrome and need a more specialized solution by an eye care professional.