FROM EYESTRAIN TO EYE COMFORT: How to Prevent Eyestrain Related to Computer Use
By Carolyn Campbell
“I kept noticing that my eyes seemed dry and tired,” said Jean Jordan. “They started burning a lot, which made me want to stop my computer work and close my eyes. My concerns eventually drove me to see an optometrist, who sent me to a specialist.” Jean’s experience with eyestrain is not unusual.
Today’s technology, especially extensive use of computers, TV, and video screens, has resulted in an increasingly prevalent condition known as computer fatigue syndrome. This syndrome includes a group of vision and eye symptoms, experienced while using a computer. Among the symptoms are headaches, eyestrain, blurred vision, and dry or irritated eyes. More than 50 percent of computer users experience symptoms related to computer fatigue syndrome, explains Dr. Majid Moshirfar, Professor of Ophthalmology and Director of the Cornea Division at Moran Eye Center at the University of Utah. He adds that using a computer is the number one cause of eyestrain today. "Such visual stress can also cause body fatigue," says Moshirfar.
He offers the following suggestions—specifically for seniors—to increase eye comfort and help prevent eyestrain related to computer use.
• Make a conscious effort to blink more often.
Computer usage reduces the blink rate, a natural eye reflex. Because people blink less often than normal when using a computer, prolonged computer use can lead to dry eyes. Blinking produces tears that can help lubricate and moisten the eyes.
• Seek appropriate eyewear.
If you wear glasses or contacts, make sure the correction is right for computer work. Dr. Moshirfar advises that you may need a stronger magnification for computer work than your usual lenses, which are usually fitted for reading print. Glasses or contact lenses designed specifically for computer work may be a worthwhile investment if you work on the computer frequently. Jean Jordan, after visiting her eye specialist, purchased a special prescription lens specifically for computer use, and the discomfort she was experiencing has since decreased measurably.
• Consider enhancing the lighting in your computer room.
Since we spend more time at home as we age, lighting during the day is an important consideration. Dr. Moshirfar suggests that better illumination and increasing your light source may be helpful, because mature eyes require more light to see clearly.
"Neither fluorescent nor incandescent light is as good as natural light coming through the window," says Moshirfar. Also, bright light and too much glare can make it harder to see items on the computer screen and can contribute to eyestrain, so experts suggest you try sitting at your computer with the monitor turned off so that you can see reflected light and images. Note any intense glare. If possible, place your monitor so that the brightest light sources are off to the side, at a right angle to the monitor. Also, you can adjust the contrast and brightness on your computer so that the letters on the screen are easier to read.
• Maintain the proper distance between you and your computer.
The proper distance between you and your computer is 2-to 3- feet, Moshirfar explains. Many people find that putting the screen at arm’s length is about right. If you have to look back and forth often–say, from your computer screen to printed copy–try to keep the copy and your screen the same distance away from you. If two objects are only a couple of inches different in their distance from the eyes, the eyes actually do not have to refocus to look from one to the other.
• Give your eyes regular breaks.
For each two hours of computer work, take a fifteen-minute rest break and undertake a non-typing task, advises Moshirfar. Make an effort to stand up and move around at least once every hour. Give your eyes a regular break by allowing them to focus on something other than your screen. Consider following the 20/20 rule–every twenty minutes, look twenty feet away for twenty seconds.
• Consider lowering your monitor.
Keeping your computer at the proper height–below eye —level—is very important, says Morshirfar. "If you are looking up to use your computer, more area of the eye surface is exposed, creating a greater likelihood of eye dryness," he explains. When you look down, a larger amount of your eye surface is covered by your eyelid. When looking down, the eyes unconsciously blink more and produce more lubrication.
• Add a humidifier to increase room moisture.
To add humidity to your environment and keep the air moist, Moshirfar suggests placing a small humidifier on your computer desk. This could reduce eye dryness. "Change the water each day," he says. "Do not place a fan next to your computer where it will blow the air into your eyes and make the tear film evaporation increase."
• Consider a Zoom Text Magnifier.
Zoom Text Computer Screen Magnifiers are vision aids that let you enlarge and enhance everything on the computer screen, making all on-screen text and pictures much easier to see. Because the available magnification ranges from 1 to 36 times, you have a choice how much to magnify your computer screen. You can also decide to magnify all or part of the computer screen. Pipkin explains that Computer Zoom Text Magnifier Is a program that you load on your computer. Some places to purchase it are through local vendor Carl Smith–866-824-7885, or the following sources which you can phone or look up online: LS and S (Learning Sight and Sound) Magazine 800-468-4789, Maxi Aid Catalog–800-522-6294, Independent Living Magazine 800-537-2118.
• Get an examination by a "low vision" specialist.
Sharon Pipkin of The Utah Division of Services For the Blind and Visually Impaired explains that the following conditions constitute eligibility for low vision services:
• Stable vision with 20/70 or less in the best eye with best correction.
• Progressive vision loss with distance visual acuity of 20/50 or less in the best eye with best correction.
• Field loss such that the visual field is 30 degrees or less in the best eye.
• Functional vision impairment of physiological origin documented by an eye doctor.
Individuals with a qualifying visual condition in one eye and good vision in the other may be served only by vocational rehab and not The Utah Division of Services For the Blind and Visually Impaired
Many optometrists specialize in "low vision" and can recommend helpful devices to make daily life, including computer use, easier. These aids range from hand held lenses to magnifiers to telescopic eyewear to electronic devices. Utah State Division of Services for the Blind and visually impaired (DSBVI) is a state vocational rehabilitation agency that offers services for people who are visually impaired. The agency can be reached at 801-323-4343 or 1-800-284-1823.
• See your doctor if problems persist.
After you make efforts to create a more eye-friendly computer experience, see your doctor if you still have prolonged eye discomfort or a noticeable change in vision, advises Moshirfrar.