For more information on computer vision syndrome, log onto the Prevent Blindness Georgia website www.pbga.org or call 404-266-2020.
We all know that technology rules our world.
What we may not realize, or simply deny, is those computers, e-readers and tablets we can’t seem to live without, can wreak havoc on our eyes.
Think headaches, blurry vision, back and neck pain, all symptoms, doctors say, of computer vision syndrome or CVS.
“As more people read email, newspapers, and periodicals online, they spend hours staring at seven-to-nine-inch screens, sometimes for hours at a time,” said Dr. Scott Pastor, an ophthalmologist with Eye Consultants of Atlanta and board co-chair of Prevent Blindness Georgia, a non-profit eye health and safety organization. “ I usually have to ask them about their use of a Kindle or iPad to elicit the cause for their eye problems, because they don’t relate their devices to their eye symptoms.”
And yet, he said, he is seeing increasing numbers of patients, both young and old, complaining of everything from blurred vision and eye irritation to headaches and spasms in which the eyes basically get stuck focusing on the screen.
The good news, Pastor said, is that while CVS may make a lot of people miserable, it will not cause permanent vision loss.
Devices like tablets and smart phones, however, are more challenging for our eyes because of the added difficulty the eyes have with contrast and glare problems, as well as our tendency to tune out the world and focus on the screen for hours at a time.
Still, Pastor said, there are things we can do to reduce eye strain:
• Practice good ergonomics: hold the screen slightly below eye level, with shoulders back and neck in line with the spine (don’t get “all hunched over”)
• Control the light: don’t allow glare from overhead lights or sun from a window to reflect directly off of the screen; adjust the screen contrast if possible.
• If you have glasses, wear them. If you are over 40 and need help to read clearly, use reading glasses. Your eye doctor can help, or you can bring your new Kindle/device to stores that sell reading glasses and get the correct power based on the distance you’re comfortable holding your reader. This will help prevent the rare accommodative spasm, increase overall eye comfort, and eliminate eye strain.
• Pay attention to environmental lighting. Many digital devices provide their own light for reading, but can be difficult to see in bright light or when used outdoors. To help reduce eye strain, adjust the reading angle, increase the screen brightness and turn off the auto-brightness.
• Use computer vision glasses, prescription eyeglasses designed specifically for doing computer work. Even if you have near perfect vision, computer vision glasses can ease eye strain from prolonged use of a digital device.
• And most importantly, take a break and blink. Every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds and look at something 20 feet away.
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