Steps to Keep Your Computer from Harming Your Vision, Eyes
Computer Vision Syndrome is effecting more and more people daily. Our eyes are just not designed for long hours on the computer. Computers displays images in what is called pixels, which is tiny dots of lights. These lights can make our eyes tired and cause them to loose focus, over time.
The common symptoms that your computer may be starting to bother your vision is the following: eyestrain, tired burning eyes, headaches, neck and shoulder pain, slow focusing and blurred vision at a distance.
If you have these symptoms, you should go and see your eye doctor immediately. There are steps he/she can tell you steps to take to help your symptoms. You may be given eye drops or he/she may want to prescribe computer glasses for you to use when you are working at the computer. Computer glasses are made with special lens for computer viewing.
But if you don’t have these symptoms and you still work at a computer on a regular basis there are steps you can take now to help keep you from straining your eyes in the future.
See your eye doctor:
First of all, you should see your eye doctor for a computer eye exam. This is the most important thing you should do to prevent and or treat computer vision problems. You should be tested before you start using the computer on a regular basis and every year afterward.
Proper lighting:
Eyestrain can be caused by excessive bright light coming from inside and outside. You can easily eliminate excessive outside light by using shades and blinds. You can eliminate inside light by using fewer lights. If possible, you should also position your monitor so that windows are at the side of you, not in front or back of you.
Minimize glare:
Install anti-glare screens to your monitor. If possible, paint bright white walls a darker color with a matte finish.
Adjust brightness of computer screen:
Closely match brightness of environment to your computer screen. Test: look at a web page that has a white background. Does the letters appear as a light? If so, your monitor is set too bright. If it appears dull and gray, it is set too dark. Adjust your monitor, if necessary.
Blink more often:
Blinking is very important when using a computer. When we blink, we are rewetting our eyes. This helps us naturally to avoid dryness.
Exercise and stretch your eyes:
Look away from the screen every 30 minutes and focus on something in the distant for 5 to 10 seconds.
Take frequent breaks
For every hour you work on the computer you should take a 10 minute break.
Modify your workstation
If you have to look at a printed document and then back to your computer screen, you should place that document on a copy stand adjacent to your monitor. If possible, light your stand, just don’t allow the light to shine into your eyes.
Exercise when sitting
Stand up, move around, move your neck, shoulder and arms frequently.
By taking these steps now, you may save yourself future eye problems. And remember without your eyes, you won’t be able to see the computer at all. So please take the steps to ensure that you will have better eye sight tomorrow. Because there are a lot of beautiful things out there to see and they all aren’t on the computer screen.
