Computer Vision Syndrome

According to the 2003 U.S. Census, 64% of adults and 86% of children use computers at school, at work, or at home. Computer vision syndrome (CVS) affects the majority of computer users, about 88% of people who use computers everyday suffer from eyestrain, and children are no exception.

Obvious signs that the computer may be affecting your eyes include:

Eye strain
Difficulty focusing
Blurred vision
Double vision

CVS also causes problems beyond what you might associate with eyestrain. You may not notice any visual symptoms, but suffer from things such as:
Headaches
Neck and shoulder pain
Fatigue

Even if you feel that you are able to see the computer screen clearly, your eyes may become taxed to the point that your productivity is lower, stress and fatigue are higher, and your vision actually begins to gradually decline.
Exercising your eyes, by shifting focus from near to far and back again, is good for your eyes and keeps the muscles limber and flexible. However, computer use overworks the eye muscles in a way that is not beneficial.
While it all may seem like reading to you, printed words are much easier for your eyes to focus on than the letters on your computer screen. Letters on the screen may have the illusion of being crisp and clear, but they are not. They are made of tiny pixels which cause your eyes to make constant micro-movements, shifting to the “resting point of accommodation” and then back to trying to focus on the words.

Adding to the problem, sitting at the computer for long periods of time can cause the muscles in your face, neck, and shoulders to become stiff and tense and reduce the blood flow to your head and eyes. Good blood flow is necessary for healthy eyes. Because of the brightness of the screen we blink five times less often than normal when using the computer, leading to dry eye.

Prolonged computer use, and the eyestrain that it causes, can cause vision to deteriorate in adults and children, but CVS can be prevented without giving up your computer time.

Computer Eyeglasses
An inaccurate corrective lens prescription significantly contributes to CVS. Most prescriptions are not accurate for computer use, because they are not optimized for reading or viewing objects that are at the distance from our eyes as most computer screens. Your prescription need not be off enough for you to notice to cause eyestrain when using the computer. According to a recent study conducted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, even if you feel that you can see the screen clearly, your performance may be decreased as much as 20%. A prescription for computer eyeglasses optimizes the prescription for computer use. It is estimated that 70% to 75% of computer users could benefit from the use of computer glasses.

Ergonomics, eye exercises, and good habits can also help prevent CVS. Just a short break every fifteen to twenty minutes can prevent eyestrain and make the time that you do spend at the computer more productive.
A yearly eye exam will let you know if your vision is deteriorating with computer use. If you are experiencing symptoms of CVS, however, don't wait until your annual exam to get checked out.

Contact your ophthalmologist today and find out what you can do to get immediate relief and prevent vision loss.