What is Computer Vision Syndrome

Have you heard about Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)? If you are working on a computer constantly either in your office or in home you are likely the affected by CVS. CVS is nothing but eye fatigue or eye strain arising out of focusing errors. What are the symptoms of CVS? The most distinct symptoms of CVS could be:

1. Eye fatigue or eye strain,

2. Mental fatigue,

3. Irritation or itching eyes with burning sensation,

4. Double vision or blurred vision due to lack of focusing,

5. Pain around shoulders, neck and arms

6. Constant muscle spasms and

7. Persistent headaches.

CVS Affecting the Larger Population

According to the Census Report of US (2001), over 143 million US citizens spend their quality time before the computer every day. This includes 54 million children from schools. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) made this prediction in 1996: ‘Nearly 88 per cent of all computer users will develop CVS at some times in their lives.’ The eye physicians are of the opinion that 85 % of the computer users exposed to PCs and laptops for more or less six hour a day will suffer from CVS. Why CVS is fast becoming the silent epidemic? Is there any reason for this ailment? Yes when you stare at your monitor you blink in lesser frequency. You need to blink 16 times in a minute, but you blink hardly two to three times in a minute. Absence of adequate blinking is the reason for eye fatigue, pain, dryness due to lack of tear, irritation or itching and so on.

How You Develop CVS?

How you develop CVS? You are familiar with printed characters, symbols and images. You are able to focus those elements because they have well defined edges and the white background and black letter / symbols make your eyes to feel comfortable while focusing. But your computer monitor displays characters, symbols and images in terms of tiny dots or pixels. The characters, symbols and images don’t have well defined edges. The background and characters, symbols and images lack contrast and definition. You feel it difficult to maintain focus on these characters, symbols and images. This reduced level of focusing is termed by experts as "resting point of accommodation" or RPA. Ophthalmologists terms this condition as presbyopia.

Precautions:

If your monitor is provided with anti-glare screen your eyes may feel some comfort. Anti-glare filters may reduce glare from reflections on the monitor. But your focusing problem persists.

Follow Ten Important Steps to Get Relief from CVS

1. Do you feel any discomfort while working on your PC. Feel relaxed. Close your eyes. Roll your eye balls. Look at the green vegetation. Feel free and resume your work. This will make you comfortable and remove dryness in your eyes.

2. Human ergonomics plays a vital role in minimizing eye fatigue. Set your computer monitor to facilitate comfortable viewing. Experts recommend that you must set your monitor just six to eight inch below your eye level.

3. Another ergonomic factor that could help you to feel comfortable is the distance between your eyes and the computer monitor. Experts recommend that 20 to 25 inches will be the ideal for comfortable viewing.

4. One more ergonomic factor could be that selection of your seating. If your seat is near to an air vent your eyes soon become dry. So try to avoid your seat near to an air vent..

5. The experts also recommend to use large size font. The font size should be three times larger than the normal font size you could read on your screen.

6. Avoid to locate your computer monitor under the bright overhead lighting system. Also avoid to place the monitor just against the window allowing bright sun light.

7. Important Mantra to minimize CVS could be: “Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and focus on something 20 feet
away,"

8. Ophthalmologists recommend to position your monitor just in front of your chest level but definitely not at your eye level. The brightness of your monitor should be adjusted to match your work environment. You may tilt the monitor or alter display settings to achieve this result. Prefer to work with files with dull colored backgrounds i.e., smoke gray, cream, ivory white or any similar color.

9. Above all visit your Ophthalmologist and tell him about your working environment and problems. Undergo tests and get yourself diagnosed for the CVS. If required get prescription for a pair of glasses.

10. Take regular break. Plan your work meticulously and set your computer sessions in between other two normal work.

Reference Source:

TOI : India is home to world's largest number of blind people-15 million : Oct 12, 2007 http://www.karmayog.org/visuallychallengednews/visuallychallengednews_10670.htm