Posts Tagged ‘computer vision syndrome’
Posted on August 5th, 2010 by Lisa P.
CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton was recently on “The Early Show” to discuss Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) in a segment titled “How to Ease Your Computer Eye Strain.”
“It’s a new and growing condition that’s a byproduct of modern technology,” she said. “The most common symptoms are: eye strain, dry or irritated eyes, fatigue, and headaches.” Dr. Ashton not only provides the latest on a health problem that affects 70 percent of computer users, her recommendations on easing this strain are tips from VSP Vision Care:
- Blink Often: When looking at a computer or hand-held digital device, it’s common for you to blink two to three times less than you normally would. This can lead to “dry eye.” Blinking bathes your eyes in tears, and tears are naturally therapeutic for the eyes.
- The 20/20/20 Rule: When spending long periods in front of a digital device, every 20 minutes, spend 20 seconds looking at something 20 feet away to allow your eyes to rest.
- Ensure Proper Lighting: Poor lighting often causes eye strain. To help ease the strain on your eyes, keep bright lighting overhead to a minimum and position your desk lamp to shine on your desk, and not at you. Position your computer screen in a way that reduces reflections and glare from windows or overhead lights.
- Location of computer screen: Most people find it more comfortable to view a computer when the eyes are looking downward. Optimally, the computer screen should be 15 to 20 degrees below eye level (about 4 or 5 inches) as measured from the center of the screen and 20 to 28 inches from the eyes.
For more information about computer-related vision problems visit the “My Eyes” tab on VSP’s Facebook page.
File under: CVS, Eye Safety, Technology, eye health | Tagged: 20/20/20 rule, blink, CBS Early Show, CBS News, computer, computer screen, computer vision syndrome, digital, Dr. Jennifer Ashton, eye strain, The Early Show, VSP, VSP Vision Care
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Posted on July 29th, 2010 by Lisa P.
- Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford is a VSP provider practicing in Tampa, FL.
Guest Blogger: Nathan Bonilla-Warford, O.D. specializes in children’s vision, computer vision and orthokeratology. Dr. Warford practices in Tampa, FL at Bright Eyes Family Vision Care and is especially interested in the use of social media in eyecare.
Do you ever experience red or watery eyes, blurry vision or have difficulty focusing after an eight-hour day at work? Together these symptoms may result in computer-related eye problems, but someone can have them without working on a computer. The patients that come to my office often have physical and visual symptoms resulting from an office work environment. Here are some common symptoms and possible solutions to help your eye health during work.
Dry Eyes – Due to ventilation systems, dry air, dust or printer toner in the air, tears may not adequately coat and moisten the eye, leading to red, burning, or irritated eyes. When reading or using the computer, people tend to not blink as often, compounding the problem.
Solution: Blink more when reading or working at the computer. Your optometrist can evaluate and treat dry eyes if it’s a chronic problem.
Workstation Design Problems – If a person’s desk, chair, keyboard and computer monitor are not oriented properly, it can lead to rapid visual fatigue.
Solution: Place the screen 24 inches or more away from your face, and make sure it’s directly in front of and slightly lower than your eyes.
Visual Focusing Problems – The strain on your eyes when focusing on paper or a computer screen can become fatiguing over time. Some people have visual focusing and coordination problems that make reading or using a computer uncomfortable or cause headaches.
Solution: Take frequent breaks (20-20-20 rule: after 20 minutes of computer use, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds). You may also benefit from specific glasses prescribed for office work that help you focus at the correct distance.
If you experience symptoms such as red, irritated, burning eyes, headache or visual fatigue while at work, make an appointment with your VSP Vision Care provider. Effective treatment can include modifying your work area, using the proper prescription glasses, eye medications, or a program of therapeutic visual activities, referred to as vision therapy. One or all of these may be needed to keep your eyes and vision healthy and productive at work.
Download the complete Eye Health for the Workplace Guide written by Dr. Bonilla-Warford.
File under: CVS, Frames & Lenses, eye health | Tagged: blurred vision, computer, computer screen, computer vision syndrome, computer-related eye problems, CVS, digital device, electronic media, eye fatigue, eye health, eye irritation, eye strain, nausea, neck aches, smartphone, Technology, texting, TV, worker productivity
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Posted on July 27th, 2010 by Melissa W.
File under: CVS, Frames & Lenses, Fun, eye health | Tagged: blurred vision, computer, computer screen, computer vision syndrome, computer-related eye problems, CVS, digital device, electronic media, eye fatigue, eye health, eye irritation, eye strain, nausea, neck aches, smartphone, Technology, texting, TV, worker productivity
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Posted on July 2nd, 2010 by Lisa P.
VSP Provider Dr. Roger Phelps, OjaiEyes Optometry
VSP Provider Dr. Roger Phelps served as the subject matter expert on Computer Vision Syndrome with Forbes.com in a recent article titled: Do Computers Really Fry Your Brain? Here is a snippet of the interview with Dr. Phelps and Forbes writer Jenna Goudreau.
In 2005, a medical term was coined to diagnose some of these problems, now known as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). A review of the syndrome in the Survey of Ophthalmology, a peer-reviewed journal, calls it “a repetitive strain disorder that appears to be growing rapidly, with some studies estimating that 90% of the 70 million U.S. workers using computers for more than three hours per day experience it in some form.”
If you spend several days a week gaping for hours at a computer screen, you’re likely familiar with the symptoms. Eyestrain and eye fatigue, irritation, blurred vision, head and neck aches and nausea can all be associated with prolonged computer use.
“People are sitting in front of a computer all day,” says Ojai, Calif.-based optometrist Roger Phelps, who has been practicing for decades. “You are looking at a light source, not focused at the proper distance, and staring. It causes strain.”
Phelps believes that the damage caused by CVS is temporary and can be reversed. The main issue, he says, is that people tend to stare at electronic screens, not blinking or looking away as often as they might while reading a book or magazine.
Why do we stare? Phelps thinks that the technology, from gaming to surfing, is inherently more interesting–colorful and fast-paced–so we don’t want to miss a second. Staring at screens commonly leads to dry eyes, which he sees in more than one-third of his patients and says worsens with age.
Phelps suggests using eye drops and adhering to the 20-20-20 rule, which stipulates that after 20 minutes of computer use, you should look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. The break will allow your eyes a rest and a chance to refocus.
To read the entire article, visit the Forbes website.
File under: CVS, eye health | Tagged: blured vision, computer, computer screen, computer vision syndrome, CVS, Dr. Roger Phelps, eye fatigue, eye health, eye irritation, Forbes, Forbes.com, jenna goudreau, nausea, neck aches, Technology
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Posted on June 4th, 2010 by Lisa P.
File under: Contests, Frames & Lenses, Fun, VSP EyeFiles, eye health, eye myths | Tagged: 3-D, 3-D TV, Alice in Wonderland, Avatar, Bill Nye, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Clash of the Titans, computer vision syndrome, Educational, eye exam, eye health, eye health myths, eyecare, eyes hurt, Eyes of Nye, Eyesight, films, Fun, health, kids, motion sickness, movies, mythbusters, Myths, optometrist, Real D, safety, sea sick, Shrek 3-D, stereopsis, stereoscopic, symptoms, teachers, three d, vertigo, vision problems, Vision Service Plan, VSP, VSP doctor, vsp insurance, VSP Vision Care
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Posted on May 27th, 2010 by Liz B.
Was Bugs Bunny right? Do carrots really improve your eye sight? Well, not exactly. Eating carrots won’t make you see better than you already do, but Bugs’ favorite snack is packed with important vitamins and nutrients that can help protect vision. This is just one example of a common eye myth that has led to confusion about vision health and proper eyecare habits.
To help educate Americans on eye health and debunk common myths, VSP has created a series of webisodes called VSP EyeFiles featuring the iconic Bill Nye the Science Guy and Dr, Roger Phelps, a VSP provider.
As part of this initiative, VSP Vision Care sent an online survey to VSP doctors across the country, asking them for the most common vision-related myths they hear from their patients on a regular basis.
The VSP doctor myth research survey revealed that:
Myth: Working many hours in front of a computer screen will harm your eyes.
Fact: 31 percent of doctors say they hear this myth on a daily basis. Although using computers will not damage vision, fatigue, headaches, neck pain or eye strain may occur with use over extended periods of time. This overuse can result in a serious condition called Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). To help prevent CVS remember the 20-20-20 rule; every 20 minutes, spend 20 seconds looking at something 20 feet away.
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File under: VSP EyeFiles, eye myths | Tagged: 3-D, 3-D TV, Alice in Wonderland, Avatar, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Clash of the Titans, computer vision syndrome, Educational, eye exam, eye health, eye health myths, eye myths, eyecare, eyes hurt, Eyes of Nye, Eyesight, films, Fun, health, kids, motion sickness, movies, mythbusters, Myths, optometrist, Real D, safety, sea sick, Shrek 3-D, stereopsis, stereoscopic, symptoms, teachers, three d, vertigo, vision problems, Vision Service Plan, VSP, VSP doctor, vsp insurance, VSP Vision Care
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Posted on May 25th, 2010 by Liz B.
Without further ado… here’s the first official EyeFiles video featuring the one and only Bill Nye the Science Guy! In this video, Bill examines the claim that 3-D movies can make you feel sick or dizzy. Is it true….?
What do you think? Curious to hear the thoughts of Dr. Kevin Pho, Jesus Diaz, FitSugar, Ken Denmead, and Richard Lawler on the topic as well.
File under: VSP EyeFiles | Tagged: 3-D, 3-D TV, Alice in Wonderland, Avatar, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Clash of the Titans, computer vision syndrome, Educational, eye exam, eye health, eye health myths, eye myths, eyecare, eyes hurt, Eyes of Nye, Eyesight, films, Fun, health, kids, motion sickness, movies, mythbusters, Myths, optometrist, Real D, safety, sea sick, Shrek 3-D, stereopsis, stereoscopic, symptoms, teachers, three d, vertigo, vision problems, Vision Service Plan, VSP, VSP doctor, vsp insurance, VSP Vision Care
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Posted on March 4th, 2010 by Liz B.
VSP provider Dr. Jeffrey Anshel wrote an article for education.com regarding keeping our kids eyes safe while using digital devices and avoiding Computer Vision Syndrome and tired eyes. Good advice for adults too. Read article.
So how much time do you estimate you or your kids spend per day looking at digital devices (smart phones, video games, tv, computers, etc.)? Leave us a comment.
Photo via education.com
File under: Eye Safety, eye health | Tagged: computer, computer vision, computer vision syndrome, digital devices, education.com, eye health, Eye Safety, iphone, Jeffrey Anshel, kids, smart phone, tired eyes, TV, video games
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