Eyestrain, or asthenopia, can happen when we spend long periods of time intensely focusing our eyes in activities such as reading, writing, and using the computer.
In today’s digital world, we tend to use our smart devices and computer for personal and business purposes, so it’s no wonder that people in the workplace are progressively experiencing vision problems. A recent survey showed that computer work has resulted in 14 percent of reported eye problems.
Also known as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), symptoms of eyestrain tend to vary from major headaches, achy eyes, blurry vision, and increased myopia (nearsightedness), to more subtle ones such as general fatigue. Also, our ability to focus on our work usually starts to decrease, leading to a drop in productivity.
While some of the vision issues are physiological, many are the result of visual habits, so here’s how to defeat vision problems in the workplace:
Establish the proper distance from the computer – ideally about 30 inches away from your eyes. Basically, you should keep your screen at arm’s length.
Sit straight in a chair while looking at the center of the computer screen – lying down or slouching can be especially harmful.
Rest your eyes every 15 minutes or so to help your focusing muscles recover. Take a little walk or just look away from your computer screen at a distant object for 10 – 20 seconds.
Blink frequently when you are looking at a computer screen to keep your eyes from drying out.
A great way to rest your eyeballs is to “palm” your eyes – take the centers of your palms and place them over your eyes, take deep slow breaths and relax your eye muscles. This can help rejuvenate your eyes and save them during long computer projects.
Make your on-screen characters big enough that you can actually read them, as on-screen text that’s too small will strain your eyes. The letters you’re reading should be at least about 3.5 mm.
Always work on the computer and other smart devices in good lighting.
Angle your monitor to avoid on-screen glare – ideally to a perpendicular angle to any windows. if you can see a white shirt in the reflection of a turned-off monitor, you’ve got too much glare. You can also install an anti-glare screen, and/or get an app to prevent the monitor glare throughout the day. Apps such as f.lux will change the colors of your screen to match the time of day, such as a yellow-orange around sunset.
Clean your monitor often – dust obscures text and makes it harder to read the screen, causing your eyes to tire faster.
Supply your eyes the nutrients they need so they can work hard, such as foods rich in vitamins A, C, and E or zinc, or take a supplement.
If you’re suffering from eye strain, you may experience all of these symptoms, or just one. The good news is that many of these vision issues can be treated or avoided with good visual habits at your computer, and if needed special type of prescription lens.
Get your eyes checked regularly – if symptoms persist and becomes a major problem, it could be due to a vision problem.
To determine if these issues are being caused by CVS, schedule a functional vision test – it is more comprehensive than a typical eye exam, and can help determine if you have a problem with eye tracking, depth perception, or another visual skill related to CVS.
If you are looking for a functional vision test or natural ways to treat ADHD and ADD in Lancaster PA with vision therapy techniques, we invite you to call our office at (717) 656-0534 today to make an appointment, or click here to take our free symptoms survey.