As Seen in Expressly My Health
It's the burning sensation in your eyes, the headache throbbing behind your forehead and the kink in your neck -- symptoms that most computer users experience, but may not connect to the monitor in front of them.
More than half of employees who work on computers experience Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS), at least occasionally, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Symptoms include blurred vision, headaches, neck and shoulder pain and sore, tired or dry eyes.
"CVS is a much bigger problem than people admit,"
Because the fuzzy pixel edges in a computer screen cause eyes to constantly refocus, computer users strain their eyes more than they would reading printed materials, Berner says. When they can't see the screen properly, workers hunch over and may experience neck and shoulder aches.
In addition to the "Big E" chart, Berner uses a computer vision exam to test patients who spend more than two hours per day in front of a computer. The PRIO Vision Tester, which looks like a computer screen, allows him to give more accurate prescriptions for computer glasses -- lenses used by people who don't normally need glasses or who need a different prescription for computer use.
Besides wearing computer glasses, people can reduce strain on their eyes by adjusting their workspaces, Berner says. Place the monitor about two feet from your eyes and remove glare by covering windows and dimming lights. Look away from the computer screen every 10 minutes and focus on something at least 20 feet away.
Judy Holt, an administrative assistant for 20 years, never wore glasses until two months ago, when she received a prescription for computer use. She was leaning in and squinting to see her computer screen and getting headaches at the end of the day. Her husband had received a new prescription for computer use, and she decided to get an eye exam.
"[CVS] is something that you just live with for so long that you don't even realize it's there," Holt says. "Once I got these computer glasses, it was a whole different story."
Employers should be concerned about CVS, says James Sheedy, a professor at Ohio State University College of Optometry. Not only does it affect employee comfort and morale, he says, it also reduces productivity. On average, productivity drops by 9 percent and accuracy by 38 percent among employees with untreated CVS, according to a
Sheedy estimates that diagnosing and treating Computer Vision Syndrome costs American companies and employees close to $2 billion per year.
Vision coverage has become a popular health insurance benefit, but if your employer doesn't offer it, ask for a reimbursement for any computer-related vision expenses, Sheedy says.
Visitors to Sheedy's Web site, http://www.DoctorErgo.com, can print out a form for their eye doctors to fill out and certify that computer glasses are a work-related expense.
MONITOR MALADIES? People who use a computer for more than two hours each day may experience Computer Vision Syndrome.
Symptoms:
--blurred vision
--eye fatigue or soreness
--dry eyes
--headaches
--neck and shoulder pain
Treatments:
--Get computer glasses.
--Eliminate the glare on your computer screen.
--Look away from the screen every 10 minutes and focus on something at least 20 feet away.
--Sit with the monitor directly in front of you, about 24 inches away.
--Blink more often.
