You take the time to worry about your heart and your lungs, so why wouldn't you think about your eye health? If you are like most people, it might be because you don't know that much about how to take care of your eyes. Fortunately, I have been working with other people to teach them about eye health for the past twenty years. My father lost his eyesight because of a few bad decisions, and I don't want to see other people go down that path. Read here to learn why you should exercise, eat right, and see your eye doctor regularly.
Improving Your Eye Health
Understanding And Dealing With Computer Vision Syndrome
James Castro
If you spend a lot of time staring at a computer monitor, or any digital display, you may suffer from temporary bouts of computer vision syndrome. In fact, you've probably experienced one of the many symptoms associated with CSV without realizing that there was a term for it. Here's what you need to know about CSV.
What is Computer Vision Syndrome?
CVS is the name given to the symptoms you experience
That uninterrupted staring creates strain on your eyes. Even if you break your focus, it creates strain as well. For example, when you move your eyes constantly you also
If you play a PC video game on a large monitor, you may find yourself moving your eyes from one side of the screen to the other, constantly. You may also look from the screen down to the keyboard and back several times in quick succession.
Not only does this make your eyes work harder than they normally would, it creates eye problems. If you already have eye problems, this kind of activity exacerbates them.
The symptoms of CVS can include one or more of the following.
- General discomfort around the eyes
- Dry or red eyes
- Blurry or double vision
- Watery or stinging eyes
- Light sensitivity
- Mild to severe headaches
These symptoms are typically temporary. Some rest will have you feeling fine in most cases. However, there are two main issues that you need to stay cognizant of.
- CVS can negatively affect your focus, productivity, and work performance.
- CVS can make many existing eye issues worse.
Because of these two things, it's best for you to do what you can to mitigate the effects of CVS.
Preventing and Mitigating CVS
There are many ways to prevent or mitigate CVS symptoms. The easiest solutions have to do with how you interact with your screen.
Take breaks. Purposefully look away from your monitor every few minutes. Focus on something further off or out a window for a minute. The "20-20-20 Rule" is a good practice for those that spend long hours with a screen. Also, stand up and step away now and then as well.
Tame your lights. Having lights on is important, but you should position your screen so that there is little to no glare from the lights. Also, try to keep the lights low, but not dim. If you can stay from under fluorescent lights, it will help as well.
See an optometrist. Seeing an eye care professional can help you do even more. Before you start your vision tests, let the optometrist know if you regularly experience symptoms of CVS. This can open more possibilities for you.
These possibilities can include such things as eyeglasses specifically for viewing a computer monitor, or anti-glare lenses. If you already wear glasses or contacts, your eye care professional can also see if there is any way to upgrade your prescription lenses so they can better deal with CVS. To find out more about eye health, contact someone like Optique Boutique.
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