| If you work in an office, do your eyes hurt by the end | | | | taking short but frequent breaks, your eyes and your |
| of the working day? You aren't alone: about 88% of all | | | | head will feel much better even after long hours of |
| people who work with computers experience a type | | | | work. |
| of eyestrain known as Computer Vision Syndrome | | | | 5. Make page designs "eye friendly" |
| (CVS). After all, a computer screen isn't exactly the | | | | If you have to do a lot of online research, you probably |
| most natural thing to look at. Perhaps a couple of | | | | have seen pages that look like they were designed to |
| thousands of years of evolution would solve the | | | | inconvenience the reader as much as possible. Don't |
| problem ... but I am sure you aren't prepared to wait | | | | you love those pages with tiny, white type on a black |
| this long. Fortunately there are a few simple things you | | | | background? |
| can do to minimize computer eyestrain. | | | | Most Web browsers let you change the font size of a |
| 1. From time to time look into the distance, to readjust | | | | page; in Internet Explorer it is done by opening the |
| the focus of your eyes | | | | View menu, and then choosing Text Size. And here is |
| The human eye has trouble staying focused on | | | | a trick for dealing with pages with dark or busy |
| computer images and text. Our eyes involuntary drift | | | | backgrounds: drag your mouse across the text to |
| away, so we tend to force them to remain focused | | | | select it - it inverts the colors, and you will see dark |
| on the screen. | | | | text on a light background, just as nature intended. |
| This flexing of the eyes' focusing muscles, all day long, | | | | 6. Whenever possible print pages for reading; don't |
| is a real struggle for your eyes. So take your gaze | | | | read from the screen |
| away from the screen as often as possible. The key, | | | | Reading printed material is much less stressful, for your |
| here, is not to take long breaks but to take frequent | | | | eyes, than reading from the screen. And you will be |
| breaks. Every few minutes look away from the | | | | more productive too - it is a proven fact that people |
| screen and focus on a far away object - out the | | | | read printed text 25% faster than they read text from |
| window, for example. | | | | the computer screen. |
| 2. If you wear contact lenses, go for the best quality | | | | 7. Adjust the light |
| not the lowest price | | | | When working at the computer you don't need a very |
| Because computer users blink less often, their eyes | | | | bright light. Direct sunlight and lighting in most offices are |
| tend to dry out, and some contact lenses contribute to | | | | way to bright. Put the blinds down on a sunny day. It is |
| this dryness even more. Ask your doctor to prescribe | | | | best to turn your monitor so the window is on its side, |
| contact lenses that don't dry your eyes. | | | | not in front or behind it. Soft light of a desk lamp from |
| Acuvue Advance with Hydroclear or Focus Night and | | | | the side is also an option. If the light in the office is too |
| Day might work well for you. See suggestions on soft | | | | bright, you can wear tinted computer glasses. |
| contact lenses for computer users. | | | | 8. Adjust the brightness of your monitor |
| If money is an issue, find out how you can get discount | | | | The color white, on your computer screen, shouldn't |
| contact lenses online. This usually turns out to be 50% | | | | shine like a light source. You can adjust the brightness |
| - or more - cheaper than buying them from the | | | | of your monitor to a little bit below default. However, |
| doctor's office. | | | | remember to keep the contrast high, otherwise it will |
| 3. Close your eyes for a few seconds | | | | be even more difficult for your eyes to stay focused. |
| Because looking at the computer is a constant struggle | | | | 9. Get your eye examined every 12 months |
| for the eyes, people concentrate and tend to blink | | | | If you need vision correction it is important that your |
| much less often than normal. This causes dryness of | | | | eyeglasses or contact lenses fit your needs. Wearing |
| the eyes. | | | | corrective eyewear that isn't up-to-date increases the |
| It is difficult to force yourself to blink more often, but | | | | stress on your eyes. |
| you can close your eyes every time you are waiting | | | | 10. Ask your eye doctor about special computer |
| for your machine to do something. | | | | glasses |
| 4. Take a short break every hour | | | | These are usually multifocal glasses that help you to |
| It is recommended that you take 10 minutes away | | | | focus better on computer text. They can also be |
| from the computer for every 50 minutes spent at it. | | | | tinted, which helps if the lights in your office are too |
| Move around the room, stretch your back and do a | | | | bright. |
| few simple exercises. | | | | Follow these simple rules and you will notice that, by |
| If you can teach yourself the habit of closing your | | | | the end of the day, you won't feel so exhausted and |
| eyes often, looking away to readjust your focus and | | | | your eyes won't hurt nearly as much, if at all. |