What Is Computer Vision Syndrome?

There are many instances when one gets headaches and eyestrains while working on a computer. There may be cases where you may suffer weak vision, dry and irritated eyes, muscular problems etc. At the end of a long day in front of your computer screen, is it difficult to focus on distant objects. This is known as Computer Vision Syndrome. In today’s computer world, such problems are quite common.

Computer vision syndrome is a serious problem for the millions of people who spend hours in front of a computer every day. Computer vision syndrome (CVS) is a temporary condition resulting from focusing the eyes on a computer display for protracted, uninterrupted periods of time. Since it is a syndrome, the term is associated with symptoms like headaches, neck and shoulder pain, dry or irritated eyes and blurred vision.

Symptoms can be classified into three categories namely:

Vision problems that include blurred vision (both near and far), difficulty changing focus, double vision, glare, flickering sensations, and temporary changes in color perception.

Eye problems that include redness, burning sensation, soreness, itchiness, dryness, excessive tearing, eye fatigue, eyestrain, light sensitivity, and contact lens discomfort.

General discomfort symptoms include headaches, neck tension or pain, shoulder tension or pain, back pain, pain in arms or wrists, excessive fatigue, irritability, and drowsiness

Glare from surrounding lights can also lead to eyestrain. Removing direct light sources or installing blinds, shades can reduce glare. Anti reflection computer screen should be used to reduce reflection. Interior lighting should be half that is used in most workplaces, with fewer or lower intensity bulbs offering an easy solution to the level of ambient lighting. Computer glasses for mid-range vision enhancement should be used instead of regular eyeglasses.

Make a note that the monitor of your workstation is kept at eye level and is not placed too high. This is because the ideal gaze angle is 10 to 20 degrees below the eye. A screen that is too high can lead to dry eyes as you need to constantly keep your eyes wide open and blink less frequently. Moreover, a highly placed screen can cause headaches and neck and upper back pain because the head is tilted back to see.

Another method to reduce eyestrain is keep the contrast between screen background and the on-screen characters high, and, make sure that the text size and color are vision-friendly.

It is generally seen that while working on a computer, you blink only one fifth as often as normally. Thus, it is advised to regular blink your eyes at half-hour intervals, which helps avoid the irritation of dry eyes. It is important to ensure that your eyes remain as moist as possible by blinking regularly.