COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME

It’s hard to stay away from a computer. It’s a fact of modern life. We spend at least a few hours a day on the computer constantly staring at a screen. We work on them, we use them to network and owing to the various social sites, some people live out their lives sitting in front of a computer. While computers are a necessity, staring at a screen all day can cause severe damage to the eyes and the damage associated with staring at computer screens even has its own name; the doctors call it Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).

This is a condition that almost everyone who uses a computer faces and at times, people aren’t even aware that they suffer from the said condition.

Cause and effect
CVS is a very real problem for all people who spend hours in front of any computer screen on a daily basis. In fact, a study conducted in the US showed that 85 per cent of computer users are prone to CVS. Closer to home in India, the statistics are more alarming as the demographic most affected by CVS happens to be young students and professionals, which means a very young section of the population is putting themselves at risk.

The American Optometric Association defines CVS as, “A collection of symptoms experienced by computer users in the course of their work.” The symptoms include fatigue, headaches, dry eyes, inability to maintain near focus, progressive refractive (spectacles) changes, neck and shoulder discomfort, changes in colour perception and pain in or around the eyes. These symptoms can get worse due to inappropriate overhead lighting or glare and if the eyes are exposed to direct air from a fan or vent.

In addition, while the normal blink rate of any individual is around 16-20 per minute, the rate for computer users is 6-8 blinks. In addition, staring at the screen for a long time can put undue strain on the eye muscles.

Prevention and cure
While CVS is a very real problem, there are ways to combat it and even avoid it. Ensure you get your eyes checked by a doctor regularly, remember to blink often and take breaks while working on a computer. In addition…

* Consider computer eyewear: The use of proper, focussed computer eyewear is a better option than contact lenses as the latter may aggravate the problem due to their ability to cause CLIDE (contact lens induced dry eyes).
* Adjust the brightness and contrast of your screen:

Try looking at the white background of a web page and if it looks like a light source, it’s too bright. In addition, adjusting the screen settings is important to make sure that there is a significant contrast between the screen background and the on-screen characters. Similarly, the text size and colour need to be adjusted so that looking at it takes minimum effort.

* Listen to your doctor:
If you do have CVS and have been advised to take medication by a doctor, follow the prescription and get checked regularly so that the condition doesn’t worsen.

TAKE CARE
* Staring at a computer all day can cause severe damage to the eyes.

* CVS is a collection of symptoms that people who use the computer for long hours face.

* The symptoms include, fatigue, headaches, dry eyes, inability to maintain near focus, progressive refractive (spectacles) changes, neck and shoulder discomfort among others.

* With a few preventive measures like getting your eyes checked regularly, using focussed computer eyewear, adjusting the brightness of the computer screen and following your doctor’s advice can help.

- The writer is a consultant eye surgeon at Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai.