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CVS is defined as
a complex of eye and vision disorders related to near work, which
is experienced during or related to computer usage.
CVS is the single
largest health hazard related to computer work today. If you are
the kind of person who spends most of the time working on the
computer everyday, you are likely to suffer from CVS. An
estimated 800 million people in the world already do. Ignoring
CVS can prove to be very costly, as it is known to cause serious
immediate and long-term health problems.
What is
Computer Vision Syndrome?
When working on the computer, your eyes move from the screen to
the keyboard to your presentation on the table about 25,000
times. While doing this, your eyes are exposed to different
intensities and frequencies of flicker of light. To survive this
task, your eyes are required to adjust to the flicker of the
monitor, accommodate (to remove blurred images), converge (to
remove double images) and adapt (to various luminance's) 25,000
times a day approximately.
The strain your
eyes are subjected to is equivalent of doing 50 push-ups every
minute day-in and day-out. But the ordeal does not end there.
Tired and beaten, your eyes are further punished by the harsh
glare of the computer screen.
How Soon
Does CVS Develop? Because working on
a computer is a visually demanding task, often in a compromised
visual environment, various forms of discomfort and decreased
performance occurs.
| 1 hour / day |
27% |
| 1-2 hours |
72% |
| 2-3 hours |
85% |
| 3-4 hours |
100% |
Some of
the common symptoms of CVS include:
Eye strain
(sore eyes or eye fatigue)
Headache
Blurred
vision
Slowness
in changing the focus of eyes (distance to near and back)
Blur in
the distance after near work
Glare
(light) sensitivity
Eye
irritation (burning, dryness, redness)
Contact-lens
discomfort
Neck and
shoulder pain
Back pain
The best way to
avoid CVS is to take corrective action immediately by designing
an ergonomically correct work place. That means proper lighting
conditions that do not strain the eye, monitor level slightly
lower than the line of vision, arm and palm rests to ease the
pressure while typing, and an anti-glare screen if possible.
A few simple rules
you can follow to ease the eye-fatigue while working on the video
display terminal:
After
every half hour, break eye contact with the computer
display. Look out of the window or just walk around.
As the
blink rate goes down while working on a computer,
lubricating drops can be used to alleviate symptoms.
Use
glasses that have an anti-glare coating.
Maintain a
comfortable reading distance from the computer display.
Do not peer into it. 55-75 cms is a safe distance (2 to
2.5 feet).
See that
the lighting in the room is indirect and diffused.
A periodic
checkup with an eye specialist to monitor any invisible
injury to the eyes.
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