Looking at computer? Watch your eyes

Your laptop may be your best buddy at work and at play, but your eyes will disagree. Here’s how to get them to see eye to eye.



After your morning cup of tea, the first thing you reach for-perhaps even before you grab the newspaper-is the ‘on’ switch on your PC or laptop.

At home, at work, back home again, it isn’t uncommon today for us to spend over 10 hours each day at arm’s length from a computer screen. Technology has its advantages, but there is a flip side to it too.

Add Computer Vision Syndrome to the list of modern urban lifestyle maladies we must contend with. But better computer habits can help you overcome the problem.

Are you a victim?
The answer could be ‘yes’if you live with these problems on a daily basis, week in, week out :

* Eye pain
* Reddened eyes
* Watering eyes
* Headache
* Fatigue
* Irritability
* Poor concentration on the PC

Why this is happening

Contrary to what the office grapevine says, it really isn’t the PC that’s the problem-that friendly monitor is not emitting any harmful rays or radiation. Whether black-and-white or colour, the tube’s not the culprit.

The real causes of your trouble

* Constantly fixing your gaze at a point very near your face (the position of the monitor for most of us). ‘Convergence fatigue’ is what we ophthalmologists call it.
* Infrequent blinking (while you surf and type at top speed gazing at the monitor).

Convergence fatigue
When we look at an object placed close to our face, both our eyes move towards each other to fix on the target-in other words, they try to converge (the extreme case of which is crossed eyes!).

Consider how tough it is to stay cross-eyed for more than a minute. It’s not that extreme, but even a lower convergence is a strain when you hold it too long. And that’s what prolonged sessions with the monitor do to you. Result: fatigue in the eye muscles, responsible for focussing them to converge. Force them to keep at it, and you end up with eye strain, pain-and a headache. This is like any other prolonged activity leading to sore muscles. What your eyes want and need is rest.



Infrequent blinking
You may not realise it, but you always have tears standing in your eyes! That film of moisture over the front of your eyes keeps them well lubricated for health and comfort. It’s from those tears that your eye tissues get oxygen and nourishment. Just like the computer monitor needs to refresh constantly to keep the picture clear, you need to keep blinking to ‘wash’ and ‘bathe’ the eyes in tears. When you don’t blink enough, that film of tears starts to dry up or sag. Soon, you start feeling the dryness-as irritation, then redness and finally, as a protective reflex, increased watering of the eyes.

What you can do
Computers-and other screens, like the wide flat screen TV-are here to stay. You can, quite literally, blink the eye pain away!

1. Monitor yourself

* First of all, push the monitor as far as you comfortably can. About 2-3 feet away from your face is a good distance.
* Do not stare at the monitor for too long. Take your eyes off the screen every 5-10 minutes.set a reminder if you have to.
* Every half an hour or so (yes, set a timer), close your eyes for 1-2 minutes to give them rest.
* Every hour or so, take a 5-minute break. Indeed, it’ll do your whole body a world of good to stand up, stretch, pace a little.or go run a short errand. Deskercises (exercises you can do sitting at your desk) are also a great idea if your workplace just isn’t conducive to getting up and walking around.
* Make a conscious effort to blink. often! Ask colleagues or children to warn you if they fi nd you staring ahead without blinking.
* Avoid sitting right under, or in front of an air conditioner, so that the air draught doesn’t hit your face. The gust dries your ‘tears’ faster.

2. Counter convergence fatigue
Exercise your eyes regularly to prevent the pain of working too long at the computer (or even of reading or writing for hours at a time).

3. Lubricate your eyes
Ask your ophthalmologist to recommend lubricant eye drops to counter the dryness and irritation. You can use these 3-4 times a day to soothe the redness and burning. Over-the-counter (OTC) options include-Tears Naturale and Addtears, amongst others. Very rarely, these drugs cause an adverse reaction -if there is any irritation, redness or swelling, discontinue at once and report to your doc. Exercise your eyes regularly to prevent the pain of working too long at the computer (or even of reading or writing for hours at a time). So this is for all professionals who work at a PC daily, as well as for students, and others who spend long hours at the computer, who said ‘yes’ to the symptoms above-follow the exercise regimen mentioned above (see box).

That said, make sure you also get your eyes tested by an eye surgeon to catch incipient eyesight problems and ‘convergence insufficiency’ (eyes that are too tired to deal with near-distance work).