Questions About Eyestrain:
Q:
Why do my eyes feel so strained and fatigued
during and after computer use ?
A: The characters on a computer screen, called
pixels, are the main culprits of leaving your eye muscles fatigued after
prolonged computer use. Pixels are different from written text for a couple of
reasons: 1) Pixels are bright in the center and fuzzy on the edges, compared
with written text that has clear, sharp edges. 2) Pixels are accompanied by many
varieties of backgrounds, quite often not lending the strong contrast to the
characters that written text does. Our eyes focusing abilities aren't capable of
remaining focused on pixels, as they are written text. When we look at a
computer screen, our eyes drift to a resting point rather than remaining focused
on pixels. This is a subtle, but constant process of drifting and re-focusing
that after a while leaves our eyes strained and fatigued.
Solution: The way to prevent your eye muscles from
straining and leaving you feeling fatigued is to use a pair of glasses meant
specifically for helping your eyes to focusing capabilities. Glasses meant
specifically for computer use can be designed to allow your eyes to focus easier
on the pixels and distance that lies in.
Q: Why do I get headaches and pain in my forehead when I use the computer?
A: While headaches can also be attributed to
the pixels of a computer and the process of drifting in and out of focus,
another reason for this symptom is squinting. Squinting comes as a result of the
glare that your computer produces. There are many reasons for the glare: many
offices are well lit by fluorescent lights, some computers are located next to
windows, which allow the sun to shine in freely, and can also be caused by too
much contrast between the screen background and the displayed text.
Solution: While the glare certainly isn't the only
culprit, an anti-glare, anti-reflective lens can be a big help. It would also be
very important to keep your eyes from becoming fatigued, because that plays a
major role in causing headaches as well.
Q: Why does my neck bother me so much while I'm working on the computer?
A: Neck strain from computer use can be
attributed to the bifocals, multifocals or progressive lenses that you wear.
Only a small portion of your lenses are dedicated to intermediate range viewing.
Because only a small portion has been dedicated, you struggle to see through
that area by contorting your neck, shoulder, and body. After a while these
awkward and uncomfortable positions will leave feeling strain in these areas.
Occasionally, someone who doesn't wear bifocals will experience strain of this
variety (usually shoulder). This strain is a result of your neck muscles
compensating for your fatigued eye muscles. Sometimes this pain can go as far
down as your back.
Solution: The solution to neck, shoulder, and back
pain is eliminating your multifocal lens. Unless you operate with a separate
pair of single vision glasses, your neck strain will most likely persist.
Q: Why do my eyes burn or feel dry while I'm working on my computer?
A: Your eyes burn when you're using the
computer because your eye muscles are fatigued. The fatigue leads to slowing
down the rate at which your eyes can blink. Blinking is essential because it
keeps a steady layer of aqueous over the cornea. When your eyes tire from
computer eyestrain, studies show that the blink rate falls from 22 blinks per
minute to 7 blinks per minute. This leads to less aqueous humor on the cornea,
which in turn leaves your eyes feeling dry.
Solution: The way to stop your eyes from feeling
dried out is to keep them from getting fatigued, which is slowing down the rate
at which you blink. Unless you stop your eyes from getting fatigued, your eyes
will most likely continue to feel dry.
Q: Why do I have blurred or even double vision during or after computer use?
A: Double or blurred vision occurs as a result
of the eye's focusing muscles cramping. The muscles cramp because of the pixels
on the screen, the glare on the screen, and because people tend to stare at the
screen. ( another side effect of the pixel ) When one looks up from the monitor
the cramped eye muscles have difficulty re-adjusting and re-focusing.
Solution: Again it is imperative to stop the pixels
from causing your eye's to become fatigued. Glare coating ( as discussed
previously ) will also help because glare causes the eye to squint, which in
turn causes them to cramp.
Conclusion
As you can see, contrary to some reports, there isn't one simple catch-all
answer as to why you suffer your computer eyestrain, but several factors to
consider.
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