Are your eyes tired? If you are someone who spends more than a few hours each day in front of a computer screen, it is highly probable that you suffer from Computer Vision Syndrome.

Computer Vision Syndrome (which can also be known as Digital Eye Strain) are eye and vision-related symptoms that are caused by prolonged use of computers (this includes cell phone screens and tablets). The more time spent on computers can lead to a worsening of or more numerous symptoms.

Symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)

The most common symptom of CVS is eye fatigue, the others include

• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Neck and shoulder pain
• irritated eyes (eye strain)

If left untreated, the symptoms of CVS can gradually worsen and impact your productivity and work performance.

Why does CVS happen?

CVS happens mainly due to repetitive motions of the eyes and the high vision demands and often bad habits while in  front of an electronic viewing device. When you’re sitting at a computer, your eyes will follow the same motion over and over, and may often shift focus from away from the computer to back at it again. This constant focusing and refocusing are your eyes reacting the any changing images, flickering or glares (all of which come from a computer screen and surrounding lighting). This concentrated, prolonged effort eventually leads to eye strain and irritation.

How is CVS treated?

A highly effective way to treat CVS is to minimize the amount of time spent looking at the computer screen and taking breaks every 20 minutes. However, for those jobs that require more than a few hours working infront of a computer, there are ways to reduce the symptoms of CVS.

1. 1. Adjust your computer settings: you can adjust your computer screen’s brightness, as well as the contrast and fonts to something that is more comfortable and easier on the eyes.
   2. Minimize glare: you can adjust your surrounding settings to ease the glare from the computer screen. Some examples are to get a desk lamp that shines light evenly, add a glare filter to the monitor etc.
   3. Rearrange your desk: one of the main symptoms of CVS is back and neck pain. This is largely due to poor posture, as well as the position of the computer screen. The best way to position your monitor is 21 – 27 inches away from your face and with the center of the screen at chin level, which promotes a gaze of slightly below eye level.
   4. Rest your eyes: for every 20 minutes, look away from the screen at something 20 feet away for about 20 seconds. This is called the 20/20/20 rule.

Have computer specific eyewear made.  

CVS does not lead to irreparable eye damage, but it causes severe strain on the eyes if left untreated. By minimizing the effects of CVS, as well as keeping your prescription up-to-date with routine checkups, the symptoms will gradually decline, if not disappear completely.

Read more about our tips on maintaining eye health at the office and solving Computer Vision Syndrome.

Watch this video to learn more about computer lenses.