scoile@gmuvax2.gmu.edu (Steve Coile) (07/27/90)
Well, sorry to bother you all with this, but seeing as this is the only group I read that is really relevant to this... I've been spending a LOT of time working with the computers here at school and at home (1040ST :) , and my eyes are killing me! What could be causing this, and how could I correct it? I don't think I need glasses, because I can see fine (nothing blurry when I focus), however I sometimes have difficulty actually moving my eyes so I can focus--I have to actively concentrate on focusing! Ugg! also, my eyes tend to ache chronically. I've developed a few, mild headaches, which feel like motion sickness headaches. Has anyone else had such problems? Should I go to my doctor, or is this some common affliction, which is easily correctable? A friend of mine said that it could be caused by beta-rays from the monitors...sounds like a distinct possibility to me. Anyone? Help? -Steve Coile
Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com (07/27/90)
Steve Coile asks about eye problems caused by long usage of computer monitors... The issue of "emissions" from computer monitors has been going on for a long time, and probably won't be settled any time soon.. but the kinds of eyestrain symptoms Steve described aren't likely due to any emissions anyway... The biggest problem is the relatively close distance between the monitor and your eyes. It strains the muscles in the eye to keep focussed on a plane at the distance of a typical computer monitor for long periods of time.. (it's a lot easier on the eye when it's focussed at "infinity", or far away...) Add to that the fine detail of a high-resolution screen and the fact that most activity of the eyes is reading text (involving a lot of "start and stop" movement of the eyes, and the parallax adjustments needed to keep both eyes focussed on the same spot), and you get some pretty amazing eyestrain... One thing that can help is to move the monitor as far away from your eyes as is practical... another solution is to obtain special eyeglasses which re-focus the eyes at a much farther "virtual" distance. Ask an optometrist about these... BobR
steve@thelake.mn.org (Steve Yelvington) (07/27/90)
[In article <1921@gmuvax2.gmu.edu>,
scoile@gmuvax2.gmu.edu (Steve Coile) writes ... ]
> I've been spending a LOT of time working with the computers here at
> school and at home (1040ST :) , and my eyes are killing me! What could
> be causing this, and how could I correct it?
>
> I don't think I need glasses, because I can see fine (nothing blurry
> when I focus), however I sometimes have difficulty actually moving my
> eyes so I can focus--I have to actively concentrate on focusing! Ugg!
> also, my eyes tend to ache chronically. I've developed a few, mild
> headaches, which feel like motion sickness headaches.
Take this seriously: Computers are bad for you. Headaches, eyestrain
and RSI (Repetitive Stress Injury) are a very real threat to your health.
Don't let your intensity and your enthusiasm for what you're doing
damage your body.
You should *never* spend more than half an hour staring down a monitor.
Make it a habit to look at something distant for a minute out of every
fifteen. Take a break. Move your eyes around.
Get up, center yourself, let go of the problems you've been struggling
with, and do some slow stretching exercises. Since you're at a college,
I would recommend that you discuss this with a doctor at the student health
service and see if you can enroll in a yoga class. (Yoga is a system of
stretching exercises that is ideal for office workers.)
I work at a major metropolitan newspaper where hundreds of reporters
and editors spend eight hours a day glued to computer terminals. We
have at least four editors who are having serious problems with their
wrists. Carpal tunnel syndrome is not something to mess with. Developing
good computer work habits early can pay off in the long run.
--
Steve Yelvington at the (rain-replenished) lake in Minnesota
steve@thelake.mn.orgmn@atari.UUCP (Mike Nowicki) (07/28/90)
In article <32129@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes: >Steve Coile asks about eye problems caused by long usage of computer >monitors... > >The issue of "emissions" from computer monitors has been going on for >a long time, and probably won't be settled any time soon.. but the kinds >of eyestrain symptoms Steve described aren't likely due to any emissions >anyway... > >The biggest problem is the relatively close distance between the monitor >and your eyes. It strains the muscles in the eye to keep focussed on >a plane at the distance of a typical computer monitor for long periods of >time.. (it's a lot easier on the eye when it's focussed at "infinity", or >far away...) > >Add to that the fine detail of a high-resolution screen and the fact that >most activity of the eyes is reading text (involving a lot of "start and >stop" movement of the eyes, and the parallax adjustments needed to keep >both eyes focussed on the same spot), and you get some pretty amazing >eyestrain... > >One thing that can help is to move the monitor as far away from your eyes >as is practical... another solution is to obtain special eyeglasses which >re-focus the eyes at a much farther "virtual" distance. Ask an optometrist >about these... > A trick my eye doctor told me about for those who stare at screens a good part of the day is to look out a window and focus on something very far away for a few minutes. It supposedly does something to equalize the balance of the rods and the cones of the eyes. I've been doing this for a couple of years and I find it DOES relieve some of the eyestrain you feel at the end of the day. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | Michael Nowicki N6LUU Atari Corp,Sunnyvale CA /TT/UNIX/X team | |............................................................................| | char *disclaimer=" Views expressed are my own, not my employer's"; | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
bwhite@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Bill White) (07/29/90)
In article <32129@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes: >The biggest problem is the relatively close distance between the monitor >and your eyes. It strains the muscles in the eye to keep focussed on >a plane at the distance of a typical computer monitor for long periods of >time.. (it's a lot easier on the eye when it's focussed at "infinity", or >far away...) Uh, I'm not sure that's correct. If I remember correctly from my days of dissecting cow eyes, the lens is naturally in a contracted state, and the muscles pull it "flat" (ie focussed at infinity). Mind you, I'm not an optometrist, but like I said, that's how I remember it. This seems to fit with my real-life experiences; I can consciously change the focus of my eyes (among other things, including moving them somewhat independently away from each other; I think I'm part lizard), and I noticed that when I am most relaxed, and when I wake up, my eyes are focussed at closest range. I suspect that this fellow's problem might be that his vision is slightly poorer at close distances. I would encourage him to go see an optometrist and get a full eye exam. Or it could actually be illumination levels, that can cause eyestrain too. Or his monitor could be out of focus, or jittering up and down, or otherwise bad in some way. Finally, there is one other possibility; it might be that he has a flickery monitor (especially if he's using a 50Hz monitor); I often get headaches from fluorescent lights that are old enough to "hum" at 60Hz, even if I'm not consciously aware that they're flickering (ie it's too fast to see unless you're looking for it). >BobR
ekrimen@wet.UUCP (Ed Krimen) (07/29/90)
- One thing that can help is to move the monitor as far away from - your eyes as is practical... another solution is to obtain special - eyeglasses which re-focus the eyes at a much farther "virtual" - distance. Ask an optometrist about these... Or, as my optometrist told me, just remember to look away from your monitor and focus on something every 15 minutes.
ALBERT_DAYES@bdt.UUCP (07/30/90)
One thing you should do is every 10-20 minutes look off into the distance ... and look at something very far away this should help reduce the eye strain. Also check the lighting conditions. If these problems persist you should see a doctor. Start magazine just recently had an article on computing furniture and how to sit and set up your equipment. too.
hcj@lzsc.ATT.COM (HC Johnson) (07/30/90)
In article <1921@gmuvax2.gmu.edu>, scoile@gmuvax2.gmu.edu (Steve Coile) writes: > I've been spending a LOT of time working with the computers here at > school and at home (1040ST :) , and my eyes are killing me! What could > be causing this, and how could I correct it? > > I don't think I need glasses, because I can see fine (nothing blurry > when I focus), however I sometimes have difficulty actually moving my > eyes so I can focus--I have to actively concentrate on focusing! Ugg! As a 40+ who has experienced this first hand -- get you eyes checked. The need to concentrate on focusing is a common symptom. The eye to computer screen screen is quite unlike most everything else in your life. Its not NEAR, and it not FAR. Howard C. Johnson ATT Bell Labs att!lzsc!hcj hcj@lzsc.att.com
jfbruno@rodan.acs.syr.edu (John F. Bruno) (07/30/90)
In article <1618@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU> bwhite@oucsace.cs.OHIOU.EDU (Bill White) writes: >In article <32129@cup.portal.com> Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes: >>The biggest problem is the relatively close distance between the monitor >>and your eyes. It strains the muscles in the eye to keep focussed on >>a plane at the distance of a typical computer monitor for long periods of >>time.. (it's a lot easier on the eye when it's focussed at "infinity", or >>far away...) > > Uh, I'm not sure that's correct. If I remember correctly from my >days of dissecting cow eyes, the lens is naturally in a contracted state, >and the muscles pull it "flat" (ie focussed at infinity). ^^^^^^^^^^^ at a near point Actually, eyes are in a more convex state, or focused on infinity when they are at rest. The reason that people lose their close range vision with age is that the lens loses flexibility with age and can't be pulled flat enough. > I suspect that this fellow's problem might be that his vision is >slightly poorer at close distances. I would encourage him to go see an >optometrist and get a full eye exam. Or it could actually be illumination >levels, that can cause eyestrain too. Or his monitor could be out of focus, >or jittering up and down, or otherwise bad in some way. > Finally, there is one other possibility; it might be that he has a >flickery monitor (especially if he's using a 50Hz monitor); I often get >headaches from fluorescent lights that are old enough to "hum" at 60Hz, >even if I'm not consciously aware that they're flickering (ie it's too fast >to see unless you're looking for it). > >>BobR It's also a good idea (as everyone has been saying) to get into the habit of periodically looking at a distant object. I do this now without even thinking about it. I'm in front of a monitor all day long (8 hours, anyway) and haven't had headaches or any kind of vision trouble. I also have one of those anti-glare screens at work that cuts down all of those nasty particles that computer monitors spew at your face. ---jb