pcb@gator.cacs.usl.edu (Peter C. Bahrs) (08/01/90)
After several hours at the machine looking at text, high res graphics, and movement, my eyes tell me to take a break. What can be done? Buy a higher resolution monitor? I am looking for some research references to optical solutions for eye strain. In particular topics such as add on computer screen devices and/or eye 'goggles'. Does anyone use some sort of device? (as mentioned above, such as a screen front cover). What devices do you recommend? The only things I have seen are front plates advertised in parts mail order magazines such as misco. I am using IBM VGA 8513, SUN 3/150 monochrome and a Cogent XTM display. /*----------- Thanks in advance... --------------------------------------+ | Peter C. Bahrs | | The USL-NASA Project | | Center For Advanced Computer Studies INET: pcb@gator.cacs.usl.edu | | 2 Rex Street | | University of Southwestern Louisiana ...!uunet!dalsqnt!gator!pcb | | Lafayette, LA 70504 | +-----------------------------------------------------------------------*/
damian@bruce.cs.monash.OZ.AU (Damian Conway) (08/01/90)
In <12453@rouge.usl.edu> pcb@gator.cacs.usl.edu (Peter C. Bahrs) writes: >After several hours at the machine looking at text, high res graphics, >and movement, my eyes tell me to take a break. What can be done? Recognize that your visual system is designed for looking for predators on the savanna, not text on the screen (or on a page for that matter). They get tired of focusing at 1-3 feet. Try looking up and out a window every 10-15 minutes (this also gives your grasping limbs a break from the unnatural task of pecking keys!) >Buy a higher resolution monitor? Resolution contributes to ease of recognition and hence decreases psychological strain but does not help the physical eye strain caused by close focusing (as far as I can determine.) Try turning down the brightness and moving the monitor back a few feet. Check the chromatic contrast between the text and the background (Eg: blue text on a red background will trash your eyes really fast!) >I am looking for some research references to optical solutions for eye strain. No idea, but I'd be skeptical. >In particular topics such as add on computer screen devices and/or eye goggles What you want is a 100ft DiamondVision giant screen about 100 yards from your desk ;-) or something that creates the same effect. damian ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ who: Damian Conway email:..!seismo!munnari!bruce.oz!damian where: Dept. Computer Science phone: +61-3-565-5779 Monash University quote: "A pessimist is never disappointed." Clayton 3168 claim: These views are for comparison AUSTRALIA purposes only. Your reality may vary with living conditions and drinking patterns.
jwi@cbnewsj.att.com (Jim Winer @ AT&T, Middletown, NJ) (08/01/90)
> (Peter C. Bahrs) writes: > After several hours at the machine looking at text, high res graphics, > and movement, my eyes tell me to take a break. > What can be done? Buy a higher resolution monitor? I am looking for > some research references to optical solutions for eye strain. In particular > topics such as add on computer screen devices and/or eye 'goggles'. There are several problems here, and eyestrain due to resolution is only one of them. 1. You are forcing your eyes to remain at a fixed focus about 18" away. Normal rest focus is about 6 feet away. You need to look away from the screen every few minutes and change the focus distance. Look across the room, close up, and several distances inbetween. Take at least a 15 minute break every two hours. 2. You can solve part of the above close focus problem by wearing glasses with prisms built into them to let your eyes remain at rest focus and still see the screen. This may give you severe adjustment problems the rest of the time. In any event, have your eye doctor check to make sure that your "normal" eyesight doesn't require prisms. 3. Another problem with looking at the screen for a long time is that you often forget to blink. As a result, your eyes dry out and become irritated. Your eye doctor can perscribe plain saline artificial tears that can be used for relief. DO NOT use commercial preparations wnless you determine from reading the label that they can be used continuously -- most can only be used every four hours. 4. Arrange lighting so that you don't get glare. If you must have flourescent lights, get "daylight" tubes (expensive). If possible, use bullet fixtures with elipsoidal reflector incandescent bulbs so that you avoid glare altogether. 4. And of course, a glare screen (poloroid type, expensive) and a higher resolution tube will help too, but not as much as taking a break and changing your lights. Jim Winer -- jwi@mtfme.att.com -- Opinions not represent employer. ------------------------------------------------------------------ "No, no: the purpose of language is to cast spells on other people ..." Lisa S Chabot
ncramer@bbn.com (Nichael Cramer) (08/01/90)
pcb@gator.cacs.usl.edu (Peter C. Bahrs) writes: >After several hours at the machine looking at text, high res graphics, >and movement, my eyes tell me to take a break. At the risk of stating the obvious, have you had your eyes checked? I never needed glasses until I started programming fulltime. There are in fact "occupational prescriptions" (e.g. mildly magnifying, tints to increase contrast, etc) designed to reduce eyestrain. >What can be done? Buy a higher resolution monitor? This in fact may have the opposite effect, increasing the resolution will probably make a given image _smaller_; for example, text on the screen of my color-monitor is much harder to read than text on my monochrome monitor. One thing I've done that helps a *lot* is to increase the default font size in my editor (which is where I spend probably 90% of my programming time). This is trivial to do on a Lispmachine (which I work on); don't know about other systems. >topics such as add on computer screen devices and/or eye 'goggles'. The ones I've seen distort the image so badly that I can only imagine that in the long run they would make things worse. Good luck, NICHAEL "Mongolian Sheep Safe from Baker, Aide Says" -- Boston Globe, 30JUL90
fenn@wpi.wpi.edu (Brian Fennell) (08/01/90)
In article <12453@rouge.usl.edu> pcb@gator.cacs.usl.edu (Peter C. Bahrs) writes: >After several hours at the machine looking at text, high res graphics, >and movement, my eyes tell me to take a break. > ... >/*----------- Thanks in advance... --------------------------------------+ >| Peter C. Bahrs | I have had the same problem. I always thought the eye strain was a result of cathode radiation and staring at non-reflected light. I prepose to buy laptop with LCD display when I have the cash, but that will not help me with Hi-res color graphics. I cannot imagine the eye strain that would be caused by the "eye-phones" (strap on CRTs) used by Virtual Reality (TM). I think the problem is part of the technology we use and till we change it we are stuck with the byproducts. Brian Fennell == fenn@wpi.wpi.edu
jbm@eos.UUCP (Jeffrey Mulligan) (08/01/90)
damian@bruce.cs.monash.OZ.AU (Damian Conway) writes: >In <12453@rouge.usl.edu> pcb@gator.cacs.usl.edu (Peter C. Bahrs) writes: >>After several hours at the machine looking at text, high res graphics, >>and movement, my eyes tell me to take a break. What can be done? >They [eyes] get >tired of focusing at 1-3 feet. ... >Resolution contributes to ease of recognition and hence decreases psychological >strain but does not help the physical eye strain caused by close focusing (as >far as I can determine.) >>I am looking for some research references to optical solutions for eye strain. >No idea, but I'd be skeptical. If D. Conway's diagnosis is correct, then there is an extremely simple optical solution: a pair of reading glasses. Something around 2 diopters should put the screen at optical infinity, for a viewing distance of about 18 inches. -- Jeff Mulligan (jbm@eos.arc.nasa.gov) NASA/Ames Research Ctr., Mail Stop 262-2, Moffet Field CA, 94035 (415) 604-3745
herzog@dogwalk.Eng.Sun.COM (Brian Herzog, DSGG/DGDO/GSP/MRG/LMNOP) (08/03/90)
In article <12453@rouge.usl.edu> pcb@gator.cacs.usl.edu (Peter C. Bahrs) writes: >After several hours at the machine looking at text, high res graphics, >and movement, my eyes tell me to take a break. > >What can be done? [...] > >I am using IBM VGA 8513, SUN 3/150 monochrome and a Cogent XTM display. > Some people find they can reduce or avoid eye strain by using larger and/or bolder fonts. On your Sun, check out the /usr/lib/fonts/fixedwidthfonts directory. It contains a variety of fonts and a README file describing them. If you want to try them out, experiment with shelltool -Wt /usr/lib/fonts/fixedwidthfonts/{fontname} -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Brian Herzog "Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no herzog@Eng.Sun.COM badges. I don't have to show you any stinking badges!" ...!sun!eng!herzog - Treasure of the Sierra Madre
tom@ksr.com (Tom Varga) (08/03/90)
In article <1990Aug1.132134.4515@cbnewsj.att.com> jwi@cbnewsj.att.com (Jim Winer @ AT&T, Middletown, NJ) writes: > Path: ksr!world!bloom-beacon!snorkelwacker!usc!cs.utexas.edu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!utgpu!watserv1!watmath!att!cbnewsj!jwi > From: jwi@cbnewsj.att.com (Jim Winer @ AT&T, Middletown, NJ) > Newsgroups: comp.graphics > Summary: Experience, not references > Date: 1 Aug 90 09:21:34 EDT > References: <12453@rouge.usl.edu> > Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories > Lines: 47 > > > (Peter C. Bahrs) writes: > > > After several hours at the machine looking at text, high res graphics, > > and movement, my eyes tell me to take a break. > > > What can be done? Buy a higher resolution monitor? I am looking for > > some research references to optical solutions for eye strain. In particular > > topics such as add on computer screen devices and/or eye 'goggles'. I'm 30 and have always had 'perfect vision' and my parents didn't need glasses until their 50's. However, I spend close to 12 hours a day in front of a high resolution color terminal. Recently my eyes would feel exhaused at the end of the day so I finally convinced myself to get them checked out. It turned out that I need weak glasses mostly to fix some astigmatism that I have. It took some getting used to, but now I always use my glasses and can go all day without feeling tired. The hardest part was admitting to myself that I needed glasses. I should have had them checked a long time ago!! Tom