Slashdot is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror
×
News

Coping With Computer Related Eye Strain? 30

Posted by Cliff from the health-tips-for-slashdotters dept.
Dimus asks: "There were several very useful discussions on Slashdot about curing and preventing problems with wrists and fingers. But what about your eyes? How can you prevent eye deterioration? Do you have any tricks, exercises to fight eye pain, fatigue, and other problems? What monitors are better for eyes? Big ones? Smaller ones? TFT or CRT? What company do you think makes monitors that are better for your eyes?"
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

Coping with Computer Related Eye Strain? More

Coping with Computer Related Eye Strain?

Comments Filter:
  • If your office has florescent lights (as most do), put your monitor on a stand so that the middle of the display is at eye level and get a hood for your monitor that protrudes at least six from the front of the CRT and is black.

    This solved the nauseous feeling I when I didn't take a short break from staring at my monitor every hour.

  • Sony Trinitron monitors and no florescent lights (Score:3)

    by banbeans ( 122547 ) on Sunday December 10, 2000 @03:32AM (#569101)
    High refresh rates
    and properly adjusted monitors.
    Teach everyone how to adjust there monitors
    because there isnt any one setting that is best for everyone.
    With monitors mostly you get what you pay for go high end.
    Most of all no florescent lights!!!!
  • We do this all the time for clients. We get allot of sales by setting up new computers for 85hz refresh rates. Often the user comments that there headache went away with the new settup then they ask us what the difference is. Now everyone wants a high refresh rate. Well allot of cheap pentium systems its impossible to get a decent refresh rate and the monitors dont support it anyway. So they start screaming for new systems and often get them:}

  • Some thoughts (Score:3)

    by apm ( 212573 ) on Sunday December 10, 2000 @04:50AM (#569103)
    1) Drop your resolution. I know it's fun to run at 1600x1200 on a 17" monitor just because you can, but your eyes will pay for it. If you need all that space, buy a 21" monitor.

    2) Higher refresh rates obviously help.

    3) It seems to me that TFT displays would be better on your eyes than CRT displays, because they don't generate their own light so much as filter other light (from the room, or from the cold cathode backlights, which run at very high frequencies IIRC).

    4) Take breaks, for crying out loud! Go do something that doesn't involve focusing your eyes at close range.

    Based on this, the Apple Cinema Display [apple.com] would be the perfect monitor. Mmmm, 24 inch LCD...

  • Though I haven't used any myself, it seems that products that reduce glare such as the Eclipse Computer Light [computerlight.com] would help out.

    The idea behind this particular one is that you can turn off the flourescents in your office, put this lamp on top of your monitor, and be on your merry, eyestrain-reduced way.

    I found one product review here [builtonline.com].
  • Use a good wrist rest and switch to a trackball. That's what I did a couple of years ago after my wrists started acheing. My wife did the same thing. My wrists never hurt now.

    I've found the best wrist rests are these:

    http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=100 01 466&loc=101

    http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=100 01 467&loc=101

    They are much nicer than the other gel filled rests that others have. Last longer, and aren't too soft. I now use a Logitech Marble+ trackball at home and work. The new Microsoft trackballs are good too..but either way go optical. It takes a little while to get used to a trackball but now I'm just as fast and accurate with it as I was with a mouse, even in games.

  • PRIO Glasses (Score:4)

    by SamHill ( 9044 ) on Sunday December 10, 2000 @04:02PM (#569106)

    The last time I saw an eye doctor in San Jose, he told me about the PRIO [prio.com] test, which calculates a prescription specifically for use when working with a computer -- if you already wear glasses, you wear the PRIO glasses instead; if you have contacts, you wear the PRIO glasses with your contacts.

    The idea is that the computer glasses allow you to focus on the screen without having to strain your eyes -- according to PRIO [prio.com], when you look at a computer screen, your eyes tend to focus beyond the screen, resulting in eyestrain as your eyes constantly try to focus closer in. That seems to fit with what I remember my doctor saying about the glasses encouraging underfocusing.

    Alas, I never followed up on these, but there's a fair bit of stuff out there on the Web (look for ``PRIO''). Two articles on the Motion Picture Editors' Guild website might also be of interest:

    You might want to try some or all of the other suggestions people have made here first (replacing overhead fluorescent lighting with indirect lighting, increasing your system's refresh rate, lowering the resolution of your monitor so you have larger characters, adjusting the brightness and contrast, etc.), but if you're still having problems, you might want to look into these glasses. If you have a health plan that includes eyecare, these glasses might be covered, and you also might be able to get coverage under the new OSHA ergonomics regulations.

    Needless to say, you should take anything that PRIO says with a grain of salt -- while their product may do wonders, they have a vested interest in people believing that it works. Your eye doctor may, too, especially if he or she is selling the glasses, too, and not just examining your eyes (at the very least, there's the cost of the test; if you decide to get PRIO glasses, you're talking about new lenses and frames, and fashionable frames tend to be very expensive). Do some research -- see what people on the 'Net have to say, and if you know people with these glasses, be sure to talk to them about their experiences!

  • Oubviousy having a properly adjusted monitor and high refresh rates help, but an LCD display is much easier on the eyes for the following reason: The pixels on a standard CRT monitor are brightest in the center, then dimmer at the edges so your eyes are constantly refoucussing which leads to eye strain and eventually vision problems, the pixels on an LCD do not have this problem which makes them easier on the eyes.

    I also read a while back that they have special glasses for computer use (or anything else that uses a crt like a TV), which will help eliminate this problem, but i dont' remember where :-(

  • Most monitors are far too bright. (Score:3)

    by Christopher Thomas ( 11717 ) on Sunday December 10, 2000 @08:58AM (#569108)
    I find that most people (including myself) tend to set their monitors to be far too bright. As a general rule of thumb, try to keep the monitor's intensity no greater than the intensity of frame surrounding the monitor. Too many people seem to like staring into a monitor that's as bright as a fluorescent light bank.
  • What about wrists, my typing and mousing are starting to take a toll on me. Is there anything I can do besides breaks?
  • From Frequently Asked Questions about Gamma [inforamp.net], (C) Charles Poynton:
    How should I adjust my monitor's black level and picture controls?
    On a CRT monitor, the picture control, often misleadingly labelled contrast, adjusts overall luminance. The black level control, often misleadingly labelled brightness, adjusts offset. Display a picture that is predominantly black. Adjust black level so that the monitor reproduces true black on the screen, just at the threshold where it is not so far down as to "swallow" codes greater than the black code, but not so high that the picture sits on a pedestal of dark grey. When the critical point is reached, put a piece of tape over the black level control. Then set picture to suit your preference for display luminance.

    Luminance should be set relative to the ambient brightness of the room you are in. Also, make sure that you don't have any light-sources positioned as to cause specular high-lights on the monitor screen.

    By the way, Feng Shue recommends that you should not have any bright light-source at the side of your dominant hand at your work-place. This recommendation is for all office workers - not just those working with computers.
    --
  • I would recommend you find yourself a good LCD screen, although they are expensive they are worth it. I can use one for hours with no eyestrain problems at all, but as soon as I try to use a CRT monitor my eyes start to bother me.

    If you are stuck with a CRT monitor then adjusting refresh rate and brightness levels will probably help somewhat.
  • If you wear glasses, be sure to get an anti-glare coating. The coating not only looks better for other people (they can see your eyes not the glare), but it cuts out the glare caused by the monitor on your lenses. (This glare is part of why your eyes find it difficult to focus in the right place... check out the PRIO stuff mentioned in another post)

    When you talk to people about the coatings, be sure you talk to people who got their anti-glare coatings in the last 6-9 months. The technology is changing fast and the older coatings had serious problems. (Like peeling off and scratching up...)

    If you go this route be prepared to get and use one of the microfibre cleaning rags and a special cleaning formula, no more rinse with water and paper towel routine with these. The coating will degrade and scratch. (It's better than it was, not perfect...)

    The coating ain't cheap (I think it added $80US to the price) but I tend to think my eyes are worth it. Before I would get serious eye fatigue after 4-5 hours, even with breaks. Now I can go 12-15 hours, with breaks and my eyes aren't sore or tired.

    YMMV.

    Chris

  • Grr... Got dirty power here, and if I run the monitor at anything ovr 60Hz, the picture gets wobbly... I've tried multiple monitors, vid-cards and systems, so either I've got bad power or some massive RF source burried in the walls here..

  • take breaks... (Score:3)

    by Matt_Bennett ( 79107 ) on Sunday December 10, 2000 @09:33AM (#569114) Homepage Journal
    Frequent breaks are really important- staring at something that is a fixed distance away for a long time is something your eyes aren't really suited for. Take a break, find a window and look at a distant object- give your eyes a chance to focus at a variety of distances. I find these breaks also help in my problem solving and general stress level.
  • Exactly what color is peacock blue?

    I've used dark blue on light yellow with great success, but improvements are always welcome.

    Oh, and rolling your head around on your neck is terrible for your spine. Back and forth, and side-to-side is fine, just don't roll.
  • My eye doctor said that when people stare at monitors, they tend to not blink enough. I screwed up my cornea(sp? by allowing my eyes to get to dry. My doctor suggested that I use lubricating eye drops once for every hour on the computer. After using the drops for a week, my cornea was nearly healed.
  • When my sister was diagnosed with Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome [autism.org], a learning disability in which people have trouble seeing printed or written words, she was outfitted with a pair of specially colored glasses and colored overlays that she put over paper. Her doctor told us that black print on white paper is the absolute worst thing anyone can do for their eyes becuase it causes eye strain. Studies have shown that peacock blue print on a yellow background is the most beneficial combination to reduce eye strain.

    The placement of your computer monitor is also an issue. It should be about 20 degrees below eye level and 20-26" away from your eyes. Copies should be at the same height and distance. Room illumination should be three times brighter than the screen background. Natural lighting is best, but for those of you without windows in your office, non-flourescent bulbs do fine. As for eye dryness, air conditioning or fans can help keep your eyes moist, as well as eye drops.

    There are several exercizes you can do to strengthen and relax your eyes (thanks to Marc Grossman, OD):
    1) Try rubbing your plams together until they're warm and then placing them over your eyes for one or two minutes.
    2) Hold up a pencil about 6 inches from your eyes. Focus on the pencil, and then on something further away. Repeat about 15 times.
    3) Scan your eyes from right to left and then back again across the room.
    4) Roll your head around on your neck every once in a while. This reduces tension in your neck, shoulder, and scalp muscles.

  • try a apc smart-ups it will clean up the power.
    as far as rf goes i find allot of the time improving the ground will help allot. Just beacause the socket has provisions for 3 pins doesnt mean it is actualy grounded to anything an ac volt meter will tell you if it is,,,,
  • Some time back, I was wearing glasses, and decided to "update" my look, and get contacts. When I went in to the doctor, I told him the after working all day on the computer, my eyes would start to itch and burn.

    He checked my eyes, did the lens-flippy thing, and said I had astigmatism in one eye (my left), that wasn't being corrected by my glasses. So, he gave me a toric lens prescript for my left eye (very expensive).

    You know what? Pain and itching are now gone!

    So, the moral is, if you wear glasses or contacts, make sure they are the right prescription - or if you are having problems, see the eye doctor - you may need a new prescription, or you might find out it is something else...

    Worldcom [worldcom.com] - Generation Duh!
  • Several months back I was having problems with strain and the occasional muscle spasm in my eyes. I had an eye exam and learned I had esophoria. Basically, when the eyes are at rest (i.e. closed), they have a tendency to point inwards, or cross. Focusing for a long time on something close-up (like a monitor or a book) causes muscle fatigue and leads to spasms, headaches and other nasties.

    Esophoria and exophoria (where the eyes tend to point outward) are becoming more common... and near-vision stress may aggravate the conditions. Esophoria can be treated with a mild or moderate magnifying prescription (mine is made just for the distance between me and my monitor) and eye therapy (aka exercises). Exophoria is usually treated with exercises. Frequent breaks help, too!

    If you've been having eye problems, and fixing glare, resolution, brightness, lighting, etc. doesn't solve all your problems, I really suggest going to see a professional.
  • I use a single desklamp (incandescent) pointed at a wall for room lighting (thuis all ambient light is reflected, which is smoother and easier on the eyes). This is not very much light, so some people won't like it, but it's pretty easy to get used to.

    For my monitor, I have the brightness at 20% and the contrast around 85%. You can also lower your colour temperatures, but I don't like the brownish tones this produces.

    With a setup like this I never get eye fatigue, even after hours of staring at a monitor (although of course, breaks are still a good idea).

    -----
  • A good way to adjust your monitor (and how I always adjust monitors) is this:

    1. Start by cranking the brightness to nothing.

    2. Adjust contrast until text becomes crisp and clear.

    3. Turn up brightness until the border around the image that's still on the tube is black under normal lighting conditions.

    If the resulting image is hard to read, adjust contrast or try bumping up the brightness slightly. A little goes a long way.

    If its washed out, blurry, or you can see a grey border around the image, you're varying degrees of much too bright.

    Running a monitor much too bright will eventually make the blurriness permanent for the monitor, and possibly for your eyes.

    --

  • Does anyone know anything about the amounts of radiation coming off of some older (large) CRTs?

    I sit in front of an old VAXstation with a 20" on it that's probably as old as I am -- we have rumors going around that these things kick out some large amount of rads.

    What, if any, effect does this have on eyeballs?

    Anyone?

  • If you spend a lot of time typing rather than mousing, consider moving your keyboard to the edge of your desk. When you do this, you can't rest your wrists on the desk, and will avoid the worst CTS cause. CTS is caused when pressure on the wrists put pressure on the carpal tunnel, and squeeze the nerve inside.

    I used to have problems with my wrists, even when using those gel rests. Then I remembered how my teachers in grade 10 typing were trying to get us to type without resting our wrists. I tried it, and it worked wonders. Of course, I have large hands, so sometimes I will rest the heels of my hands on the edge of the desk, and still be able to type, but never my wrists.

    I have not yet found a comfortable position for mousing which keeps my wrist off the desk. Any suggestions?
  • ... solved my problems with eye strain. Taking regular breaks is important as well, get up from the restraints and go for a walk.

  • change text defaults if possible (Score:3)

    by scruffyMark ( 115082 ) on Sunday December 10, 2000 @03:04PM (#569126)
    Just about every application and OS out there will use black text on a white backgound by default, by analogy with white paper and black ink. This looks pretty, granted, but all that glaring white is hard on the eyes.

    Wherever it's possible to set the appearance defaults of a program or environment, it's a good idea to use light text on a dark background. I find I need far fewer "eye breaks" if I set my editor, terminal, browser, etc, to use light text on a black background.

    Apparently this also makes computers easier (or possible) to use for people with some sorts of visual handicaps.

  • Personally, I swear by the Kinesis keyboard. Pick up one from www.dmb-ergonomics.com I've even purchased one for my mother - she swears, like I do, it will improve typing speed and longevity by about 30% if not better. Its not the ultra high dollar one like the datahand (which goes for $1000), but it definate does the job. If you go with the MS ergo keyboard, which I've had two of them so far, and IMO they are a nice idea but a very very bad design! Specifically, the throws, and how far you push down on each key strains a bit more. Go from "N" to "Y" on these keyboards and see what I mean.

    www.buymeaferrari.com [buymeaferrari.com]
  • Most code editors allow you to change the colour settings, and the default is usually white background. I change the background to black, the normal text to light grey, and the keywords etc to other colours. This helps a lot as there is a lot less light form the monitor. Also, green text on a black background looks pretty cool too! Like the old Commadore PETs.
  • Place a book underneath your elbow, it raises your arm, and allows you to rest the palm of your hand on your mouse without resting your wrist on the desk. This is the best solution I've found for mouse strain relif.

Slashdot Top Deals

UNIX is hot. It's more than hot. It's steaming. It's quicksilver lightning with a laserbeam kicker. -- Michael Jay Tucker

Close