Tech tips -
Several years ago, my wife noticed that I was squinting while trying to read the program guide on the TV. So, the first thing she said to me was, "You are getting older, maybe it is time to go and get your eyes checked," to which I immediately replied, "It's not my eyes, I just need a bigger TV."
Needless to say, I made an appointment to have an eye exam and ended up with a very weak prescription that I am still not convinced I really need, thinking instead the guy was just trying to sell me new glasses!
The whole experience, however, got me to wondering if I could be doing any damage to my eyes because of the amount of time I spend in front of a computer every day.
Of course, I consulted with the all-knowing internet, and just like everything else I have ever searched for on the internet, I found much controversy and wide ranging opinions. Without definitive answers, I always tend to pay close attention to what those who are professionals in the field are saying. This brings me to the point of this week's column.
October is Eye Health Month. This is an annual event by the Canadian Association of Optometrists and the Theme for Eye Health Month 2009 is "Canadians and Screen Time - Be Kind to your Eyes."
Browse on over to www.opto.ca and click the Eye Health Month link. You might find it particularly interesting to view the article or watch the video about computer vision syndrome (CVS). Now, don't panic. CVS describes the eye discomfort and vision problems that some people experience when viewing a computer screen for very long periods of time. Symptoms can include eyestrain, headaches, dry eyes and blurred vision to name a few.
The cause of the symptoms can be a range of things like poor lighting, glare, your seating position or uncorrected vision problems (i.e. the problem I had reading the guide on my too-small TV).
Usually the symptoms are only temporarily but can continue after you leave the computer. To me, the most important message I got from the article is that if you are experiencing CVS symptoms it is important to get your eyes checked out so that any uncorrected vision problems, no matter how minor, can be resolved.
Oh yeah, one more thing, to prevent eyestrain, you need to practice resting your eyes. Take a 15-minute break after two hours of computer use. Also, every 20 minutes you need to do the 20-20-20 rule, after every 20 minutes of computer use, look away for 20 seconds at objects at least 20 feet away.
Anyway, like always, don't just stop at my column, go over and read the article for yourself because I have really made a very short story out of this topic. There is a lot more information on their website that you may find very useful.
toddmusseau@gmail.com
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