How to Protect your eyes when you work on a computer?

Many take eyes and eyesight for granted. If the body is functioning, it’s taken that the eyes would also be up and about. Over 90 percent of the country’s rural population has never visited clinicians for eye care, therefore grossly neglecting eye disorders that can even cause blindness.Even the urban dwellers,say eye-care experts,are not so aware of the need for eye-care and eye-hygiene.

“Today, city dwellers are increasingly becoming health-conscious. They are willing to invest time and money in health.But the irony is that, even under a whole-body examination the eyes are left out, without being checked”, says Dr Ram Chandran, an eye specialist.

The advent of computing has introduced a new breed of eye-disorders. It's called the computer vision syndrome. A large number of professionals who work on computers today suffer from tiredness of the eye, eye-pain, burning sensation in the eyes, eye-strain, dryness, headache and shoulder pain, says Dr Vinay Murthy, Prabha Eye Clinic and Research Center. Around 60 percent of computer professionals in India are suffering with these eye problems while the rate is over 80 percent in the US.

Eyes are designed to blink around 20 times a minute. But computer users blink very less and this causes a breakup in the tear-film in front of the cornea, resulting in acute dry eyes. Such recurrent drying causes burning sensations, irritation, pain and redness in the eye and stress on the shoulders and back”, he adds. Dr Murthy says computer professionals should rule out all refractive errors. The lighting arrangement at work place should be eye-friendly. No undue glares or rays of light should be allowed on the screen while working.

Also, it's important for computer users to take five to 10-minute breaks in every hour of working and look at far off objects. Then the eye muscles will be relaxed. Also, when you feel tired at work,keep the eyes shut for a minute and that will help the tear film to spread evenly once again, therefore relaxing the eye. People with severe cases of dry-eye should go in for artificial tear supplements and anti-glare glasses - for their eyes and for the computer screen.

Keep eye strain away…

• Blink your eyes around 20 times a minute

• Consult an eye specialist if you have problems such as dry eyes, burning or redness of the eyes at the end of the day

• The lighting arrangement at work should be easy on the eye. No undue glares or rays of light should be allowed on the monitor screen while working

• Take five to 10-minute breaks in every hour of working and look at far off objects.This relaxes eye muscles

• When you feel tired at work, keep the eyes shut for a minute and that will help the tear film to spread evenly once again

• Use anti-glare glasses for your eyes and monitor screen