computer and eye- dr. murali mohan gurram

7/28/2019 Computer and Eye- Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram

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Eye Education Series-Computer & Eye: Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram

Script by Dr. Murali Mohan Gurram Page 2

Normally we blink about 15 times per minute. Blink is very essential in that, it reforms the

tear film which breaks up before the blink. Blinking occurs involuntarily without our

knowledge. During computer usage, the blink rate falls down, as we are focusing on the

monitor. This reduced blinking exposes the eye surface to environment for more than

normal time. Thus the tear film gets evaporated, leading to dryness.

The Display of letters in the monitor should be with high contrast and low brightness.

The letters font should not be too small. Less contrast and small fonts, make the eyes to

stress more to see. This stress causes headache, tiredness etc.

The ambient light also plays a role. The room lights should not be too bright and they

should not directly shine light on either the eyes or the monitor.

STEPS TO REDUCE THE SYMPTOMS:

The only way to totally get rid of symptoms is to stop computer usage which is notpossible in todays life. The following ten steps would reduce the symptoms to a major

extent.

1. Get a comprehensive eye exam.

Having a routine comprehensive eye exam is the most important thing you can do toprevent or treat computer vision problems. Get your eyes checked by an ophthalmologistatleast once in a year.

2. Use proper lighting.

Eye strain often is caused by excessively bright light either from outdoor sunlight comingin through a window or from harsh interior lighting. When you use a computer, yourambient lighting should not be very bright nor dark.

Eliminate exterior light by closing drapes, shades or blinds. Reduce interior lighting byusing fewer light bulbs or fluorescent tubes, or use lower intensity bulbs and tubes. Ifpossible, position your computer monitor or screen so windows are to the side, instead ofin front or behind it.


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3. Minimize glare.

Glare on walls and finished surfaces, as well as reflections on your computer screen alsocan cause computer eye strain. Consider installing an anti-glare screen on your monitorand, if possible, paint bright white walls a darker color with a matte finish.

If you wear glasses, purchase lenses with anti-reflective (AR) coating. AR coating reducesglare by minimizing the amount of light reflecting off the front and back surfaces of youreyeglass lenses.

4. Upgrade your display.

If you have not already done so, replace your old tube-style monitor (called a cathode raytube or CRT) with a flat-panel liquid crystal display (LCD), like those on laptopcomputers.

LCD screens are easier on the eyes and usually have an anti-reflective surface. Old-fashioned CRT screens can cause a noticeable "flicker" of images, which is a major cause


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of computer eye strain. Even if this flicker is imperceptible, it still can contribute to eyestrain and fatigue during computer work.

Finally, choose a relatively large display. For a desktop computer, select a display that hasa diagonal screen size of at least 19 inches.

5. Adjust your computer display settings.

Keep the brightness low and contrast high. Dont use Backgrounds which makes thevisibility of letters less. Use the letters of reasonable font size.


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6. Blink and rest.

Blinking is very important when working at a computer; blinking moistens your eyes toprevent dryness and irritation. Since involuntary blinking gets reduced during computeruse, try to blink voluntarily more often.

To reduce your risk of dry eyes during computer use, try this exercise of 30-30. Afterevery 30 minutes of computer usage, close your eyes gently for 30 seconds. Thisreplenishes the tear film which got evaporated during the computer usage.


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7. Exercise your eyes.

Another cause of computer eye strain is focusing fatigue. To reduce your risk of tiringyour eyes by constantly focusing on your screen follow "20-20-20 rule": look away fromyour computer at least every 20 minutes and gaze at a distant object (at least 20 feet

away) for at least 20 seconds. Looking far away relaxes the focusing muscle inside the eyeto reduce fatigue.

Also exercise the extraocular musles, so that they wont fatigue soon. Move your eyes in alldirections for 2 minutes.

8. Take frequent breaks.

To reduce your risk for computer vision syndrome and neck, back and shoulder pain, takefrequent breaks during your computer work day. Every two hours, do the gentle neck

exercises.

9. Modify your workstation.

If you need to look back and forth between a printed page and your computer screen, thiscan cause eye strain. Place written pages on a copy stand adjacent to the monitor.

See that your computer screen is 20 to 24 inches from your eyes. The center of yourscreen should be about 10 to 15 degrees below your eyes for comfortable positioning ofyour head and neck.


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10. Consider computer eyewear and medications

For the greatest comfort at your computer, you might benefit from having your eye careprofessional modify your eyeglasses prescription to create customized computer glasses.Computer eye wear is nothing but a regular light weight glass with an Anti-ReflectiveCoating. A thin film is coated onto the glasses, which reflects the light emitted from the

monitor, and thus reduces stress on eyes. Consult your eye doctor before using any eyeglasses


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With the advice of your ophthalmologist , you can use artificial tear drops. There aremany brands available in the market. Basically all of these function in the same manner.They wet the eye surface and thus correct dryness. They work well and relieve thesymptoms quite fast , but the relief is only temporary.

Follow these steps, and start getting relieved of your computer vision syndromeproblems. Happy browsing

(Thanks for google images for providing me the sources of images)


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computer and eye- dr. murali mohan gurram

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