Computer Vision Syndrome in Mumbai

COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME (Digital Eye Strain) is a term that describes vision-related problems and other symptoms caused by prolonged computer use. More and more people are increasingly getting dependent on computers in their daily routine and this has brought about a number of health concerns like ocular discomfort, muscular strain and stress.

CVS affects most people who work for more than 2 hours a day in front of the computer screen, especially children and adults above 40 years of age. Those who has refractive errors, binocular vision problems, focusing disorders and dry eye disease are more likely to have problems. The extent to which an individual may experience symptoms is largely dependent upon their visual abilities in relation to the visual demands of the task being performed. These unique characteristics and high visual demands of computer work lead to eye-related symptoms.

CAUSES

Causes of Computer Vision Syndrome:
There are various components that determine the amount of strain your body feels as you work on a PC or other advanced gadgets, incorporating distance from the screen, lightening in the room, seating posture, glare on the screen and angle of your head. One or these may consolidate to bring about an uncomfortable amount of strain on your eyes. Some other includes:

• Uncorrected vision conditions
• Inadequate focusing power of the eye
• Inadequate power to converge the eyes at same object
• Poor computer design
• Wrong workplace ergonomics
• Continous and long hours of computer use
• Infrequent blinking
• Inadequacies of eye co-ordination and focusing

Viewing a computer screen is hard on the eyes because the letters on a computer screen are not as precise or sharp and the glare from the screen makes it more difficult. Also the contrast of the letters to the background is less. The video display is made up of pixels or tiny dots, rather than solid lines on a printed page. The eyes have to continuously focus & refocus to get a sharp image and this leads to tiring of the eye muscles.

TREATMENTS

Treatment of Computer Vision Syndrome:
Apart from wearing correct spectacles and use of tear substitute to prevent dry eye, the main treatment lies in treating the actual cause of CVS i.e. strengthening the muscle power of the eyes to focus adequately.

Vision Therapy to improve convergence and other binocular eye problems
Vision Therapy includes a variety of activities using gadgets like prisms, lenses and computerized programs. This can help patients to develop or enhance visual comfort, as, fundamental visual skills and abilities and efficiency.

At Krishna Vision Therapy, Computer Vision Syndrome is managed in the most progressive and holistic way. Advanced programmes developed by international researcher, Brock String, Vectograms for enhancing visual function including eye development skills, accommodation and binocular vision are sent for the best results.

DIAGNOSE YOURSELF RIGHT NOW

The astigmatic mirror that is used to diagnose and reduce astigmatism

Diagnose yourself, right now.
the astigmatic mirror that is used to diagnose and reduce astigmatism

Special Eye Charts

There are some special eye charts that are used for various other purposes than the Snellen chart is!
The first one of these special eye charts is the astigmatic mirror that is used to diagnose and reduce astigmatism. Here is the chart (credit:,
www.i-see.org):If an astigmatic looks at the lines near the center, some of the lines look darker in some directions than others.A typical astigmatic will see the lines near the horizontal clearer and darker than the vertical ones. Horizontal lines may look spaced wider than the vertical ones, too!Also the inner circle may not look quite round in shape

Test Yourself for ARMD!
Use the Amsler Grid in a precursory check immediately!

Amsler Grid
Another one of the special eye charts is the Amsler Grid that is simply a square mesh of horizontal and vertical lines looking like this (credit: www.nei.nih.gov): Focus one eye at the dot in the center

• Can you see the dot?
• Can you see the four corners?
• Are all the small squares visible?
• Is there any curving of lines?

Here is the Amsler Grid as it might appear to a person who is afflicted with age-related macular degeneration (credit: www.nei.nih.gov):

Here is another one of these special eye charts facilitating early treatment of diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) visual acuity chart (credit: www.nei.nih.gov):

Are you sure you can see all your colors correctly?
Take just a few moments and find out!

Colour Vision Test
What numbers do you see revealed in the patterns of dots below?

Next

The test to the left is simpler. The individual with normal color vision will see a 5 revealed in the dot pattern. An individual with Red/Green (the most common) color blindness will see a 2 revealed in the dots

Do you need spectacles?
See if you can read these!

Near Vision Test for Adults

Nearly half of all blindness can be prevented. Everyone should have periodic eye examinations.Nearly half of all blindness can be prevented. Everyone should have periodic eye examinations.Nearly half of all blindness can be prevented. Everyone should have periodic eye examinations.Nearly half of all blindness can be prevented.Everyone should have periodic eye examinations.

Have your eyes checked, if you can’t read first two sentences or find out the gap in the rings.

TIPS TO BEAT COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME

Periodic Eye Check: All computer workers should have a comprehensive eye examination. Any refractive error & a problem of binocular focusing should be sorted.

Workplace Lighting: The brightness of the screen and the surrounding room should be balanced. The light should be enough to enhance computer screen visibility and should not create glare or reflections. Lighting levels between 200 and 700 Lux (approx 20-70 foot candles) are recommended. Negative contrast computer displays (dark letters on a light background) provides a more legible image than a positive contrast displays (light letters on dark background).

Workstation Design: The computer workstation should be ergonomically correct. The eyes should be in a downward gaze of about 15 degrees when viewing a computer screen. The top of the screen should be below the horizontal eye level of the operator and tilted back slightly (10-20 Deg) away from the operator. An ideal viewing distance is 20-28 inches.

Humidity: Airtight air-conditioned atmospheres at most workplaces lead to increasing dryness of the eyes.

Blinking: Normal blinking rate of 14-16 blinks/minute is reduced to 4-6 blinks/minute while working on computers. This reduced blinking contributes to excessive evaporation of existing tears and leads to dryness of the eyes. A sub-conscious effort to blink frequently is helpful in such situations.

Frequent Breaks: A short break taken frequently during long working hours is very relaxing for the eyes. An ideal situation is to take a break for 20-30 seconds after every 20 minutes of constant work.

FAQ

Is there more than one type of Vision Therapy?
Yes. Not all vision therapy programs are the same. Differences in the approach to vision therapy can be as diverse as the doctors who provide it. Make sure you understand what you can expect from the program and how goals will be achieved.

Can Vision Therapy help children with learning problems?
Yes. Vision therapy can be an important part of the overall treatment of a child’s learning problem. Vision and sensorimotor deficits can cause eyestrain, headaches, blurred or double vision, loss of place while reading, and difficulty maintaining attention on close work. Even intelligent, highly motivated children can be severely handicapped by these problems in the academic environment.

Are Computers used in Vision Therapy?
Yes. The computer has produced major advancements in the administration of vision therapy. State-of-the-art technology and software allows vision therapist to offer patients challenging programs for the enhancement of eye teaming, focusing, binocularity and convergence skills, and perceptual-cognitive skills, etc.