You have, probably, at some point, noticed someone who is staring intently at their computer screen. They are hunched forward with their shoulders up, and all you can think is, “that can’t possibly be comfortable.”
And you have, probably, all had the experience, after spending many hours in front of the computer, where you say, “I just can’t spend any another minute in front of a computer screen.” Perhaps you are even thinking about this right now.
Dr. Mark Rosenfield, a Doctor of Optometry, spoke about the adverse effects of sitting in front of a computer for too long. On February 27, he gave an eye-opening lecture with the Pre-Optometry Club about Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) – a new phenomenon where people feel discomfort from being in front of a screen for too long. (How ironic that I am typing this article on my laptop….)
Because we are in the Digital Age, people of all ages find themselves in front of a screen for large portions of the day. Surveys show that American children ages 8-18 sit in front of a screen (TV or computer) for an average of 7.5 hours a day – meaning that many children spend much more time than 7.5 hours in front of the screen. Even more disturbing are the toddlers that addicted to iPads or are glued to the television. And adults are not immune from this either—the vast majority of Americans require computers for their jobs, and students (like me) frequently take notes on laptops. Rosenfield noticed that many people find it uncomfortable to look at a screen and these people are generally unhappy, so he ventured to find out why.
There are a few things that make computers different from other things that have text (like books and newspapers). Most importantly, the screens are usually very close to our faces. Either we are holding a smartphone about three inches away from our face, or we are hunched forward in front of a laptop. The constant need to refocus to different distances brings the eyes a lot of strain and forces our eyes to work harder. This is exacerbated by the text sizes, many of which are smaller than newspapers and books, requiring us to shorten the distance between our eyes and the computer so that we can actually read the webpage. Furthermore, the arched positions that many people sit in while using the computer causes physical discomfort in addition to visual strain. Fortunately, there is no evidence that screens cause eye damage (phew!), but the discomfort is not something that should be overlooked. Other symptoms include: tired eyes, dry eyes, irritated/burning eyes, and light sensitivity.
Rosenfield conducted an experiment to test the prevalence of CVS in adults. He surveyed a number of offices in the Bryant Park area, and found that workers spent time in front of a computer for an average of six hours a day with a range of half an hour to 16 hours a day. That’s right – some people spend 16 hours a day on the computer (my jaw dropped too). He asked them if any of them experienced CVS symptoms and for what percentage of the time. He found that 4 in 10 people experienced symptoms at least half the time – and for someone who sits in front of a computer for, say, eight hours a day, half of the time is a lot of time to feel discomfort! Rosenfield’s study also found that symptoms are worse with older age, time spent on the computer, and women.
Some of you nay-sayers might say that the eye strain does not come from the screen, but rather from external factors, such as the closeness of the screen to one’s face. Rosenfield was one step ahead of you—he conducted a study where people had to perform a reading task both from a screen and from a piece of paper (while ensuring that all other factors remained constant) and found that people found more discomfort reading from the screen than from the paper. Furthermore, studies show that people express CVS symptoms from Kindles, which are meant to mimic books as much as possible. In essence, there is just something about a computer screen that affects your vision in a negative way.
CVS can be caused by a number of different factors. People who have difficulty focusing, a bad prescription, or dry eyes are more prone to CVS. Moreover, non-ocular conditions such as lighting and posture also play a role. This can be treated by fixing one’s prescription—perhaps by correcting small errors, getting bifocals, or getting glasses specifically for the computer. However, this does not address the issue of Dry Eye Syndrome.
Dry Eye Syndrome, something that affects many middle-aged women (including some who attend Stern College!), is a syndrome where the eyes do not produce enough tears. People with Dry Eye tend to feel more discomfort in front of a computer because the cornea is more exposed, so more tears evaporate. One of the main reasons why computers exacerbate this syndrome is because of its adverse effects on blinking. We blink in order to spread the tears around the surface of our eyes, and sometimes the computer screen can affect the number of blinks and the quality of blinks: people tend to blink less and to blink less completely (their eyelids do not completely cover the surface of the eye) when on the computer. Those with Dry Eye can experience relief by making their environment friendlier (better lighting, for instance), and by taking breaks. It is very important that CVS symptoms are addressed because visual discomfort affects productivity.
Rosenfield gave an eye-opening lecture with eye-popping statistics regarding those with eye discomfort. Batsheva Kuhr, a pre-optometry student, noted that “the presentation was very dynamic,” and she expressed surprise that CVS was “so prevalent.” For now, researchers can only give advice as how to alleviate symptoms, but hopefully they will find a permanent cure for CVS.