Computer Vision Syndrome: A Common Cause of Eye Strain and Other Problems

If you suffer from eye strain, blurry vision, headaches and other eye irritations on a constant basis, the cause of your distress may be sitting right in front of you — all the time. Computer vision syndrome may sound like something out of a science fiction movie, but it’s a very real threat to many people comfort, productivity and ocular health. Here at De Anza Vision Center we can recognize the classic signs of this modern-day eye disorder, providing you with solutions to improve your visual clarity, restore comfort, and help you enjoy a happier relationship with your computer monitor.

There’s no getting around the fact that we live and work in the digital era, a situation that forces us to spend hours glued to our computer screens whether we like it (which many of us do) or not. Unfortunately, the human eye did not develop to accommodate this kind of application. For instance, people who are viewing a computer screen tend to blink only one-quarter as frequently as those who aren’t. This is significant, because blinking stimulates and distributes tear film across the eye’s surface. Without that regular dose of tear film, the eyes can easily become chronically dry, reddened and irritated. Meanwhile, low contrast between text and backgrounds, coupled with bright glare from the monitor and sometimes an improper viewing angle, can produce eye strain, headaches, neck pain and shoulder pain. In fact, it’s estimated that as many as 70 percent of adults in the U.S. alone are struggling with some degree of computer vision syndrome.

Relief for Blurry Vision, Eye Strain and Headaches at De Anza Vision Center

If you believe computer vision syndrome to be the cause of your blurry vision, eye strain, headaches and other woes, bring those tired eyes to De Anza Vision Center for proper diagnosis and treatment. Your eye complaints may be aggravated by nearsightedness, astigmatism, presbyopia or another refractive disorder. If we detect such problems during a vision test, we can give you an accurate prescription for corrective lenses for strain-free clarity at the computer. In addition to everyday corrective lenses, we can also provide you with “computer glasses” that are optimized for your viewing distance from your monitor. These glasses can be tinted yellow or another subtle shade to reduce the effects of glare on your sensitive eyes.

Last but not least, our optometrist can recommend a variety of best practices to help you pamper your computer-challenged eyes. You may need to learn how to become more conscious of your blinking rate, for instance, or you may benefit from using eye drops at various points throughout the day. We can advise you on how to position your computer monitor for less strain on your eyes, neck and shoulders, or how to create a schedule of short “eye rest” breaks. Let De Anza Vision Center  free you from computer vision syndrome!