Office workers are often required to work in front of a computer screen or gadgets in a long time. This can cause impaired eye health, partly because of tired eyes.
Problems that appear in the eyes due to computer use or gadgets known as computer vision syndrome (CVS). This condition refers to a series of eye fatigue symptoms that occur due to the habit of staring at a computer screen for a long time.
Various Symptoms of Tired Eyes
The eye muscles work harder when you stare at the computer screen. This is because there is a constant change in focus as the image, text, or movement on the screen increases. Someone who stares at a computer screen also tends to blink less than usual, so that the eyes become dry more easily.
The light from the monitor, the color of the text that contrasts with the background color of the computer, and the amount of blinking from the computer screen will add to the burden on the eyes. This is what causes the eyes to get tired faster
When you experience tired eyes, you will feel the initial symptoms of red eyes and blurry or ghosting vision. In addition, you may also experience other symptoms, which include:
- Double vision and eyes are more sensitive to bright light
- Dry eyes, as if something is stuck or burning
- Headache and discomfort in the neck or back area (tension headache)
- The eyes tend to have difficulty focusing when looking from one object to another
How to prevent tired eyes
To prevent CVS, you can adopt some good habits to protect your eyes. These habits include:
- Leave a distance of about 60–65 cm or about an arm's length between the computer screen and your face.
- Try to keep the center of the screen at an angle of about 10-15⁰ below the eye by adjusting the workbench.
- Understand the 20-20-20 rule, which is every 20 minutes look at an object 20 feet (6 meters) away for 20 seconds.
- Stop looking at the computer screen for 15 minutes if you have been staring at the screen for 2 hours.
- Try to blink more often and use eye drops that contain artificial tears if your eyes feel dry.
- Do not look at the computer screen in a dark room because the computer light that appears can become brighter.
- Perform regular eye exams at least once a year if you often stare at a computer screen for hours a day.
- If you wear contact lenses, try to replace them with glasses every now and then. The use of contact lenses can be a risk factor that adds to dry eyes.
You can also prevent eye fatigue by changing the settings on your computer or gadgets. The method is as follows:
- Set the text size to be larger
- Balancing light gadgets with the surrounding light
- Increase the contrast on the screen gadgets.
- Lowering the color temperature on the screen gadgets
- Reduce light intensity gadgets by using screen filters
Apply the habits above to the maximum so that your eye health can be maintained even if you have to stare at the computer screen or screen gadgets in a long time. Consult an ophthalmologist if the complaints of tired eyes that you experience do not improve after rest or occur repeatedly.
Written by:
dr. Dian Hadiany Rahim, SpM
(Ophthalmologist)
