Vision at Work

According to a 2015 survey of employed US adults who had vision benefits, 92% of the respondents felt that the quality of their work was impacted by visual disturbances at the workplace. Only 13% reported this fact to their employer, even though 99% of them felt that seeing well was important. More than half of those surveyed said they were bothered by light issues at work. The top light issues or visual disturbances were tired eyes, light reflecting off a computer screen, bright glaring light, dry eyes and headaches.

When I first started my optometry career I had a huge book dedicated to occupational eye care. The book was published before the ubiquitous use of computers so the content of the book included various types of bifocals and lens designs to meet the demands of secretaries, carpenters and other occupations. There was a chapter dedicated to the wielding profession and the proper selection of tints and protective eyewear. The proper design of eyewear and safety are still very important, but more complaints involve computers and electronic devices than 25 years ago.

65% of Americans report suffering from digital eyestrain. Symptoms of digital eyestrain include neck pain, eye strain, blurred vision, headache and dry eyes. A combination of factors foster the onset of digital eye strain, including the proximity of the screen, the frequency and duration of use and the degree of exposure to high-energy visible (HEV) or blue light emitted by video screens. You don’t need to suffer. Poor vision and compromised visual working conditions reduce our productivity. Solutions are available to relieve and minimize digital eyestrain.

Screen Time

Small Screen Digital devices are getting smaller and smaller. This is great for portability, but not so great for the eyes.
Smaller devices mean smaller screens and that means the print is pretty tiny. The tendency is to hold the device closer to try to see the smaller text, but this requires greater effort to focus and keep the eyes aligned.
Also, depending on the screen resolution, holding the screen closer to the eyes can cause pixilation of characters, which blurs the text and contributes to eyestrain.
To reduce the risk of eyestrain from smaller screens, adjust the print to a larger size, increase the brightness of the screen to match your surroundings and take frequent breaks when reading long passages of text.
For sustained reading, use a tablet or notebook device and hold it farther from your eyes for greater viewing comfort. Or better yet, go outside and take a walk.