What
it is and how we can help
Computer Vision Syndrome
(CVS) has become the new repetitive stress for office-based workers in the
information age. Symptoms include headaches, sore and tired eyes, blurry
vision and neck and shoulder pain.
According to the American Optometric Association, 70 to 75 percent of
computer workers experience computer-related eye strain. It is the number
one job-related complaint in the United States, according to a Louis
Harris poll. Computer eye strain is caused by the refocusing effort
required when viewing the pixels on a computer display. The eye muscles
are constantly straining to keep the images sharp, which can lead to CVS.
Tired eyes, headaches, blurred vision and general fatigue-these are just a few of the painful eye strain symptoms of CVS. Currently, CVS is the number one health complaint of office workers nationwide, affecting over 100 millions adults—including those with 20/20 vision.
Characters on a computer monitor are formed by a series of dots called
pixels. Pixels are brighter in the center and dimmer and fuzzier around
the edges. This is a fundamentally different visual task than reading
normal printed letters on a piece of paper. In order to keep focused on
the computer image, the human eye must refocus 15,000 to 20,000 times
during each workday at the computer.
Computer Vision Syndrome, or CVS, is caused by the constant effort it takes for your eyes to focus on a computer screen. Unlike a printed page in a book, the images on a computer screen are made up of tiny, glowing dots called "pixels".
Without clearly defined edges or background contrast, your eyes cannot lock the images into focus. They continually drift out to their natural focal resting point and then strain to regain focus on the screen. This constant refocusing can occur thousands of times an hour-overworking your eye muscles and causing painful eyestrain symptoms.
