04/07/2020
As our children begin this new home based/ online education and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic I wanted to educate you on something many of your children may experience.
Computer Vision Syndrome(CVS)
Results from focusing the eyes on a computer or other display device for protracted, uninterrupted periods of time and the eye's muscles being unable to recover from the constant tension required to maintain focus on a close object.
Symptoms
Include headaches, blurred vision, neck pain, fatigue, eye strain, dry eyes, irritated eyes, double vision, vertigo/dizziness, and difficulty refocusing the eyes.
Treatment/Prevention
Proper rest to the eye and its muscles is recommended to relieve the associated eye strain. This includes ensuring an adequate night’s sleep. We also advise computer users to take breaks and look at distant objects. A routinely recommended approach is to to look out the window to a distant object or to the sky—doing so provides rest to the muscles. One of the catch phrases is the "20–20–20 rule":every 20 minutes, focus the eyes on an object 20 feet (6 meters) away for 20 seconds. Another recommendation is to consciously blink the eyes every now and then (this helps replenish the tear film) as well as use artificial tears. You may also run a humidifier to get more moisture in the air. Some individuals may also benefit from low powered reading glasses. These are just a few ideas that I hope help as we all adapt. Good luck to everyone!
Nathan Kohler, O.D.
Shelley Eyecare
