San José, Costa Rica. March, 2015.

Dry eye, the feeling of a strange body, red eye, difficulty to see faraway for periods, if you look at an object fixedly, vision in some cases improves, in others not, tearing, tiredness, eyelid heaviness, headache and difficulty to see faraway and near, are clear signs that you are overstaying in front of the computer.

According to Dr.Lucía Sibaja Collado, optometrist of the Clinica Biblica Hospital, “sitting for many hours before the computer screen may generate what we call the Visual Computer Syndrome (VCS). For each hour that the person sits in front a monitor, it is advisable that he/she rest for at least 10 minutes.”

Additional to those already mentioned, the symptoms that result due to this ailment are fuzzy vision, fatigue, photophobia (greater sensitiveness to light), burning, irritation, dry eye or the feeling of sand and red eye. Among the causes that could generate VCS are:

• Bad lighting, low screen resolution, many reflections on the screen, poor ventilated places and bad posture.
• Visual defects without correction but with an optic prescription, contact lenses with low permeability for oxygen (those currently sold have the peculiarity that they are very well oxygenated).
• Permanent air conditioning or at very low temperatures.
• Insufficient blinking. It is known that the person who works in front of a monitor for many hours, blinks a third of what he/she really should.
• Screen over your head, which produces a wider palpebral opening, and therefore, greater ocular surface exposed and greater dryness.

“With regard to treatment, there is a special treatment called Anti-reflex, which is a filter that helps to protect the eyes from all screens that emit some kind of illumination, brightness or reflection, which could generate tiredness or fatigue on an ocular level” commented Dr. Sibaja.

The people who are most exposed to suffer visual disturbances are those that spend more than 6 hours a day in front of a monitor. They are also the patients who know they require optical correction and do not use it, as well as those that do not have regular vision controls.

Avoid suffering the computer visual syndrome following the recommendations below:

• Be careful with the lighting in the room, badly lighted places are going to generate that the patient has to make a much greater effort to be able to see clearly.
• The ergonomic part is vital in all work that is performed in front of a monitor. You should rest your back on the back of the chair, your feet should make a straight angle touching the floor, the hand should fall, should not be very much above the desk or on the side so that the computer user does not get tired. The computer should be on the visual axis or some 10° below the visual axis.
• For each hour in front of the monitor, a rest period of at least 10 minutes is recommended.
• It is advisable that the patient regulates the brightness and contrast of the computer. A very bright computer generates a lot of visual fatigue.
• Computers with lower brightness and contrasts are more agreeable to work with.
• A visual examination at least once a year is part of the most important recommendations we make.

For further information or for requesting medical attention, please call the number 2522-1000, or write to the email citas@clinicabiblica.com or contact us via chat at the website: www.clinicabiblica.com.