Question to you regular computer users

[JoshWilliamson]

Hey, do any of you use a computer daily? Recently my eyes have been hurting a hell of alot more when I use my PC, I have it on the lowest resolution (800/600) but my eyes just get too strained (within an hour of use, sometimes more). They hurt and my vision goes blurry. This co-insides with me getting a sudden increase of floaters in my eyes during the past two months, the hospital said it was down to aging of my eyes, I am wondering if they could be related to the eye strain my computer brings? Or if this is coincidental, and it's just a KC symptom? I really hate these floaters and the prospect of them being there permanently.

I was wondering if it would be advisable to give the computer a miss, or if there is anything I could do to improve my conditions when using it?

I am meant to be starting a 3 year degree at University in September which involves lots of computer use, I'm not really looking forward to the prospect right now! Is over computer use dangerous to KC? If so I am going to rethink my future.

Thanks

[rosemary johnson]

Hi, and sorry to hear about the computer problems.
One phenomenon observed with many people who work with computers is that we tend to sit and stare at the screen and not blink so often as we would do in "normal life". Then our eyes get dry because they don't get the supply of tears washed over them with each blink.
SO one way to help "computer-eye" is to discipline ourselves to keep blinking as we work, and to take regular breaks, to look up and look away and shut our eyes and relax them regularly, etc.
SOme people find it helps to use various lubricating eye drops to stop their eyes getting dry; or to use saline solution, or to havehumidifiers in the room to keep the air from getting too hot and dry, and to drink plenty of water.
YOu might like to try experimenting with your computer settings, maybe to make the resolution higher, so the letters are better defined, but to make them bigger. And maybe try out different colour schemes.
There are special bits of software solk for people with eyesight problems (and others eg. dyslexia) which will enlarge the screen and change the colour scheme at the press of a hotkey; and also those that will read out the screen so you can listen rather than look all the time. the uni may have some of these available for use by students with disabilities.
As regards floaters: yes, aren't they a pain?! I've ogt one in one eye that is a small dark speckle in the "naked eye" and turns into a big brown blotch when I put the contact lens in that eye, right where I want to look to read the paper!
If the hospital aren't bothered they are probably not going to do any harm to your eye - most people get them. I think KC people can notice them more than some other people because we are so short-sighted (or something like that). I also find mine are far more notiveable in spring, when we start getting sunny weather and brighter light - the black speckles show up more on bright sunny days.
SOrry this is not much help; but much fellow feeling.
Rosemary

[JoshWilliamson]

Thanks for the reply Rosemary,

Thanks for the tips for the eye drops, saline solution and havehumidifiers. I'll look into that, I really need to take some positive steps and start looking after my eyes more. & thinking about it my eyes are ever so dry, it really can't help. And I think I may ditch the laptop now in favour of a higher resolution monitor, preferably a bigger one. & yeh I'll look into what software the Uni can offer, more help the merrier

Oh and god yeh, these floaters are so annoying. I'm sorry to hear you have got that nasty black one, that must be a pain! I don't know anyone in my life who has any of this, people just don't know how to relate. I've just had a really annoying black squiggly line appear this past month that follows my eye movement everywhere, along with my old glow worm style ones lol. They're really annoying, but I think I am going to have to name them now and try and make friends with them they're not going to go anywhere in a hurry. & yeh I really do notice them now it's spring, they tarnish the lovely sunlight...sigh

[rosemary johnson]

Glow worms???
DO you ahve floaters that flash? Or flicker like flashing lights?
And if so, have you told the hospital that, or just said you have floaters?
Dark squiggles normally aren't a problem, jsut a "something that happens"; but if seeing flashing lights can be a warning sign.
Rosemary

[JoshWilliamson]

Oh no, they don't flash (would be a retinal problem if so I guess), they just look like big long worms Sorry, don't know why I said glow worms! (tired). Just worms would have done

[GarethB]

Josh,

Many of us use 19 or 21 inch monitors that are set at a higher resolution to get a sharp image and select a large font. The HSE recomend from the DSE Regs that frequent short breaks are taken when using a PC. You get eye dry eyes because as you concentrate your blink rate goes down so you are flushing less tears over the eyes. The same thing happens when you concentrate reading a book, playing video games or even watching TV.

There are some good text to speacha nd speach to text software available as free downloads. Microsoft Office has the text to speach built in b ut you do have to train it but once done it is quite accurate.

As well as turning the brightness down, play with the contrast and even the custom colour settings on the monitor. On my flat screen monitors these are done through the menu function on the screen rather than through the operating system.

Leaflets for students and employers has some information on pc use too.