Computer vision syndrome is a change in the eyeball arising from prolonged work at a computer. Clinical manifestations are characterized by decreased visual acuity, development of habitual excessive accommodation disorder, feeling of heaviness, feeling of a foreign body in the eye area, reddening of the eyeball. Diagnostics involves external examination, determination of visual acuity and type of vision, tonometry, computer perimetry, autorefractometry, autokeratometry. Treatment is conservative only, consisting in the prescription of moisturizing drops, adjustment of work and rest mode.
General information
Computer vision syndrome is a symptom complex caused by overstrain of the visual system due to prolonged work with a computer. The term “computer vision syndrome” was introduced by American ophthalmologists in 1998 as a result of combining features of changes in the eyeball during computer use. According to modern concepts, computer work itself is not a source of serious organic pathology. Most problems are related to functional changes in the eyes, neck, back, shoulders, etc. In the process of work there is a constant movement of the eyes from the display to the keyboard, which greatly increases the strain on the eyes. Most often, the pathology occurs at the age of 18 to 45 years in people who constantly work on the computer. Women develop computer syndrome faster than men.
Causes of development
As a result of evolutionary development the human eye has adapted to perceive objects and texts only in reflected light, it is poorly adapted to the perception of information from computer or tablet monitors. Computer displays are made up of dots and glowing pixels, which is very different from paper text. On a computer monitor, letter lines are less contrasty and lack clear borders. All of this reduces the accuracy of accommodative focusing and leads to the formation of accommodation lag. Accommodation is the ability of the lens to change its shape (become either flatter or more convex) to accurately focus on objects that are at different distances from the human eye.
What this pathology is and why it occurs
When working at a monitor, the eye is affected by the following negative factors:
- Fixing the gaze on the screen causes a person to blink less frequently. Because of this, the tear film, which moistens and protects the surface of the cornea, dries out.
- Images on the monitor consist of pixels, and have less contrast compared to natural objects. The eye constantly has to strain to see the images on the monitor clearly.
- Static posture. Arms extended forward, head tilt, repetitive movements lead to musculoskeletal disorders. Prolonged tension in the shoulders can lead to muscle spasm. And this is fraught with poor circulation and cervical osteochondrosis.
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