Computer vision syndrome (CVS): what it is and how to deal with it

The computer vision syndrome also called CVS can seem some strange and rare sickness. By the way we are talking about a kind of phenomenon nowadays quite spread that has some symptoms quite clear and easily distinguishable.
Obviusly the causes of this phenomenon are mainly to give to the big spread of computers and smartphones which, especially in the last period, reached really incredible targets.
Let’s try though to understand something more about it.

What is the Computer Vision Syndrome

Like it is easy to understand the computer vision syndrome is a disease that affects who spend many hours in front of a screen. Especially in the last years the cases are really many.
The symptoms of this curiose syndrome can be of visual kind, neurological and muscle-skeletal even if it isn’t sure that they happen all together and they change from person to person.
The person usually feels, even after some hours in front of a PC or a television, burning on the eyes, tiredness, fatigue, headache and neck pain caused mainly by the position.

The studies about the CVS are ongoing for more than 65 years even if it is especially in the last period that they exponentially increased. According to the researchers infact with the next generation screens, especially if we are talking about mobile devices (smartphones and tablets), we have to stay always closer to better see and this brings to aggravate the problems.

The eyes

The body’s part most interesting by this phenomenon are the eyes which incredible feel this problem.
Burning, double and eclipsed vision, itching, redness are some of the most common symptoms.
This brings who is affected by the computer vision syndrome to clear problems even about the performance on the job with drops of concentration and general discomfort.

According to the experts the reasons for which those phenomenons happen are meanly 3. Firstly the light emitted by the screens has a strong blue components which, not being natural, strongly stresses the eyes.
Furthermore, especially if we are talking about screens with a poor resolution, we have to say that those brings the view to strongly strive itself. 
Finally the third reason is that, in natural conditions our eyes tends to look somewhere else to get sometimes distracted, anyway with the presence of a screen we are always focused on one point and it becomes hard to allow the view to take some rest.

Therefore, the studies revealed that when we look at a screen we open and close the eyes (essential thing) less times than usually.
Usually infact we do it between the 17 and the 20 times every minute while in front of a monitor we do it between the 10 and the 15 times.

Solutions

But is there solutions against the computer vision syndrome? Even if it is really annoying the CVS brings to temporary symptoms and without any damages in the long term.
Take some rest is surely the best solution but there are even other precautions that it is possible to take to get sure that the symptoms won’t appear.
Firstly it is good to use high resoltuion screens that don’t stress the view and that allow to have instead a clear vision. Furthermore the screen has to stay at 50-70 centimeters from the face so to not stress too much the eyes. 

It is really important even to set the light so to not be too low or too high.
Besides what we saw there are even some technical to use. For example if we don’t have any other alternatives and our job forces us to stay in front of the PC for a long time, the suggest is the one to do a short break, moving the eyes far away from the screen every 20 minutes and look at something placed at 10/20 meters for around ten seconds.
In this way we let the eyes take some rest and we can restart with much more relief both about the view and the concentration.

This post is also available in: Italiano