Returning to our desks after the holidays, try to put some good practice into place to help you through the dark days of January!
We see lots of office workers suffering with dry, tired eyes, and eye strain after a hard day enslaved at their desks. Now that we all use computers in our home and work lives – as well as on the train, in the coffee shop etc etc! We’re using them for longer and longer periods each and every day. Problems with eye health or your sight are brought into sharper focus as the eyeballs show the strain. So can you help yourself, and what can we do to help you too?
Some problems can arise simply because of the hours we spend in front of our screens, whether on well lit i-pads, VDU screens or in the small print of a Blackberry. To help the eyes to cope with this you need to remember to do a little bit of eye exercise during your working day. It sounds obvious, but you do have to make the effort to blink often, as it’s easy to keep on staring at the screen and not blink. The action of the eyelids sweeping over the front of the eye re-wets the surface, which moistens the surface of the eye. This soothes, cleanses and refreshes it. You should also try to get into the habit of looking up into the distance, and away from the computer at regular intervals. This allows the eyes to change focus, which saves eye strain and at the end of the day you should feel less tired.
Our profession recommends an eye exam every two years, and if you use a computer for a significant part of the day your employer is obliged by law to pay for this. Check with HR – they may pay your usual optician or they may have a contract with a specified practice. The test will ensure that your eyes are healthy and that your prescription glasses are suitable for use at the VDU. If you need a prescription specifically for the computer your employer will pay for this too. Make sure you know your entitlement before you go for the test. You may also have the option of topping up your employer’s contribution for an upgraded option. When you know what you need and your employer has supplied your work pair, go online and make sure you have a spare, you can then keep one in your desk drawer and one at home. When you’re used to the VDU prescription you’ll be uncomfortable at the keyboard without it. Note that it can be helpful to tell the Optician your working distance – just sit in your usual position and measure from you to the screen. This can help to make sure you get the correct focal length.
If you do happen to need prescription glasses specifically for the computer, ask to have an anti-reflection coating on your lenses. This is the only thing that will help to reduce the effects of glare. It’s not like a tint and won’t darken the lenses, but it will reduce eye fatigue.