treatment of computer syndrome

From Ophthalmology Book

Working in front of a computer screen results in functional status disorder of, first of all, central nervous system, vision, and musculoskeletal system.

Visual organ diseases are a separate issue for investigation of computer's negative effect on human health status. Computer's negative effect on eyes develops gradually, and its negative effect cumulates. In certain time, intense visual work may cause so called "Computer Vision Syndrome". CVS declares itself with visual fatigue, pain in eyes, lacrimation, feeling of a foreign body in eyes, work-induced myopia. In general, non professional working in front of a computer screen provokes work decrement and incompetence of the whole organism.

Computer Vision Syndrome is on the first place in pathologies structure among computer users. Incidence of the Computer Vision Syndrome depends on length of working in front of a computer screen and screen type. Long-term working in front of a computer screen requires heightened concentration resulting in considerable visual system loading. More significant abnormalities are seen with children and people with accommodation and convergence impairment.

Complaints usually associated with Computer Vision Syndrome can be divided into two groups:

• asthenopic complaints: decrement in visual acuity (near-sight and far-sight), accommodation impairment, diplopia, rapid fatigability when reading, objects shape and size changing, color sensing change, binocular vision disturbances
•  eye complaints: feeling of burden, burning, sand in eyes, pain at moving eyes, eyes reddening, lacrimation, photophobia, feeling of fatigued eyes

In order to safeguard eyes when working in front of a computer screen, one must follow the rules given below:

• occupational hygiene when working in front of a computer screen (lighting of a room and a working place, placing of monitor, body position, colour of equipment);
• approaching of screen image to natural (objects size and colour, background, image brightness and contrast, presence of image flicker and gleam)
• visual system functioning conditions improvement when working with computer screen images (vision correction glasses and contact lens)
  

Computer Vision Syndrome principal treatment methods are:

• to take a rest of working in front of a computer screen
• optimum optical correction
  
• pharmacotherapy
  
• physiotherapy (gel-neon laser stimulation and apparatus treatment)