Have you ever spent all day on the computer and found that your vision became slightly blurry or less efficient once you get off the screen? This may be the first symptom of Computer Vision Syndrome.
In France, 83% of the population owns a computer. If this figure does not reflect the exact number of people who actually work all day on this tool, we do know that one in two people living in the metropolis of greater Paris is an office worker according to INSEE. A job where you have to work often in front of your screen, and which causes certain well-known ailments such as back pain (20% of workplace accidents) or other lesser-known syndromes.
The risks of computer work
Indeed, while health specialists advise us not to spend more than two hours a day in front of our computer, many professions require work on screen for 5 to 7 hours a day. During this exposure time, our eyes are so strained. Moreover, we often spend our break times on our phone screenwhich leaves our retina little time to rest.
All of this can eventually lead to Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). But then, why is it more serious to look at a screen than anything else? In reality, staring at a computer screen requires to the visual system a much greater constraint than a printed document. The low resolution of the letters, the contrast and the reflections on the screen make it more difficult for us to read.
Indeed, as doctor Sylvie Royant Parola explains at the morning TV microphone:
“The blue light produced by screens is very aggressive for the eye, it can also have effects on the retina so we can have alterations on this retina which can even go as far as tearing.”
But what are the symptoms?
The symptoms of SVI are quite multiple. Very disturbing, they are however not irremediable:
- tired and strained eyes
- eye discomfort
- dry, irritated or burning eyes
- blurred vision when viewing screens or looking into the distance
- difficulty focusing our vision
- sensitivity to bright lights
- headache
- neck and shoulder pain
Exercises to prevent our eyestrain
To remedy this disease of the 21st century, nothing very complex, several exercises exist to train your eyes during our work periods:
The American Optometric Association, for example, recommends following the 20-20-20 rule. This rule consists of looking at an object six meters away for 20 seconds for every 20 minutes spent in front of a screen. Other exercises also exist. For example, trying to alternate slowly our look on a distant object and a near object. Even if this might not completely relieve our eyes, they will in any case be more trained for our long sessions. at the computer.
You can also, and in a very simple way, remove the blue light from your telephone or computer screens in order to don’t strain your eyes too much !
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