How to keep your vision

With a few simple methods and measures you can make your stay in front of the computer much more enjoyable - especially for the eyes.

CVS syndrome (Computer Vision Syndrome) is the official name for vision problems and eye fatigue which are caused by long-term work at the computer. This syndrome is not detected by people younger than 40 years until recently. But nowadays more and more time is spent looking at the monitors so CVS is becoming a problem for all generations. Fortunately, there are several simple methods and measures by which hours in front of your PC can be made easier and more enjoyable.

Look ahead
Set monitor right in front of you at a distance of about 45-70 centimetres from the eyes (about how long your arm is). Make sure that the top of the monitor is at a level slightly below the horizontal eye level. The ideal angle is about 10-120 degrees down which is identical to the natural position of the eyes and head while reading the book. See the light in the room. Experts suggest that people over 50 need twice as much light to make their eyes less exhausted during reading. However, eye strain is usually caused by too strong light that surrounds the monitor. Find a balance between light intensity of monitor and room. Keep your windows to left of the monitor instead of in front of or behind you. Depending on the day you have to use curtains, blinds, or an additional room lighting to make the most pleasant light environment. Also do not forget the walls. Reflection of light from them on the monitor screen can cause vision problems and eye fatigue. If possible, keep your computer in a room that is not white. If you wear glasses you might be able to put out a film which reflects light (that is more efficient than the protective membrane on the computer monitor because it rejects all light).

Monitor settings
LCD monitors are in terms of price and quality the best. If you do not have it, try to get it. If you have an old CRT monitor, set an item 'refresh rate' above 75 hertz. In the instructions that came with your computer you will find the steps you must follow in order to adjust it. LCD monitors and the latest (but expensive) LED energy-saving monitors are much sharper than the old model. Microsoft's ClearType technology (there is a XP and Vista and Win7) will allow you to make text on the screen more readable. If you use XP or Vista, download from the internet plug-in for this option and follow the instructions. If you are buying a new monitor, buy one with the larger screen. Advanced internet users can visit a page like http://www.lagom.nl/lcd-test where they can adjust the monitor settings as their best.

Customizing text
In fact the size of the text should be three times higher than the minimum sizes that can be read from  your natural reading position and distance. If the minimum size that you can read is  4, adjust the text size to the 12th. It is perfect when the text is black on a white background. You can set Text size among other things on Vista and Win7 via Control Panel, Ease of Access options. XP users can do that through the options or Appearance Settings in Control Panel. Nearly all versions of Microsoft Windows and Mac have integrated magnifier which zooms in areas that you want. You can find Magnifier option by selecting Search on the Start Menu.

More advanced computer users, the size of the display pages for browsing may increase in the following way: press and hold down the Ctrl key and then pressing the + or - adjust the size that fits you the best. You can do this with all the major browsers - Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox and Chrome. You can do the same thing if you have a mouse with a movable wheel (scroll wheel): again, press and hold down the Ctrl key and roll the wheel forward or backward to change the display size. One advantage of this mouse is the fact that with it you can resize the display, and some programs like Microsoft Word, and the elements on the screen as the above-mentioned web browsers.

Source: www.metro-portal.hr

<< Back