CVS: Computer Vision Syndrome
As briefly mentioned in our last article, titled “Generation Z”, the use of electronic devices (mainly computers and smartphones) entails some health risks. CVS (computer/cyber vision syndrome) is one of them.
Do you suffer from it without knowing?
In the next 1000 years, it is highly probable that new symptoms and types of diseases will come to our awareness that we can only guess at nowadays. From an evolutionary point of view, we may slowly develop deformities in our backs, shoulders and necks or severe eye sensitivity in the long run. It is therefore very important for in-depth information on these topics to be offered early on in schools, universities and companies, as well as measures to counteract or prevent them.
One of the modern diseases that is affecting a growing number of people each day is CVS.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of CVS are:
- headaches
- neck pain
- dizziness
- tired, burning, watery or dry eyes
- difficulty focusing your eyes
- blurred or double vision.
Solving the ergonomic issues
If you are experiencing symptoms that affect your neck and head, chances are, your posture while using digital devices is the problem. Your posture can be corrected by adopting ergonomic measures. Height-adjustable chairs, desks and screens would be a very good start. A height-adjustable standing desk would be even better.
Short and regular breaks are also very important for the body, just as short stretching exercises to give the body some relief from an otherwise rigid posture. Standing up and moving around a bit every 20 to 30 minutes is already enough. This allows the muscles to relax and promotes blood circulation. This way, you can counteract initial symptoms before they become painful and possibly even chronic.
Solving the visual issues
The same applies to symptoms related to the eyes — short screen pauses are also suitable for alleviating them. The so-called “20-20-20” says that the eyes should be directed to an object at a distance of 20 feet (approx. 6 meters) for 20 seconds every 20 minutes — this is a good, easy to remember guideline. But a slightly longer break at half an hour intervals is also a good idea. It is essential that the eyes are directed towards a distant object. This serves as a stretching exercise for the eye muscles, so to speak.
But also an optimization of the screen settings (saturation, contrast, brightness) can work wonders with regard to CVS. It’s also best to have a blue filter installed on all your digital devices to filter out the harmful blue light — which is harmful because it disturbs the human sleep cycle.
Nowadays, there are even glasses that have a blue light filter integrated which are not only meant for people who wear glasses, by the way. They are called blue-cut glasses and are ideal for people who spend most of their day working on their computers. They reduce eye strain, as well as eye fatigue, and increase visual comfort, improve colour contrast and help to promote concentration throughout the day. For people who do not like wearing glasses, there are also contact lenses that include a blue filter!
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that breaks and rest are key elements of life, especially in everyday working life. When the body is already giving warning signals such as symptoms, it is high time to listen to it and take action. This way, CVS can be controlled. Listen to your body and stay healthy!
