Computers and Your Health

Computer use however carries with it some health risks. If workplace conditions are poor and work habits are improper, heavy computer users (those that use the computer at least two hours a day) can stress their eyes and soft tissues, especially their muscles, ligaments, tendons and nerves, and develop some painful and disabling conditions or injuries (sometimes permanent ones) including computer vision syndrome (CVS) and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).

The symptoms of CVS consist of eyestrain, headache, fatigue, double/blurred vision, dry eyes, burning/tired eyes, slow refocusing, neck and backache and light sensitivity. Fortunately, CVS is evidently a transient disorder that does not cause any permanent damage to the eyes.

A variety of factors that are unique to the computer screen contributes to CVS: The lack of contrast among the characters (unlike in printed material where the characters are dense black with well-defined edges); the uneven brightness the computer monitor is brightest at the center and this brightness diminishes in intensity peripherally; and, the distance from the eye of the object being viewed in the computer screen, the object being viewed is further (18” to 28”) than in reading materials (16” to 21”).

Another factor contributing to CVS is the fact that people working on computers blink less often than they should. Computer users blink only six to eight times per minute while the normal blink rate is 16 to 20 per minute. Blinking prevents the eye surface from drying up because it spreads the tears that is produce continuously by the tear glands on the surface of the eye.

The common musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) associated with prolonged computer use include carpal tunnel syndrome, tendonitis and arthritis. MSDs manifest as discomforts, aches, pains, tingling, stiffness or numbness in various joints and parts of the body, especially the hands, arms, shoulder, neck and back.