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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? Topics Fitness Food Health Natural Pamper Special Style Events Medical Directory Reader's Picks RSS Info About OHL Advertise Archive Photos Return to Mail Tribune NEWS NOW Our View: Cheers and jeers Read Our View:» Ashlanders root for Guthrie in Game 7 Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Read Ashlanders» Medford stabbing suspect unfit to stand trial, sent to mental hospital Read Medford» Our View: Cheers and jeers Read Our View:» Ashlanders root for Guthrie in Game 7 Thomas Moriarty Mail Tribune Read Ashlanders» Medford stabbing suspect unfit to stand trial, sent to mental hospital Read Medford» eyePad Do you have computer vision syndrome? Patty Casebolt, the clinical director at Medical Eye Center in Medford, is ready for her first pair of glasses. "I work on my computer all day long. Even though I work in an eye doctor's office, I have been resistant to getting computer or reading glasses simply due to vanity!" she admits, adding that the time has come. By TEXT BY CATHLEEN COLE MailTribune.com By TEXT BY CATHLEEN COLE Posted Mar. 3, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Mar 3, 2014 at 12:18 PM By TEXT BY CATHLEEN COLE Posted Mar. 3, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Mar 3, 2014 at 12:18 PM CVS Symptoms --> • Eye strain or eye fatigue • Dry eyes, burning eyes • Light sensitivity • Blurred vision • Headaches • Pain in the shoulders, neck or back » Read more X CVS Symptoms • Eye strain or eye fatigue • Dry eyes, burning eyes • Light sensitivity • Blurred vision • Headaches • Pain in the shoulders, neck or back CVS Causes • Most people wear glasses that do not fully correct the intermediate zone where the computer monitor is usually placed. • Many people tend to lean forward or tilt their head to look through the bottom portion of their glasses, which can result in a sore neck and shoulders. • Poor office and room lighting can be major sources of glare and reflection, which can lead to eye strain. • People in their 40s and older suffer blurred vision at the computer because of presbyopia - the loss of flexibility of the lens of the eye, which makes it difficult for them to focus on close objects. • In middle age, the eye loses its ability to switch focus rapidly from distance to intermediate to near. CVS Cures • Take frequent breaks from the computer. • Use lubricating eye drops. • Have correct posture at the computer. • Get a high-quality pair of computer-specific lenses. » Social News Patty Casebolt, the clinical director at Medical Eye Center in Medford, is ready for her first pair of glasses. "I work on my computer all day long. Even though I work in an eye doctor's office, I have been resistant to getting computer or reading glasses simply due to vanity!" she admits, adding that the time has come. She started experiencing symptoms of computer vision syndrome — dry eyes, blurred vision, eye strain, light sensitivity, headaches — so she set an alarm on her computer to make her take a break from it every hour. She recently ignored the alarm and pushed through with her work. "I suffered for it," she admits, saying her eyes were bright red and dry at the end of the work day. "I felt exhausted." If people have never had to wear glasses before, Casebolt explains, they may not realize how much better their eyes would feel if they had some corrective help — especially if they use a computer all day. Using computers, including tablets and smartphones, for hours each day can cause the collection of eye and vision problems associated with computer use — computer vision syndrome. About 75 percent of computer users have it. According to Michael Hoyt, an optometrist with Medical Eye Center, computer vision syndrome has two parts: the dry-eye component and the ergonomic component. With the dry-eye component, people blink less when looking at something up close. Blinking less means tears wash over the eyes less often, so the eyes dry out. This can cause burning eyes and blurry vision and can lead to other symptoms. The ergonomic component, Hoyt explains, involves how you sit at the computer and view the screen. You need to look straight at the computer through the correct lenses. If you're wearing the wrong lenses for computer work, you might have to read by tilting your head up or down. You might have to lean forward or sit too far back. Not sitting up straight in a comfortable position can lead to neck and shoulder pain. What's the solution? "The best options are to take frequent breaks from the computer, use lubricating eye drops and have task-appropriate eyewear," Hoyt says. "The very best solution is to have a high-quality pair of progressive lenses and then a high-quality pair of computer-specific lenses." Computer lenses are specially designed to relieve symptoms of blurred vision, eye strain, dry eyes and discomfort with computer use. These lenses provide a larger viewing area for computer and reading distances than regular progressive lenses. They also have enough distance prescription to be able to walk short distances comfortably when wearing them. Kate Nolte, a certified optician and the optical manager at Medical Eye Center, recommends HOYA Tact lenses. "They help alleviate eye strain," she says. "They even reduce eye fatigue." The lenses can also come with anti-reflection coatings that reduce glare and reflection from harsh office lighting and sunlight streaming through office windows. "If you're tilting your head to see the computer, you've got the wrong glasses," Nolte confirms. The point to remember, Hoyt notes, is that there is nothing inherently harmful with the screens we're looking at. The problem comes with the way we are looking at them. Computer vision syndrome isn't fatal, but why suffer? By TEXT BY CATHLEEN COLE MailTribune.com By TEXT BY CATHLEEN COLE Posted Mar. 3, 2014 @ 2:00 am Updated Mar 3, 2014 at 12:18 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction Archive Terms of Use Privacy Policy Contact Us Advertise Careers Copyright © . Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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