Computer Eye Strain: How to Relieve It

by Dr. Marc Grossman, O.D., L.Ac.

Workstation | Nutrition | Eye Exercises
With the correct eye care program that includes eye exercises, and proper diet and supplementation, you can significantly effect and even improve your vision.

Laptops & Eyestrain

Laptops allow you to use your computer anywhere, but their design does require attention to egonomics!

The risk of strain to the eyes, neck, shoulders and arms is actually higher with laptops than with desktop computers because you cannot locate the keyboard and the screen at appropriate levels.

Working at a Desk

If you are working at a desk the very best thing to do is to connect your laptop to an external monitor, and even better, add an external keyboard and mouse. This'll create less shoulder & arm tension. This is especially true if you are working for more than two hours at one sitting.

If you can't use an external monitor, try an external keyboard - which will allow you to raise your laptop screen to a level wherein your head will be slightly inclined downward. Your eyes should be approximately at the level of the top of the screen.

If you have no external monitor or keyboard?
Better to sacrafice the stronger neck muscles to the more delicate wrist muscles, so raise the laptop so that your elbows are at 90 degrees and your wrists are straight.

Working at a desk or on your lap

• Take rest breaks at least every 20 minutes to allow eyes and muscles to recuperate. Short, frequent breaks are better than longer, less frequent breaks. Try 2-3 minutes every 15-20 minutes, 5 minutes every 30 minutes, or 10 minutes every hour.
• Frequently look at something more than 20 feet away.
• Blick regularly to keep your eyes moist.
• Don't use for more than 2 hours in any sitting.
• Set the screen at an angle that reduces need to bend your neck, and reduces reflections.
• Keep the screen free of dust.
• Increase font size for comfortable viewing (browsing - use "View/text size/increase") - apparently, viewing small fonts can actually cause rises in blood pressure & stress levels.
• Stretch frequently
• Change tasks to prevent muscle stiffness.
• Don't work in a dark room
• Humidity helps - if your home office's air is dry, get a humidifier, especially in the winter.
• If you wear reading glasses when working on the computer, have your doctor test your vision at the distance of the length of your arm, rather than closer. This is the distance you want to be from the screen.

Complementary Approaches To
Help Reduce Computer Visual Stress

Nutritional Considerations

The following are helpful:
VIVA-Drops (10ml - .33 oz. bottle) - VIVA-Eyedrops is the only ophthalmic lubricant for dry eyes without preservatives, mercury compounds or anticholinergics

MSM Eyedrops 1 oz (30ml) - MSM eyedrops permit better eye health

Pure Focus - liquid based formula for vision health, includes lutein and zeaxanthin.

Eye Exercises

Exercise Your Eyes Total Vision Workout System - patented electronic vision trainer clinically proven to improve overall visual performance in less than 10 minutes a day.

Yoga for the Eyes DVD - Yoga for the Eyes DVD

Exercise 1

Palming: The palming exercise will teach you to relax your eyes, which in turn will bring healthy energy to your eyes.

First, rub your hands together until they feel warm (about 15 to 20 seconds). Then place your cupped hands over your closed eyes, being careful not to touch your eyes with the palms of your hands. The fingers of each hand should overlap and rest gently on the center of your forehead. Don't create any unnecessary pressure on your face. If your arms get tired, rest your elbows on a table.

Sit quietly for one to two minutes with your hands over your eyes. The more relaxed you become, the blacker the darkness you will see with your eyes closed.

Exercise 2

Near-far focus - this exercise improves eye flexibility:

Hold your thumb six inches from your nose. Focus on your thumb. Take one deep breath and exhale slowly. Then focus on an object about 10 feet away. Take another deep breath and slowly exhale. Repeat back and forth 15 times

Exercise 3
Scanning - this exercise helps you increase the flexibility of your eyes.

Sitting or standing at one end of a room, let your eyes scan around the edges of objects in the room - clocks, televisions, doors, lights, computers, etc. The object of this exercise is to keep your eyes moving in a loose and fluid way. Do this exercise for two minutes. Remember to breathe.

Exercise 4

Hydrotherapy

Place a bowl of hot water and a bowl of cold water in front of you. The hot water should be hot but not so hot that it burns you. The cold water should be ice cold, so either put ice cubes in it or get it out of the refrigerator. Put a wash cloth in each bowl. Place the wash cloth from the bowl of hot water against your closed eyes for 30 seconds. Then do the same with the wash cloth from the bowl of cold water. Continue to alternate the hot and cold wash cloths. Finish by gently massaging your closed eyes with a dry towel. Do this for two minutes.

Exercise 5
Head Rolls - this exercise is to relax your neck, head and face muscles and reduce shoulder tension.

Take a deep breath and close your eyes. On the exhale, slowly drop your chin to your chest. Relax your neck and shoulders. As you inhale deeply again, slowly and gently roll your head around to the left, then back, keeping your shoulders still and relaxed. Make your movements slowly, carefully and deliberately. Now exhale full as you roll your head to the other side and down to your chest again. Repeat this sequence twice then change directions and repeat twice more.

Request full set of free eye exercises

About Dr. Grossman
Marc Grossman, O.D., L.Ac., optometrist and licensed acupuncturist, has been helping people preserve their vision in his private practice for over 20 years. He is the co-author of Natural Eye Care - An Encyclopedia (Keats, 1999), and the author of the upcoming book Greater Vision - A Guide to Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Clarity in Everyday Life. Dr. Grossman is currently the Eastern Region Director of the Optometric Extension Foundation program, and lectures & gives workshops internationally on natural eye care, nutrition and Chinese medicine.

Your Eye Examination For Computer Use

Due to the unique characteristics and high visual demands of computer work, computer users should have a comprehensive eye examination periodically. Your examination should include:

• A general eye and health history
• A specific history relating to computer work. Be prepared to describe the type of computer work you do, the number of hours, the time of day you usually work on the computer, the size, type and color of your screen and screen characters, positions and work distances in your workstation, the lighting in the room, and the type severity and frequency of any symptoms you're having.
• A measurement of your visual acuity at distance and near
• Do an evaluation of your internal and external eye health
• A measurement of possible prescriptions for distance and near working distances
• An assessment of eye focusing ability
• An evaluation of eye coordination and eye movement skills
• If the results of your examination indicate your eye doctor may do additional tests based on your specific needs.

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