Study links PC use with glaucoma

Study links PC use with glaucoma
By Lyndsay Moss, Evening Standard

Heavy use of computers may be linked to the development of a progressive eye disease, researchers claim.

A study in Japan has found that staring at a screen could be related to glaucoma, which can lead to blindness.

The latest study, by the Toho University School of Medicine, Tokyo, finds the risk is particularly strong for the short-sighted.

Glaucoma is more common in old age and happens when the optic nerve in the eye is damaged, leading to visual abnormalities. The exact causes are unknown.

The researchers questioned 10,000 workers at four Japanese companies with an average age of 43.

The researchers, writing in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, say that those classed as heavy computer users tend to be younger and male.

The team says there appears to be a significant link between visual problems and heavy computer use among those with either long or short sight.

A third of these workers were found to have suspected glaucoma. The researchers conclude: "Computer stress is reaching higher levels than have ever been experienced before."

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See your eye doctor for tests..there are drops for low pressure and other things on the preventative side that are out there.

 

hi Primrose
thats discouraging news for sure.I also believe alot of computer usage will give you headaches.I never had headaches before I had a computer,and now I wake with one every time I've been on it for a couple of hours the night before.It may not have anything to do with it but if not,cant figure why I have headaches now.thanks for the info in your post.
Rita

 

Rita - if u do not wear glasses, get yourself a pair of light tinted glass glasses. I wear RX glasses for reading only and had mine done with a light tint and non reflective lens - no headache or eye strain when using the computer. Also, if u are using Firefox, u can increase the text size.

http://img93.exs.cx/img93/8817/Peaches_lady.gif

 

Hi peaches
I dont need glasses except for seeing far,it's funny I can read the smallest print there is, but am so nearsighted I cant see 20 feet in the distance-am so nearsighted.so I dont notice any eye strain from the computer but there has got to be something still giving me headaches.I have to take my glasses off to read,if i could only see as well at a distance as close,I'd have it made thanks for the tip
Rita

 

Hi Rita,

Is your monitor a CRT(cathode ray tube) or LCD(Liquid Crystal Display)?
If it is a CRT, you may be able to (depending on the video card and monitor) increase the refresh rate. The default windows refresh rate is usually 60 Hertz (cycles per second) which is far too low for normal viewing. 60 Hz will cause eye strain and headaches. 85 Hz or higher will greatly reduce the subtle flicker that causes the problem. I have my CRT at 100Hz. Check your monitor manual and video card manual to see how high a refresh rate your monitor and video card can handle at your particular resolution. Video cards can usually handle refresh rates beyond what a monitor can handle so it is best not to exceed the maximum.

If you use an LCD, they can sometimes be set too bright. Try turning down the brightness and contrast a little and see if that helps. Refresh rate is not nearly as important as with CRTs. They do not have the same flicker problem.

 

Hi Ritaann,
check the frequency of the lights in the room you have your PC. It might well be that the combination of your lamps and your screen are wrong. In my case it was. I now use a good quality flatscreen on 70 Mhz and the problems are gone.

 

Also, if your monitor is placed directly opposite a window, your eyes will have to compete with the glare reflected from the monitor screen. You can use darkening venetian blinds for that. Nothing beats a good flat LCD to reduce glare.

 

Thanks all for the info.

Cheers, Jan.

 

Hi Fire ant
The computer is in a part of the room where there is practicly no light and I dont have a desk lamp,which I am going to get one,have put it off for a long time.That may be part of my trouble also,really the only light I have is from the screen itself.Thanks for the tip
Rita

 

Well, that explains a lot. If you buy a lamp, don't choose for tube lights.

 

I would just add that it has been common knowledge for centuries that strain on the eyes (especiially linked with reading a lot, since the printing press anyway, or long periods of detail work of any kind such a jeweling or needlepoint ) usually damages one's eyesight quite measurably. I went from better than perfect vision at 18, to an inability to read a newspaper without glasses by age 29, because of the massive amounts of reading and computer use I endured during college, law school and right after.

The constant use solely of computers by some people is proving no different- if you are actively taxing your eyes 21/7 there will be ramifications. While what everyone above has written is certainly true, my 2 cents is that the bottom line on this is nothing new! Hello? Forcing hard labor on your eyes in any way is more likely than not eventually to screw up your eyesight!

 

Rita,

If you are going to get a lamp, definately consider a "natural daylight" or full spectrum (sometimes called happy light) lamp. It produces a very nice light. Reading is easier, colors are truer, some say it makes you happier too.
I have this one: OTT-Lite floor lamp
They make them in desk versions too, but the floor model takes no desk space. I don't know the best place to buy them, lot's of people sell them now. OTT-Lite is a good quality brand. There may be other good brands too.

 

I have two sets of In-Laws who all suffer from Glaucoma....all of them inherited it from their ancestors....it would appear that the condition is passed down through the Male Line.......virtually unheard of in the Female Line....there is no connection between Computers and Glaucoma as far as they are concerned.......

Is this maybe another 'Urban Myth' in the making.....nothing like spreading doom and gloom among the Cyber Fraternity?



Cochise,

 

Hi Cochise
I've read alot about glaucoma since this post was started,and have found some think it can be caused by computers,some not,so who knows.like everything else scientists and dr's both agree and disagree,a couple of things i read:
Heavy computer use tied to glaucoma
Last Updated Tue, 16 Nov 2004 09:28:00 EST
LONDON - Men who spend hours staring at a computer screen may be at increased risk for glaucoma, a disease that can cause blindness, Japanese doctors say.

Computer use cannot damage your eyes.

Awkward computer use can cause eye fatigue, redness and tearing.
Video display terminals emit UV, but exposure is less than maximum permissible levels.
Persistent after image following extended computer use is annoying but does not indicate harm

 

Hi Devincio
thanks for the link,I need a happy lamp Seriously,it sounds good,It seems a little expensive but anything to help your eyes is well worth it I'm sure.I'm considering getting one.I need a lamp or something,maybe it will help the headaches I get

 

Hi Rita,

I understand perfectly what you are saying.........but let me put it this way, the Doctors and Scientists always qualify their statements by saying "It May" or "It Could" etc., and maybe it could.....and maybe in ten years time they may still be waffleing on as to what 'Too much Computer use' may affect the eyes or the Brain or the bone structure of the face through whatever 'Rays' we are susceptible to but that doesn't make it true, does it?

I recently had a letter from my Opticians to say I was due an eye test, (Two and a half years since my last one)...doesn't time just fly by... ...I made the appointment and after the Test my Optician said there was little point in renewing my Prescription because my sight hadn't changed over that time period. My point being, I came into the 21st Century and got myself a Computer over 2 Years ago and considering the fact that I'am retired and over 70 years old and spend probably at least 8/9 hours on the Net a day....gazing vacantly at my Screen has apparently had little or no effect on my eyesight whatsoever.......so where does that get us?....



Cochise,

 

your absolutely right dr's and scientists always say it might ,it could etc.so who really knows,I guess all we can do is do the things we know can help,such as lighting etc.and let the chips fall where they may and as you said if something has little or no effect on our eyesight it must not be harmful huh?My eyesight has never changed since I was a kid,always have been extremely near sighted,always will I guess,but I do believe the computer has something to do with my headaches,but probaly due to my lighting which is almost nil where the computer is located.

 

Yep Rita.........Get some good 'Daylight' lighting above and behind you, it will remove screen 'Glare' and strain, take care of the eyes love, they're the only ones you'll ever get.....


Cochise,

 

Here is a good article which gives some insight, .....

Protect ur eyes when at ur computer - http://tinyurl.com/3sv8w
A result of increased computer use, computer vision syndrome (CVS) - eye and vision problems linked to extended computer use that can affect adults and children - is an increasingly common affliction. Symptoms include dry, irritated, inflamed or sore eyes; headaches; and blurred vision.

 

Try putting your monitor at eye level, sometimes headaches are caused by neck strain! You can put alot of tension in your neck by having to hold it in an unnatural position, also try heat/cold for a few minutes after your computer use. Do a few neck exercises and roll your shoulders forward and backwards, that will feel great, if not help your eyesight!

 

People in countries where Marijuana use is legal could benefit from smoking it on occasion while using there computer. It has been known to slow nerve damage and ease the pain produced by it.

 

(sigh) DARN!!!

 

good link peaches

 

Hi Lurklella
Could be part of my problem causing headaches too,I have the most terrible uncomftorable chair,It's little and has wheels that dont allow you to sit still,dont know the times I've fell off it into the floor maybe I'm to squirmy,and also I do hold my neck unnaturally trying to keep my balance,a funny sight indeed.Maybe a lamp and a new chair would benefit me!thanks