July 12, 2011 at 8:35 am
Matt S. (7/12/2011)
Another thing you can do is hold your hand in front of your face (about a foot away), then look "through" it or "beyond" it. Find a spot in the distance, focus your eyes on it, then use your hand to block the path of your vision while maintaining your focus on the distant object. This exercise relaxes your eyes after having them focus such a short distance for so long (on your monitor).
I have actually done some of these eye focus exercises and they do help. I just do not do them consistently enough. I'll have to check out the programs you mentioned.
July 12, 2011 at 8:43 am
Oh, one thing about LASIK or any eye surgery: your eyes do worsen with age. So the earlier that you have the surgery performed, the longer you can go without further surgery or the need for reading glasses. I was told that I would end up needing glasses for reading at some point and that they don't recommend the surgery for those older than 50 most of the time.
July 12, 2011 at 8:45 am
I've notice the the glare and reflection does a number on my vision when I'm wearing contacts.
That's why during work hours I only wear my glasses.
I remember when growing up, about 20-25 years ago, my dad used to tell me "don't watch TV so close that your eyes well get bad". Obviously I didn't listen
10 years ago he kept telling me the same thing, and I thought he was wrong since I spend all day staring at my computer screen about 2 feet away and no problems...
Now, that my vision is bad, no longer think he was THAT wrong after all.
July 12, 2011 at 9:00 am
Matt S. (7/12/2011)
Please, go download Flux[/url] if you work after dusk or if you prefer a dark room. The warm colors it changes your monitor to are ideal for reducing eye strain. Regardless of your light situation, go get Workrave[/url] to force yourself to take micro-breaks from your monitor and workspace. I use both and have maintained my 20-20 vision despite 10 hours in front of a computer each weekday. Workrave even has you take mini-breaks to stand up and stretch. You can customize how long each type of break is and how often to take them, though I recommend not straying too far from the defaults.Another thing you can do is hold your hand in front of your face (about a foot away), then look "through" it or "beyond" it. Find a spot in the distance, focus your eyes on it, then use your hand to block the path of your vision while maintaining your focus on the distant object. This exercise relaxes your eyes after having them focus such a short distance for so long (on your monitor).
download both programs. flux gives some great colour to the monitor. i'm liking it!
July 12, 2011 at 9:11 am
I think I am one of the oldest (56) around. Also spend 8+ hours per day in front of a screen. I started wearing glasses in high school and it gradually deteriorated till I started wearing chameleons. (That goes dark outside). That stopped the deterioration, but the damage was done. Now I am stuck with 2 sets of glasses, one for the office and one for other environments. I used to get migraines regularly and then found that reducing the resolution helps. Of course, as said before, if you don't use the native resolution on a wide LCD screen, it blurs at certain spots. I now use a 27" LCD at work and at home and touch wood, no migraines for 6 months. I also use a square 19" LCD as a 2nd monitor and only put documents on that screen for reference, so I use it less. I really think this setup works.
And as a bonus, I can now shoot the other guys, because I can see them. 😀
5ilverFox
Consulting DBA / Developer
South Africa
July 12, 2011 at 9:23 am
davidandrews13 (7/12/2011)
download both programs. flux gives some great colour to the monitor. i'm liking it!
That's great! Both programs are eye-savers in my book. Our eyes and hands are most of our #1 money-makers; we must look out for them.
July 12, 2011 at 9:25 am
I think that the refresh rate is important. The default, as far as I know, for most monitors is 60 Hertz, but I always speed it up some. Right now, my monitor is at 75 Hertz. It seems to keep me from getting headaches.
The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge. - Stephen Hawking
July 12, 2011 at 9:39 am
mtillman-921105 (7/12/2011)
I think that the refresh rate is important. The default, as far as I know, for most monitors is 60 Hertz, but I always speed it up some. Right now, my monitor is at 75 Hertz. It seems to keep me from getting headaches.
I hate to disagree but I will anyway <smile>.
The refresh rate was important for CRT's because there could be a flicker with slow rates. With CRT's, the phosphor on the front of the monitor glows when hit with the electrons. That glow disappears quickly and must be refreshed to continue it's glow.
With LCD's, the pixels do not turn off between each refresh. The refresh rate is important only when showing fast moving content. For SQL work, that's basically text and the refresh rate is unimportant. For playing 3D games, the refresh rate is extremely important.
July 12, 2011 at 10:17 am
When I worked on CRTs and had florescent lights I got headaches and eye strain. Ever since I have moved to natural light (extremely lucky to work by a window) I find all the eye strain went away. Someone once said the flicker or refresh rate of a CRT and the lights can cause a strobe effect that causes strain. I don't know if it is true. What I do know is ever since I went to natural light things are so much better. Even now when I work on my laptop and I am in a cube for a while I get eye strain but I can work the same hours at the window and I don't. It could be physical or it could be psychological. What I do know is everyone else I have talked to has had a similar experience.
July 12, 2011 at 10:24 am
cengland0 (7/12/2011)
mtillman-921105 (7/12/2011)
I think that the refresh rate is important. The default, as far as I know, for most monitors is 60 Hertz, but I always speed it up some. Right now, my monitor is at 75 Hertz. It seems to keep me from getting headaches.I hate to disagree but I will anyway <smile>.
The refresh rate was important for CRT's because there could be a flicker with slow rates. With CRT's, the phosphor on the front of the monitor glows when hit with the electrons. That glow disappears quickly and must be refreshed to continue it's glow.
With LCD's, the pixels do not turn off between each refresh. The refresh rate is important only when showing fast moving content. For SQL work, that's basically text and the refresh rate is unimportant. For playing 3D games, the refresh rate is extremely important.
I think you're probably right - it may not make a difference with LCD's. It could just be my imagination, but I still like to have it turned up some. 'Doesn't hurt at work since the video card is plenty powerful for my non-graphical work.
The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge. - Stephen Hawking
July 12, 2011 at 10:28 am
If you cannot see natural daylight form the place where you work, it helps to have a candle at about 30 degrees and look into the flame at least once a minute. It effectively doubles the numbe rof hours I can work, consistently.
Not every place allows candles, unfortunately.
July 12, 2011 at 10:33 am
What about a electric candle? The type that flickers like a candle but is electric? Would that achieve the same effect?
July 12, 2011 at 10:46 am
I started getting eye strain recently and went to have my eyes checked. The doctor recommended using lubricating eye drops up to 4 times a day as my problem was related to dry eyes from not blinking enough while staring at the monitors...
July 12, 2011 at 10:46 am
Bill H-366707 (7/12/2011)
When I worked on CRTs and had florescent lights I got headaches and eye strain. Ever since I have moved to natural light (extremely lucky to work by a window) I find all the eye strain went away. Someone once said the flicker or refresh rate of a CRT and the lights can cause a strobe effect that causes strain. I don't know if it is true. What I do know is ever since I went to natural light things are so much better. Even now when I work on my laptop and I am in a cube for a while I get eye strain but I can work the same hours at the window and I don't. It could be physical or it could be psychological. What I do know is everyone else I have talked to has had a similar experience.
Natural light is best. However, if you do not have a window in your office, bring in a nice floor/desk lamp that supports CFL (preferred) or incandescent (at the very least) bulbs. Bring in your lamp and forgo the office lighting. Most offices have fluorescent lighting and that truly is the issue with regards to your room's fill light.
Fluorescent lighting acts much like the old CRT monitors, only worse. They work by flickering on and off. It's the same principle described above for CRTs. Only those bulbs have an even lower "refresh", or flicker, rate than the old monitors. Fluorescent is the worst thing for your eyes in an office setting. Turn them off and use alternative lighting!
July 12, 2011 at 10:49 am
mark_intrieri (7/12/2011)
I started getting eye strain recently and went to have my eyes checked. The doctor recommended using lubricating eye drops up to 4 times a day as my problem was related to dry eyes from not blinking enough while staring at the monitors...
I usually do not like promoting paid products in this type of discussion, but I have to chime-in for this comment as well. I agree that dry eyes is another big cause of eye strain in this regard. I recommend getting eye drops specifically for this type of thing. My wife and I are huge fans of the Similasan brand of eye drops. In fact, they even have drops just for computer eye strain, and we love them.
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