Computers and glasses

Most of us are using a computer now - at work or for leisure. Those of us with long memories can remember monochrome screens with bright green text and data entry workers with sore eyes, headaches and inability to work comfortably. Now the colours are better, the contrast isn't so shocking and most patients with binocular vision problems have these detected before they get a 9-5, Mon-Fri job.

Computers don't cause visual problems but can show up ones that are latent in "everyday life". If your eyes don't co-ordinate well, or you have a slight visual prescription, using a computer will be between harder than it is for your colleagues to impossible. As more of us use computers, this can be shown up as early as primary school, so these people can be helped before they get put off reading or screen use.

Sometimes visual training can be a help. Other times changing the work-station (for example, eliminating glare from the screen or a reflection seen in it) can help. Some people just need a mild visual aid (spectacles for example) while using the machine for a prolonged time. Your optometrist can advise you.

There are modern lens designs for people who use computers. Bifocals (again, those of us wotrking in the 80's) were often a problem on the screen due to head-up screens and the dividing line came across the screen - not to mention that the reading part was focussed too close for the screen and the distance part too far...Progressive lenses were a great improvement as they gave clear vision on the screen (as well as the text to be imput - it was the 80's, remember) and bank officers could still see their customers in the queue...And now we have lenses designed for the way we use computers now, with wider clear areas for the wider screens, some closer-focussed parts for desk work and a range of options for the top part of the lens depending on a person's prescription and visual needs.

Computers are being designed to give better human-machine interfaces. Lenses are being designed to also hep the human in the system. See Winnie or me at your next exam to discuss your needs on the computer, and remember, what was modern 3-5 years ago has been superceeded now.