Health risks after staring at a computer screen for too long

Sitting all day at the table staring at a computer screen has become daily food for many office workers. Not only makes the mind tired, there are a number of risks and health problems that may arise after working at the computer all day.

Research shows that 50-90% of people who work in front of a computer screen experience the following health problems.

Health risks after a day of staring at a computer screen

A group of diseases that may come to you after working all day staring at a computer screen is called CVS, aka Computer Vision Syndrome. In principle, CVS is similar to carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is an injury / pain in the wrist due to repetitive movements you may get from prolonged typing. Meanwhile, health problems due to CVS affect the eyes and the neck area to the head.

CVS occurs due to the focus and movement of your eyes that are fixed in only one direction repeatedly for a long time, namely staring at the computer screen (plus maybe only switching to the cellphone screen occasionally). The longer your vision is fixed at one point, the heavier the health problems you will feel.

People who spend two or more hours continuously in front of a computer screen or digital display device every day are at risk of developing CVS.

The most common symptoms that arise after staring at a computer screen for too long include:

• Eyes are strained
• Headache
• Blurred vision
• Double vision
• Dry and red eyes (eye irritation)
• Pain / pain in the neck, shoulders, back
• Sensitive to light
• The inability to see the focus of an object that is far away

If these symptoms are not treated immediately, this will affect your activities at work.

What causes this condition?

When you work at a computer, your eyes must focus on one point for a long period of time continuously. You are also required to return to focus on the screen every time a disturbance appears. Your eyes move back and forth and left and right when reading the text on the screen. You may also have to look sideways for a peek at the file you need to log, then look back at it.

Your eyes also react quickly to every change in the image on the screen so that your brain can process what you see. All of this work requires a lot of force from the eye muscles.

In addition, the way a person uses a computer screen is different from reading a manual book or drawing on plain paper. The reason is, while staring at a computer screen, people tend to blink less frequently, see the screen at a distance or angle that is less than ideal (the table is too high or the type of chair that is not compatible with the work table), positions the screen in such a way that it reflects light from outside (makes the eye dazzled.), the computer screen lighting settings are not suitable for vision, or the workspace is too dark.

Various health risks that arise after staring at the screen for too long can also be affected by previous eye problems. For example, you have minus eyes and need glasses, but you don't wear them at work or your prescription for glasses is wrong / not updated. This can certainly exacerbate eye problems that arise after a day of staring at computer screens at work.

In addition, working on a computer becomes more and more difficult as you age because your eye's lens naturally becomes less flexible. Around the age of 40 people will experience presbyopia, an eye condition that is less focused on seeing objects near or far.

However, there is no evidence that computer use causes long-term damage to the eyes.

How to prevent and overcome the health risks of staring at a computer screen for too long

1. Reduce light reflections. Change the lighting around you to reduce the effect on your computer screen.
2. Rearrange your table. The best position for your monitor is slightly below eye level, about 50-70 cm from your face, so you don't have to stretch your neck and your eyes don't strain to see what's on the screen. In addition, place the stand next to your monitor, and place the book or printed sheet you are using on the stand so you don't have to look at the screen and return to your desk while you type.
3. Give your eyes a break. Follow the 20-20-20 rule, which is to look at the screen every 20 minutes and look at something 20 feet away for about 20 seconds. Frequent blinking also helps keep the eyes moisturised.
4. Make adjustments to your screen. Arrange brightness , contrast, and size of the text on your screen.
5. Check your eyes regularly.