Content area
Full Text
/YOUR HEALTH/
WHILE STUDIES HAVE FOUND that prolonged computer usage causes eye strain or vision problems, increased use of smaller, portable gadgets such as PDAs, laptops, and cell phones used for text messaging and web access may also be contributing factors to the visual fatigue and discomfort experienced by millions.
"The unique characteristics and high visual demands of computer work and play make many individuals susceptible to the development of eye and vision-related problems," says Dr. Jeffrey Anshel, a practicing optometrist and author of Visual Ergonomics in the Workplace.
A national survey of doctors of optometry found that more than 14 percent of their patients have eye or vision-related symptoms resulting from computer work. Furthermore, in a survey of more than 2,000 current and former contact lens wearers, time spent in front of a computer (41 percent) was the activity most frequently mentioned as causing discomfort while they were wearing their lenses.
Staring at a computer monitor or the small screens on most devices can...