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Protecting eyes from computer screen
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Computer and health
Health & Safety
Because there are so many children of varying ages and sizes in a before
and after school care program, it is essential to pay attention to health
and safety issues. Children need to be taught simple safety principles from
the time they begin using computers. Don't overlook the obvious when children
use computers. For children as well as adults, bad posture can cause sore wrists, eye fatigue, headaches, neck strain and even back pain. Since kids may be using computers both at home and at school, there is the potential for problems to develop over time.
To prevent eye problems, avoid flickering lights or glare on the screen, and look away from the monitor frequently. (This is true for video games also.) Get up and walk around (moving around rests both the eyes and the body), focus on a distant object, remember not to stare at the screen, and blink often.
Furniture that is used should be safe and adjustable so it fits each child. If you can't find sturdy, adjustable furniture, have some available that fits the different sizes of the children using it. Because many sizes and shapes of children will probably be using a computer area that has been set up for one "size" of students, careful monitoring of the physical set up should occur when each new student sits down. Make the appropriate adjustments for each child according to the guidelines listed below.
FAQs on Myopia
Q. What is myopia?
A. Myopia is commonly known as "short-sightedness". A person with myopia is able to see close objects clearly but objects that are further away will appear blurred.
When the normal eye looks at an object, light rays from the object enter our eye. These light rays are bent at the cornea and the eye lens before forming an image on the inner layer of the eye called the retina. This image is then transmitted by nerve signals to the brain. The brain interprets these signals so that we see the object.
If the light rays are focused directly on the retina, we see a sharp image. Myopia occurs when the light rays from distant objects are focused in front of the retina instead of on it, resulting in blurred images on the retina. This is usually because the eyeball is too long or sometimes the cornea and lens do not bend the light rays properly.
Q. What are the complications of myopia?
A. Undetected myopia before the age of 6 years old can lead to amblyopia (lazy eye) and eventually blindness in the affected eye.
Severe myopia can lead to potentially blinding conditions such as _ retinal detachment (a condition when the retina separates from the eyeball)
Your health - Headaches and eye strain
What are headaches and eyestrain?
Headaches can be caused by many different factors and are one of the most common reasons people visit their GP. Most headaches are not serious and usually disappear on their own. They can be relieved by mild painkillers, or a positive change in lifestyle.
Eyestrain is also a common complaint among people doing 'close' work e.g. those who work using computer monitors. Eyestrain can be a trigger for headaches, but can usually be avoided by following simple guidelines.
What are the signs of headache or eyestrain?
A headache can range from a mild, throbbing feeling to a sharp, stabbing pain. Headaches can affect your whole head or just a part of it. The pain may move around, affect your vision or even cause nausea and vomiting. The two most common types of headache are tension headaches and migraine.
Tension headaches do not usually last for a long time. Common symptoms of a tension headache include
Eye Discomfort in the Office
What is the significance of "good" lighting? Office work is visually demanding and has always required good lighting for maximum comfort and productivity. "Good" lighting means providing enough illumination so that people can see printed, handwritten or displayed documents clearly but are not blinded by excessively high light levels (a cause of glare). The introduction of computers in the 1970's increased the visual demands of office work and made lighting design even more challenging. While typewriters were being exchanged for computers, the need for redesigning or rearranging office lighting was commonly overlooked.
What are signs of poor lighting? The most common complaints resulting from poor lighting are: eyestrain, eye irritation, blurred vision, dry burning eyes, and headaches. Poor lighting affects not only the ocular system but can also contribute to stiff necks and aches in shoulder area. These problems can occur when people adopt poor or awkward postures when trying to read something under poor lighting conditions.
Vision / Eye Strain
Visual problems, such as eyestrain and irritation, are among
the most frequently reported complaints by computer operators. These
visual symptoms can result from improper lighting, glare from the
screen, poor positioning of the screen itself, or copy material that is
difficult to read. These problems usually can be corrected by adjusting
the physical and environmental setting where the computer users work.
For example, work stations and lighting can and should be arranged to
avoid direct and reflected glare anywhere in the field of sight, from
the display screen, or surrounding surfaces.
You also can reduce eyestrain by taking vision breaks, which
may include exercises to relax eye muscles after each hour or so of
operating a computer. Changing focus is another way to give eye muscles
a chance to relax. You only need to glance across the room, or out the
window, from time to time and look at an object at least 20 feet away.
Other eye exercises may include rolling or blinking the eyes, or
closing them tightly for a few seconds.
Computer eye strain
Very few jobs today do not require long periods of time in front of a computer. The great irony of course is that the human body is not designed to accommodate all the hours spent in front of a computer, and so we often end up with backaches, headaches, sore eyes and wrists, and a few extra kilograms. It is therefore important to manage your health through workstation planning and good work habits.
Your eyes and the computer.
Staring at a screen for long hours places immense stress on your eyes because they were not designed to work at such a close range for long periods of time. Furthermore, the constant shift in focus (between the screen, documents and the keyboard) only makes matters worse and eventually you end up with a condition called eye strain.
Eye strain is an umbrella term for a wide range of symptoms including:
Headaches, Tired, sore eyes, Eye irritation, Blurred vision
What things should you do if using a computer for a long time for Health reasons?
Computer work can be quite strenuous for the body, especially for the eyes, the back, the wrist and the hand.
The first thing to do is to have a good position in a nice environment: comfortable straight chair, monitor and keyboard at the right height and distance, quite room, well lit.
There are several ways to minimise eye strain. Modern flat screens are better than standard monitors. Also, special screen filters that fit in front of a monitor are good for the eyes.
Can you tell me two health and two safety risks that need to be considered when using computers, or just give examples because i don't understand the difference?
Health & Safety risks include anything that can affect your well-being, physical fitness or endanger your life. Here are some ideas of what type of risks these include with regard to computer equipment:
Health
Using laser printers can affect your health if they are not properly positioned in a ventilated space. This is because fumes are given off when the printer is going through the process of producing a printed page.
Using computer equipment can affect your health if it is not correctly and ergonomically set-up. By this we mean - correct desk, chair and keyboard heights; proper positioning of monitor and lighting around it; use of wrist rests for mouse and keyboards. The health effects of poorly set up working environments can include eye strain; repetitive strain injury on joints and muscles; back aches.
I would like to have some points which will help me write my own notes on the topic: the social,ethical,legal and economic implications of computer use.
Here are some points to get you started:
Research, identify and discuss changing trends in computer
use as a result of developments in computer technology. Remember,
computers don't just include PCs, but anything with built-in computing
power such as mobile phones, CD/DVD players, digital cameras etc.
Explain why computers are best suited for tasks requiring
speed, accuracy and repetition.
Explain changes to society (consumers) brought about by the
introduction and use of computer systems.
Describe the impact of computers on jobs.
Health and safety
There are various health problems associated with the regular use of computers, and because of this employers must be aware of the regulations surrounding computer health and safety.
Employer regulations, General working environment, Possible dangers and solutions, Glossary.
Employer regulations. The law states that an employer must:
Provide tiltable screens, Provide anti-glare screen filters, Provide adjustable chairs, Provide foot supports, Make sure lighting is suitable, Make sure workstations are not cramped, Plan work at a computer so that there are frequent breaks, Pay for appropriate eye and eyesight tests by an optician.
Note:These regulations apply only to offices - not to students or pupils in schools or colleges.
In order to provide the satisfactory equipment for their employees, employers use ergonomics to assist the equipment design process. It is the science concerned with designing safe and comfortable machines for humans. This includes furniture design and the design of parts of the computer like keyboards.
Health at Work - Physical Health
You don't have to work on a building site for your job to affect your health; even the more sedentary occupations can be a risk.
Back Pain
Back pain is a fairly universal experience. Some see it as an inevitable legacy of our evolution, the result of turning a body designed to hang from a horizontal spine into a vertical spire, where a carefully balanced mechanism of muscles and joints must support organs and tissues pulling the column of vertebral bones downwards.
Back problems often start at work. Take an office worker who typically spends up to 40 hours a week hunched solid over their desk, nurses who need to frequently lift patients, a taxi driver bent into the driving seat for over 25,000 miles a year, a farmer constantly lifting sacks, seeds and machinery, or a checkout assistant sat on a poorly designed chair at her till all day (57% experience lower back pain each year). Our backs may be put under prolonged strain by our jobs and its hardly surprising that something within the delicate balance of bones and muscles so often fails.
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
I'm seeing more and more people in my surgery suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, and one of the things it appears to be related to, is using computer keyboards.
In the wrist, there is a tunnel formed by the strong tissue through which the tendons of the hand and the median nerve pass. It's a tight squeeze, so anything that reduces the space in the tunnel, such as fluid or inflammation of the tendon coatings, exerts pressure on this nerve. It's believed that repetitive overuse of the hand tendons, as with any tendon or muscle, causes them to become inflamed. Hence why keyboard use or other repetitive activities can be responsible.
When the nerve is compressed, people suffer discomfort, numbness, pins and needles, and sometimes, pain in the thumb, index, middle, and side of the ring finger, next to the middle finger. This is where the median nerve endings are distributed. Tingling often wakes sufferers up at night; when vigorously shaking the hands and arms is what brings relief. Men will also describe dropping things, or being clumsy with simple, but fiddly tasks, such as fitting a plug, for example.
Eye Problems :: Regular eye checks, Tips to reduce eye strain, First aid for eyes
Most people give hardly a thought to the amazing work our eyes do to enable us to see, until things start to go wrong. It's often at work (or school) that people begin to realise they have a problem. That doesn't mean that work is harmful to your eyes (although it can be) but that work or school is where we most need to see well.
We may be stressed, tired, trying to read tiny print or study tiny diagrams, and using our brains to think out problems fast, relying on all our senses. And so often these days, work also means sitting staring at a computer screen or VDU which puts extra demands on our eyes.
Regular Eye Checks.
So looking after your eyes at work is vital. But many people don't even have regular sight tests. It is estimated that as many as one in three working people have visual defects (like short or long sightedness) which have never even been diagnosed or have not been properly corrected. These problems may come to light when you do visually demanding work.
Make sure you have your eyes tested at least once a year or more often if you have symptoms. You may be able to demand that your employer provides regular eye tests especially if you work at a VDU - check Health & Safety regulations.
Symptoms suggesting eye problems are: Problems seeing or reading, Blurred vision, Headaches, Dizziness, Pain in the eyes, Watery eyes, Dry eyes
Headaches at Work :: Triggers of a headache at work, Preventing headaches, Making your work environment comfortable and stress-free
Headaches are such a common health problem that its not surprising that they often occur while people are at work. But there may be very specific reasons, related to the job or the working environment, why some people particularly suffer from headaches while they are trying to do their job.
Headaches can be hugely disruptive to work. More than 18 million working days are lost each year because of migraines, for example. This particularly debilitating type of headache can cause intense symptoms lasting up to 3 days and which are often so severe that concentration and co-ordination becomes very difficult and it is simply impossible to carry on working. In severe cases headaches can interfere with promotion and career prospects. Employers may worry that the person simply isn't up to the stresses of the job while those people with frequent headaches fear that they are letting down their colleagues because they insist on regular breaks or other conditions to avoid triggering a headache.
What triggers headaches at work? All types of headaches, especially tension or stress related headaches and migraine, are common in the workplace, probably because many similar trigger factors may be involved (see Box below). In some types of headache, especially migraine, a number of trigger factors may add up until a threshold is passed and a headache results.
Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) :: What is RSI? Protect yourself. Identifying RSI
As many of us spend more and more time in front of computers, the chances of developing repetitive strain injury (RSI) increase. For some people, the pain of RSI is so great that it prevents them from working at all. However, it doesn't develop overnight, so by always remembering that prevention is better than a cure, problems can often be avoided in the first place.
Occupational overuse syndrome, work-related upper limb injury, and isometric contraction myopathy, are all phrases used to describe what is more commonly known as RSI.
Overuse of the muscles of the hands, wrists, arms, or shoulders on a repeated, and usually, daily basis, causes injury to these muscles. This results in inflammation that is never really given a chance to recover, since these everyday harmful activities invariably continue.
Sick Building Syndrome (SBS)
Sick building syndrome (SBS) is the term used to describe a situation in which occupants of a building experience symptoms of ill-health that seem to be linked to spending time in a building - but where no specific cause can be identified.
Those experiencing symptoms of ill health may be in a particular part of the building or the problem may be spread throughout.
What are the symptoms of SBS? Some of the symptoms associated with sbs are: headaches, eye, nose or throat irritation, skin irritation, coughs, dizziness, nausea - and fatigue. The symptoms rapidly improve after leaving the building.
Insomnia & shift work :: Shift work throws out your body clock
Disruption of sleep is a huge problem for people who work shifts, especially shifts on short rotation such as yours.
Shift work throws out your body clock
The fatigue and loss of sleep that you can experience with night work are a result of putting your body clock out of sync. It's very similar to jet lag.
Humans don't feel tired because they have been awake and active for several hours. In fact, if someone stays up all night, they feel increasingly fatigued until a peak at 5am - and then fatigue decreases until the next evening.
Work Station Ergonomics :: Incorrect working posture can result in musculoskeletal disorders
Incorrect working posture can result in musculoskeletal disorders affecting the neck, back, shoulders, arms, wrists, hands and fingers.
If you are currently experiencing any discomfort whilst working at your desk you should seek advice from your health and safety representative, DSE assessor or GP.
Are you sitting comfortably? A properly adjusted chair will reduce the strain that you put on your back. You should be able to alter the height, back position and tilt of your chair. Try and ensure that your knees are level with your hips.
Make sure your back is supported. In order to prevent back injury, you should be sitting up straight while at your desk. If your chair isn't providing enough back support, try using a rolled up towel or cushion until you find a position which is comfortable for you - then adjust the chair accordingly.
Free for you
Never before have there been so many different ways to get health information and advice. Turn on the TV, turn on the radio, turn on the computer, open a newspaper or magazine and you're bound to find health stories and articles.
Whether they're offering advice about how to live a healthy lifestyle, or whether it's someone reminding you to have your blood pressure checked, it seems that everyone is concerned about your health.
But this is health advice being thrown at you - sometimes it can feel as though it's being shoved down your throat, at times when you may not necessarily need it. So how can you get help when you need it, where is the best place to get it, and who is the best person to ask?
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