Is it better to have the monitor up close to your face and wear glasses, or just wear reduced prescription lenses? Either one I do, I notice my eyes tense a lot, and no one really mentions it anywhere. Anyone's input is welcome
Don't know how to answer that question, though I felt a bit intrigued about the stress on your eyes you mentioned there. For some reason, wearing my glasses has become a habit to me. In the past, I didn't even question about whether to put them on or not. It's always been like a reflex to grab them in the morning, and putting them on my face.
It all started some months ago, when I started running like I used to do in the past. Since I always keep running the same track, I know every unevenness in the road by now So one morning, I dediced to get rid of the glasses and do my little run without those things. I felt a bit unease at first, but after a while, you're getting used to everything. Actually, it feels greate being able to do the running without any need for glasses...
That being said, recently I decided to try doing the same thing as much as possible. With a current eyesight of -3.25 I can actually do a lot more things than I thought I was able to. So, the thing I expected when stopping to wear my glasses was, that my eyes would gain from this in a very positive way. They were not forced any longer to see through glass. That's nice, so in that case they'll feel less stressed, are you still with me?
Well, I couldn't believe my own eyes!! By the end of the day, they were both burning as hell! Even right now, the best thing for me would be to turn of my computer immediately. I can only conclude that it seems like my eyes can't live without the extra help of some glasses. How has this become possible!?
So, when seeing the post of Daqwenia, there really must be something structurally wrong with wearing glasses. They completely take the upper hand in this battle nature vs artificial stuff. How can it be that our eyes get addicted to something that didn't even exist centuries ago??
Depends. It's best to wear no glasses at all and use large fonts, but if you happen to strain to your eyes to see what you're doing, wear a reduced prescription. In any case, you will probably need frequent breaks. Don't think you can just use a computer like you used to with your full prescription glasses.
I agree with johnwayne. As a rule, I do whatever I can without glasses, and make adjustments where I have to, like sitting closer to the screen. I do have to watch my posture as I still have a tendency to lean in, whether I can already see or not, a bad habit I am working to break. Yes, take frequent breaks to get up and stretch or drink some water, and also change your focus frequently, looking out the window or across the room (and focusing on what is there, not just throwing your glance around), reminding your eyes you want them to be able to see farther than the screen.
Yeah, every ten minutes I have a reminder that pops up on the screen, and I palm and look away for a bit. I can't just sit at the computer for hours anyway, so I always go and do something else once in a while. I do have the font size increased, but I still have to lean in sometimes to read. What about contrast and brightness of the monitor, and lighting in the room? I have mine turned all the way down, with full spectrum light bulbs behind me to make it easier to see.
The same goddam problem with me when I try to work on my computer without glasses I indeed need to:
1) lean into the monitor, like really diving into it
2) my eyes start to burn, really burn (normally I had this feeling after many hours of computer work, but this one is more intense)
It is indeed problem as I work as analyst and need to work in front of monitor 8h (at least) per day. If I could stop wearing glasses during my comp work, I could really get rid of them and start curing full time. I can live without them in the morning, during shopping, running and other stuff, but I cannot overcome the monitor thing yet. It must be sth with straining, but I get this even if I am shifting on the screen.
Maybe eyes still go with the last pattern jsut when they see computer screen and after some time of conducting the exercises this would start to fade. Lets hope so.
1. Your posture. This can be pretty important, as a bad posture can also create strain throughout your body, and, therefore, in your eyes as well. I don't like the idea of leaning in to see the words on the screen. If you can't get the words to be big enough, you may have to move the screen closer, or, as a last resort, go with reduced glasses. At the very least, you should consider the possibility that leaning in can be a source of strain.
2. cezar, you mentioned that your eyes burn even though you're shifting. I could be wrong, but it sounds like you might be shifting incorrectly. Keep in mind that shifting involves movement of both the eyes AND of the attention. If you are only moving your eyes without thinking about where or what you're looking at, it is mechanical and will be more of a strain than if you didn't do it. I have had this problem before in the past. It's sort of like drawing vs scribbling. When you scribble, you're not really paying attention to where your pencil is going, so the end result is a senseless mess. But when you're trying to draw something, there are certain features of whatever you're drawing that you need to get right, and you may naturally go from drawing a head, to arms, to legs, etc. It's not a perfect analogy, but it works for me, and I hope you get the idea.
3. Beware of tunnel vision. For me, the burning sensation usually comes up when I narrow my field of vision down to the area of the computer screen and block out the periphery. If you are doing this, you may want to ask yourself every now and then if you can at least notice colors in the periphery (remember, you're not supposed to try to see the objects in the periphery!). You might also want to check to see if you are staring at the text, since that is another common problem for me.
4. Finally, the burning sensation intensifies for me if I try to make it go away directly. It just builds and builds and builds. The only thing that can be done about it is to note it, see if you can identify any parts of your body that are straining, and then, accept the strain(s) and let it be. Sooner or later, when I stop blocking out the periphery, the burning sensation goes away on its own. The sensation is a symptom of the strain, not the strain itself, so be nice to it!
As always, I am very much still a work in progress, so everything I write has the potential for mistakes/errors in understanding. I try to write only about what I understand, but mistakes are unavoidable. So take what I write with a grain of salt. Remember, you are the best judge of whether or not something works or not! Good luck!
So Pikachu, are you saying that you'd get more strain from leaning in than from wearing reduced lenses? What if the leaning is comfortable and doesn't feel strained?
I think it depends. Again, you're the best judge for which is less straining. Personally, I usually have to settle for reduced lenses because leaning in is simply just too much strain for me. If you're not sure, try them both out and see which one feels better. Typically, you will be able to feel the strain as soon as you get up and, if you have glasses on, take your glasses off. From there, you can decide what works for you. Of course, if you can find a way to not wear glasses and not have to lean in, then that would probably be ideal.
Daqwenia Wrote:Is it better to have the monitor up close to your face and wear glasses, or just wear reduced prescription lenses? Either one I do, I notice my eyes tense a lot, and no one really mentions it anywhere. Anyone's input is welcome
An alternative is to use the normal glasses in combination with natural visual habits. The problem with this is that you don't get biofeedback about the state of blur. The solution to that problem is to take off the glasses every now and then (lets say for some minutes). During those minutes you shift on details until the eyes clear up, feeling softer and refreshed, feeling effortless. If you wear reduced prescription lenses there is a risk in the long run that the blur itself causes a lot of strain to you, and as a consequence your vision gets worse, especially if you need to perform perfect without mistakes.
For the second time since I been using computers for past 7 years; I tried buying the new wide flat screen again. Again, as the last time I tried one my eyes burned and the sight was all fuzzy when looking to the distance after 1 hour. Why do the old big bulky monitors with the glass screen keep my eyes relaxed, not perfect if work for 10 hours, but ok, no burning, no blur?
I am trying this; I bought some thin clear as glass laminating plastic and covered the screen. Now I am getting reflections of light, distant view of my window, objects and the eyes are relaxing! So far burning is gone and when I look to the distance, no fuzzy blur. Got to be an optics thing and more natural 3-D in the plastic-like a mirror.
I think this is how my vision stayed good all these years; using the old glass screens.
clarknight Wrote:For the second time since I been using computers for past 7 years; I tried buying the new wide flat screen again. Again, as the last time I tried one my eyes burned and the sight was all fuzzy when looking to the distance after 1 hour. Why do the old big bulky monitors with the glass screen keep my eyes relaxed, not perfect if work for 10 hours, but ok, no burning, no blur?
I am trying this; I bought some thin clear as glass laminating plastic and covered the screen. Now I am getting reflections of light, distant view of my window, objects and the eyes are relaxing! So far burning is gone and when I look to the distance, no fuzzy blur. Got to be an optics thing and more natural 3-D in the plastic-like a mirror.
I think this is how my vision stayed good all these years; using the old glass screens.
Yeah, I have an LED-backlit LCD monitor. Do you think that would help me as well? Where do you get your hands on that stuff?
clarknight Wrote:For the second time since I been using computers for past 7 years; I tried buying the new wide flat screen again. Again, as the last time I tried one my eyes burned and the sight was all fuzzy when looking to the distance after 1 hour. Why do the old big bulky monitors with the glass screen keep my eyes relaxed, not perfect if work for 10 hours, but ok, no burning, no blur?
I am trying this; I bought some thin clear as glass laminating plastic and covered the screen. Now I am getting reflections of light, distant view of my window, objects and the eyes are relaxing! So far burning is gone and when I look to the distance, no fuzzy blur. Got to be an optics thing and more natural 3-D in the plastic-like a mirror.
I think this is how my vision stayed good all these years; using the old glass screens.
The plastic I used is; Scotch laminating sheets from Target or Walmant; I don't use the sticky part; only the non sticky plastic sheet. It stays on the monitor by tucking it under the edges of the screen.
I don't place the monitor too close or it's like looking at a tv screenup close all day. I know that can't be good.
clarknight Wrote:I place amirror around my monitor.
The plastic I used is; Scotch laminating sheets from Target or Walmant; I don't use the sticky part; only the non sticky plastic sheet. It stays on the monitor by tucking it under the edges of the screen.
I don't place the monitor too close or it's like looking at a tv screenup close all day. I know that can't be good.
Thanks for your input! What's the purpose of the mirror?
Computer use, with or without glasses?
So one morning, I dediced to get rid of the glasses and do my little run without those things. I felt a bit unease at first, but after a while, you're getting used to everything. Actually, it feels greate being able to do the running without any need for glasses...
when I try to work on my computer without glasses I indeed need to:
