Computers and Eyesight

[Fancy Navigator]

Hiya
Sorry if this has been done before.....
You often hear here and there that computers are not very good for your eyesight...Where is the myth and where is the truth?
We all know that eyesight is very important to pilots.
So this is my question:
Are computers bad for your eyesight, and to what extent are they? what is or would be the recommended daily use in hours?
Could the use of computers seriously deteriorate your eyesight and prevent you from gaining a Medical class 1?
Thank you for your answers....

:)

[Synthetic]

I have at times spent prolonged periods writing software and did end up with eyes so sore that I could not look at the screen. The company Nurse's advice was that I should only spend fifty minutes in the hour at my pc, then I should get up and walk away from it for ten minutes. I should spend that time focusing on things at varying distances, all a lot further away than my screen. There appears to have been no lasting damage in my case, but it seems I was lucky. Hope this helps.

[Clear_Prop]

The advice I've found on this is similar to Synthetic's. I've been told to spend a few minutes every 25 looking away from the screen to focus on something at a reasonable distance.

Also, I don't know what the official verdict is on this but I have virtually no feelings of eye strain at all when using a TFT monitor for long periods, compared with noticable discomfort using CRT.

[High Volt]

I now do about 2-3 hours a day on the computer and have done for the last 4 years or so. During this time my eyesight has deteriorated to the point that I am barely passing my Class one eyesight test and I'm convinced it's due to this "close" work. I'm desperate to avoid glasses becoming a condition of my licence because I can't think of a less natural circumstance than parading around with bits of glass propped in front of your eyes.

I realise that age has its effects but I'm sure that modern living has a much more immediate impact. I've started to try some of the natural "eye training" methods such as those preached by Dr. Bates and to date, I've made a little progress. Hope this helps - we were all hunter gatherers 20 thousand years ago and we're designed to focus at a 20 yard hunting range not an email inbox!

[twistedenginestarter]

we were all hunter gatherers 20 thousand years ago and we're designed to focus at a 20 yard hunting range
I'm not sure that's entirely valid. Twenty thousand years ago we had all died by our mid twenties. A lot of eye (and other problems) come from living well beyond our design lifespan.
I have been looking at computer screens for many hours a day for the past 20 years and I just got through my Class 1 with some bifocals I bought in Boots for £12.

[shuttlebus]

Clear_Prop

Try increasing your refresh rate on the CRT monitor. The minimum recommended is around 70Hz but I personally prefer 85Hz+.

Regards,

Shuttlebus

[MidnightSpecial]

An eye doctor I know volunteers down in Central America. He flies down a few times a year and donates his expertise to the locals.

He states that among these people, who do very little reading, there are very few cases of nearsightedness. They have other problems, of course, but this doctor believes that close work can contribute to nearsightedness.

When he comes back to the states then he deals with those of us who should be using reading glasses to protect our eyes from the strain of focusing. He said that a close focus for long periods of time is unnatural.

MS

[Clear_Prop]

Shuttlebus

Thanks for the advice, I'll give that a try - is that the reason why TFTs are not a problem or is that unrelated?

High Volt

Interesting your comment about hunter gatherer's - I think that since we can now order pizza over the internet, 2-3 feet is good enough focal length for 'hunter-gathering' duties, and maybe evolution has to catch up! :D

[newswatcher]

portable (http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/crr_pdf/2000/crr00304.pdf) desktop (http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/crr_pdf/1997/crr97130.pdf) and don't forget the other "ergonomic" aspects, such as appropriate and well-positioned office/room lighting, and good positioning of arms and legs when seated at a terminal.

[2IC]

I spend hours either poring over books or on the computer, and found I was starting to see everything blurry once I looked up. I had things checked out, and it seems that as we get older, our eyes don't change focus as quickly, so the longer we spend at one focus, the more likely it will take some time for the opposite focus to work well.

I was told to do similar to Synthetic and Clear_Prop, particularly looking into the distance, at every opportunity. So I started studying next to a window, and as I sat up, I looked out into the distance, then back to the books or computer. It has more/less stopped the problem.