Deteriorating eyesight.

Asmuel

So. After sitting in front of the computer all day for the last few years, my eyesight is noticeably deteriorating. I've got a couple of 17inch acers, not great quality. and a 12wx which doesn't seem to help matters.

Anyone experience this type of thing, and find anything that helps? I'm thinking of getting a bigger screen, so I can sit further back.

Ruz

yeah I used to have almost perfect eyesight.
doing 3d since 1996 has just screwed them up.

monkeyboy_garth

This thread is only 2 posts in and already I'm depressed. How is your eyesight affected? Have you had them tested?

Kevin Albers

I suggest getting nice LCD monitors. I had pretty bad eyestrain-related issues a few years ago, and switching to less eye-melting monitors helped a fair amount.

Justin Meisse

Don't work in a dark room

sprunghunt

Long periods of focusing at one distance (eg: using a PC or reading a book) will make your eyes unable to focus properly at other ranges. You need to occasionally take a break from looking at your computer and look at something further away.

Jonathan

I keep the blinds open a bit at my desk, so I have some good lighting while working. Ironically, doesn't black background with white text hurt your eyes? :poly124:

monkeyboy_garth

Maybe a sticky-note on your monitor to remind you to blink every couple of seconds. He he

Vitor

Indeed a LCD monitor help a lot. During summer I'm using a older CRT jurassic one and using it with contact lenses it is burning my corneas... the pain! I never had perfect eyesight so not big trouble ah

Joshua Stubbles

my eyes have also toasted out in the past 3yrs or so. Once I started doing scripting as a job it was downhill, heh. Too much strain reading all of the text day in/day out. Like sprung said, it's because you spend too long focusing on a single distance. Your eyes adjust to that, and become a bit lazy at focusing on other distances. Sadly, I don't think you can reverse it. But you can take breaks as suggested, in order to prevent it from getting worse.

Jeremy Lindstrom

Also change your monitor to a higher refresh rate, for me anything under 75mhz my eyes will jitter and make my eyes jacked.

Farfarer

I always try and have a light around that's brighter than my screens. And taking a break every now and then to stare out the window (or at least at something that's a different distance away and isn't a screen) helps a lot or go make a cup of tea every hour or so. Eyesight's doing alright so far but then bad eyesight doesn't run in the family.

seanv

I heard taking a break for 5 mins every 40 mins will help with the strain. Of coarse I never remember to do it.

Asmuel

One of my eyes takes in less light than the other. I noticed because I looked out the window at night time once and I thought one of my eyes was shut. there was no light getting in. pretty strange feeling. also my eyes get pretty blurry some times. I certainly put it down to staring at these monitors all day. when I got my 12wx cintiq it just got worse, because I have to get pretty close to it, which makes me think its not the screen quality but the distance I'm looking at it from all day. my gf has had the same thing happen from reading too much.

I tried a 21+ inch screen for a while and it seemed to help. thats why Im considering getting a bigger one. it'll cost less than glasses and shit in the long run.

Jeremy Lindstrom

That's why I've put off picking up the 12wx, for 1000 bucks. For another grand I can get 21 incher. I'd love to sit on the couch and doodle with the 12wx but maybe I should get the bigger one first then save up for the smaller one for portability (even though I've heard it's not so portable)

Nevinvex

You can try using a break-reminder program to help you remember when to take a small break, guess that would help. I don't know if it's allowed to post links, so I won't, but google-ing break reminder should turn up some results.

pliang

I just switched to an LCD too recently...frankly my old monitor was just overkill for anyone's eyesight.

http://www.new.facebook.com/profile.php?id=560180160#/photo.php?pid=3798534&id=560180160

Sometimes when I'm well into a project at some point...I go down to the gym and focus looking at far objects while on the treadmill...seems to help relieve my eyes once in a while...

I also would not recommend reading books if say your on a bus...for some who commute it's not a good habit...same if using a laptop.


:: Test your eye sight every few months too.

Ruz

eating carrots might help:)

PolyHertz

My eyes have been bad sense 2nd grade, so don't even really remember what it's like to not wear glasses. Though in the last few years, like you, its been deteriorating much faster. I literally can't see clearly anything more then 5-6 inches in front of me without glasses atp. On top of that I believe (never had it tested) I have low blood pressure, so will sometimes lose my sight completely for a few seconds when standing up after sitting for long periods.


One of my animation buds got lazer eye surgery a few months ago, and seems to have worked out great for him, will probably do the same at some point.

Kawe

It's all about getting into habits. You should do some stretching as well as looking away like every 15mins or so.

RazorBladder

My sight has also completely gone to shit in the past few years, when I can afford it, that laser surgery is MINE!

Nevinvex

PolyHertz, that's Orthostatic hypotension. It's not something abnormal. I get it too sometimes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthostatic_hypotension

TWilson

There is a muscle that contracts and expands your eye bits to let you focus on different distances. It needs exercise just like anything else. When you get old this muscle naturally becomes less flexible which is why many people need glasses in their 40s and 50s.

Don't work in a dark room.
Having something to look at behind your monitors like a window helps.
Stand up and stretch often.

I've been using computers from 2-12 hours a day since 96 and my vision hasn't changed. (except for my laser eye surgery so now I'm better than 20/20)

Kovac

Pick up smoking and you'll take 5 minute breaks every hour

I can personally never sit at a specific distance from my monitor for more than a minute as I'm rather fidgety and need to get comfortable often. Just make sure you're constantly changing your position and every so often pulling your focus off the screen to give someone else a death stare and return to working.

I've only been staring at monitors professionally for 3 years though so it will probably catch up to me soon as I still have perfect vision.

ebagg

You seriously need to invest in bigger monitors. 17 inch monitors are puny by today's standards, barring laptops.

Yozora

TWilson wrote: »

I've been using computers from 2-12 hours a day since 96 and my vision hasn't changed. (except for my laser eye surgery so now I'm better than 20/20)

Hmm you did this surgery even with perfect eyesight?

My eyesight is crap as well but I dont really wanna do no surgery to try to fix it either. Its been getting worse slightly eery year from when I was 16 but the good news is my eyesight has stopped deteriorating this year and the optician said its "stable" now.

TWilson

I didn't say it was perfect Yozora. Just that it didn't change during that time. I had glasses since grade 1 or 2 until I got my lasik. Which I highly recommend if you're an active person.

Smirnoffka

Just reading this thread made me feel like my eyes were deteriating, like when someone talks about head lice you feel all itchy in the head.

Lol.

Anyone else get this?

But seriously, look after your eyes.

greenj2

Ahh yep, I've noticed the same thing happening to my vision over the past year or two...

I went to have my eyes tested and was told that around my age (early twenties) it's common for the lenses in your eyes to change shape, making your vision better or worse in the process. And that it's also common for the same thing to happen again around persons late twenties.

So the very nice lady told me that if I wanted to have my eyesight laser/surgically corrected, it would be wise to wait until after I pass that second magical transformation process. No point having it done if my eyes are going to evolve on me again a few years later.

I also repeatedly hassled her about the fact that my job entails staring at a glowing screen for hours on end and she insisted that this had nothing to do with the problem.

...reading it like this I think maybe I should get a second opinion.

(Also, after working on LCDs for a year I changed jobs and worked on a CRT setup for a few weeks. It made my eyes hurt like a bitch until I was switched to LCD again.)

foreverendering

I had glasses for about 10 years, then last Christmas I got lasik and it was one of the best decisions I've made.

My eyes were 20/15 the day after surgery and have since slipped to 20/20 but seem to have settled there. Either way its great being able to go through my day without worrying about glasses or contacts.

CheeseOnToast

I recently read about a study into the effects of working closely with monitors all day, and apparently it definitely doesn't affect eyesight. However, not exposing your eyes to a reasonable amount of daylight on a regular basis does make them worse. I can't remember the source, but I think it might have been an Aussie university.

Joshua Stubbles

Kovac - that's pretty damn spot on, actually. My eyesight started to deteriorate not long after I stopped smoking, three years ago. Ain't that some shit? Save my lungs, lose my eyes? lol...