I decided to become a doctor because I wanted to transcend the mundaneness of the average office worker’s life. I wanted to reject all things trivial and bureaucratic. Each person was made to be his or her own boss.

This philosophy has delivered me to where I am today: medical internship. People romanticize about young doctors having frequent and frivolous sexual experiences with other young, gorgeous doctors, nurses, and custodians. Occasionally our hours of lust are interrupted by some exciting medical emergency, which we cure in exciting and dramatic fashion.

Please allow me to introduce you to the truth. The last few months have thrust a harsh reality into my life: I am a sheep. I am a pen pushing, bottom feeding peon that has spent the last few months perfecting the ass-groove in the 30-year-old office chair that my stingy employer has provided me. My days are filled with forms, flights of stairs, and a lack of the freedom that my profession was supposed to afford me.

The majority of my time is spent on the computer, which is the official branding of a collared sheep. This brings us to this week’s Functional Friday:

Can computer screens make you go blind?

I will openly admit that I have a vendetta against ophthalmologist. They are consistently the best looking doctors and work fewer hours than virtually everyone in the medical profession. They also abbreviate everything. You are already suffering through this article, but would you want to read it if every line read “BRVO OD with PERL and DCR?” No. You would not. You would want to kick me in the nuts.

Eye doctors have studied the phenomenon of starring at a computer monitor and have labeled the resulting symptoms as “Computer Vision Syndrome.”

In the past, researchers hypothesized that the radiation from video display terminals (VDTs) caused adverse health effects. Studies have not clearly demonstrated that this is true.

There is evidence that VDTs can cause eye-related symptoms: eye-strain, tired eyes, irritation, burning sensation, redness, blurred vision, and double vision. “Computer Vision Syndrome” is a repetitive strain disorder that may affect up to 90% of U.S. workers that use a computer for more than 3 hours per day.

The symptoms can be broken down into three pathophysiological causes:

1. Ocular surface mechanisms

It has been well-documented that the blink rate is decreased when people use computers.  This leads to eye dryness and burning.  Most individuals blink 10-15 times per minute. This rate is decreased up to 60% in computer gazers. Additionally, computer users usually read their material in a horizontal plane, which results in an increased surface area of the eye exposed to evaporation.

2. Asthenopic (“eye strain”) symptoms

Prolonged computer usage without a break to focus on “distant objects” has been shown to cause diminished power of accommodation. Typing all those TPS reports may seem like fun, but your eyes may lose their ability to focus without periodic breaks.  Place the most attractive office intern across the room for eye-candy. Occasionally look at said intern for some distant focus. Problem solved.  A small, transient “myopic shift” appears to occur after VDT use, but it is not clear as to whether VDT use can contribute to permanent near-sightedness.

3. Extraocular mechanisms

Inappropriate computer monitor location may lead to neck, back, and shoulder strain.

Simple solutions to prevent your impending blindness:

1. Proper lighting

An ideal environment provides equalized lighting and brightness throughout your visual field.

2. Computer monitor positioning

Properly distance your monitor and ensure that it is at a height which does not produce extraocular strain.

3. Work breaks

They allow you to take a break from near accommodation, and studies have shown that work efficiency actually improves when regular breaks are provided.

4. Lubricating drops

Relieving the symptoms of dry eyes is simple and will do more to combat Computer Vision Syndrome than any other intervention.

The shepherd is tightening my collar, and I have to get back to my forms and prescriptions. Have a great weekend, fellow sheep.

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