Lately, I’ve been getting headaches and feeling a lot of fatigue and burning from my eyes. Though this happens every once in a while, it started to become more consistent in the past few weeks, hurting my productivity.

I thought it might have something to do with the fact that I’m online on average 10-12 hours per day. This might be an odd blog topic for FeeFighters, but since many of our customers are online, I figure maybe it might strike a chord. The truth is, we can’t escape being online most of the time, so we need to find ways to cope with how it affects our health.

After doing some research, I diagnosed myself with Computer Vision Syndrom (CVS…and yes, it exists!). Here’s what you need to know, and what I’ve found works to take away pain and irritation.

Symptoms:

• Eyestrain- eyes feel fatigued
• Burning-eyes feel irritated
• Headaches
• Dry eyes

Possible Culprits:

• Sitting too close to the screen
• Screen is too bright
• Not blinking enough
• Bad lighting in room

The third one is the killer. It’s been proven that people blink 5 times less when they are on the computer . Compound that over hundreds of hours and weeks, and you will suffer from dry eye. Here are some solutions (one being proprietary):

• Moisturizing drops- These OTC drops are a lifesaver. Use them as needed to get moisture back into your eyes over time.
• Mindful seating- Take a look at the chart on the bottom this page. Are you sitting in the correct posture for optimal computer use?
• Cognizant blinking- This is my proprietary method. When I focus, I definitely notice the lack of blinking. Therefore, I try to mindfully blink as often as I can, reminding myself to do so however I can (think post-its). Say what you will, but this has helped.

The good news is, CVS is not permanently damaging to your vision. Making a few small corrections will make your life better and trust me, your eyes will be thankful.

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