Choosing Glasses For Computer Workers

Computers are now pretty much commonplace at home, at work and at school.Most of us seem to spend a large part of our days squinting at a monitor and with more of our shopping and entertainment being driven by the Internet, computer use is surely going to increase.  For many of us, that’s not a problem. If you spend more than two hours a day at a PC, then it’s likely that you will experience symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).
CVS can be caused by several factors.A decreased rate of blinking while you’re focusing on a computer screen is thought to be significant.Studies have shown that the blink rate decreases to as low as 6–8 blinks per minute if you’re focused on a display (the normal blink rate is 16-20 per minute).This leads to dry eyes and also puts strain on the ciliary muscles of the eye. The most common symptoms of CVS include headaches, focusing difficulties, aching eyes, dry eyes, double vision, blurred vision, light sensitivity, and neck and shoulder pain. 
CVS can also accelerate the early onset of a condition called presbyopia (usually associated with aging) where you experience difficulty reading fine print, particularly in low light conditions, or momentarily blurred vision when shifting between viewing distances.
The good news is that it is relatively simple to ease these symptoms. Daft as it may sound, try blinking more often!f you are not a glasses wearer, simple changes like making sure the screen is clean, correctly positioned, and set up properly will make a difference.
If you do wear glasses, then ensuring your lenses are clean and smear free will help to reduce glare and reflections. Anti-Reflective coatings on your lenses (usually available free of charge if you ask for it through suppliers like SelectSpecs.com) will reduce or eliminate surface reflections and ensure clear vision day or night.   Anti-Reflective coatings also make the lenses of your glasses appear almost non-existent, so your eyes look more natural.
Whether you wear glasses of not, you can improve your vision at work by having regular eye examinations, taking  frequent breaks to give your eyes a rest every 20 minutes or so and avoiding  glare or bright reflections on the screen.   If you are using a CRT display, consider changing to an LCD screen.Buy a 19 inch screen with the highest resolution possible and a dot pitch of .28 mm or smaller.   They lack the “flicker” of CRT monitors, are easier on the eye and usually have an anti-reflective surface.  

The even better news is  that If you you use a computer  or VDU screen habitually as a significant part of  your normal work (i.e. for at least an hour most days), then according to the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, your employer is obliged  to pay for regular eye examinations. Your employer may have an arrangement with a local optometrist or more likely they will refund you the cost of an examination.  If that examination reveals that you require glasses specifically for Display Screen Equipment use, your employer must also pay for budget  glasses.