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what's wrong with my eyes?

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Bananas in Paris

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Hello everyone.

This is a serious question to all heavy computer users.

I am 44 years old and never needed eyeglasses in my life. 2 years ago I ventured fully into digital photography with my D30. These days I spend hours daily in front of a computer looking at an average 17 inch monitor.

During the last half year my vision has deteriorated so much that I need eyeglasses to read anything printed. I never needed glasses for anything in my entire life, but lately things are getting quite blurry.

I do not know if it is because of age (some people say that after 40 your vision deteriorates), or if I have messed up my vision through constant staring at the computer screen.

I wonder if any of you knows any facts about this subject and if it is the fault of my computer work; what kind of screen should I use to prevent
further deterioration of my eyes.

I am very concerned.

--
Andrzej
http://www.oysterstudio.com
 
I have been a computer user for over 30 years. Never had any problems until.....my mid to late 40's. I recently turned 50.

I was told, I was lucky, others start exactly at 40...I am using progressives and I think they are making my eyes worse...but I'm probably imagining it. I guess getting old kinda stinks...Even the floaters in my eyes are out of focus! :-)

Vin
razzi said:
Get an LCD screen (I use a Samsung SyncMaster 172T - and it's great)
Much better for your eyes.

--
Razzi.photo - http://users.pandora.be/razzi/
Click to expand...
--
http://users.adelphia.net/~vrguarino
http://www.sportsshooter.com/vguarino
 
andrzej,

I've been a computer user for just under 20 years (I'm nearly 30 now), and have been inerested in photography for the last year and a half since I got my Fuji 6900.

My eyesight is still excellent for closeup, but need glasses/contacts for distance.

--
See my gallery at http://www.pbase.com/stuartd
 
andrzej bialuski said:
Hello everyone.

This is a serious question to all heavy computer users.

I am 44 years old and never needed eyeglasses in my life. 2 years
ago I ventured fully into digital photography with my D30. These
days I spend hours daily in front of a computer looking at an
average 17 inch monitor.

During the last half year my vision has deteriorated so much that I
need eyeglasses to read anything printed. I never needed glasses
for anything in my entire life, but lately things are getting quite
blurry.

I do not know if it is because of age (some people say that after
40 your vision deteriorates), or if I have messed up my vision
through constant staring at the computer screen.

I wonder if any of you knows any facts about this subject and if it
is the fault of my computer work; what kind of screen should I use
to prevent
further deterioration of my eyes.

I am very concerned.

--
Andrzej
http://www.oysterstudio.com
Click to expand...
It's probably due to age. I used to have 20/15 vision, at about 45 detail at distance started getting a little blurry. I turned 50 last year and now use glasses for distance and fine print.

Getting old sucks!
--
JimS

http://www.pbase.com/valkman/10d

http://www.pbase.com/valkman/e10
 
It's called presbyopia.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/presbyopia.htm

Basically, your eyes become too stiff for the eye muscles to change the focus for near/far focusing. Your USM is shot!!
andrzej bialuski said:
Hello everyone.

This is a serious question to all heavy computer users.

I am 44 years old and never needed eyeglasses in my life. 2 years
ago I ventured fully into digital photography with my D30. These
days I spend hours daily in front of a computer looking at an
average 17 inch monitor.

During the last half year my vision has deteriorated so much that I
need eyeglasses to read anything printed. I never needed glasses
for anything in my entire life, but lately things are getting quite
blurry.

I do not know if it is because of age (some people say that after
40 your vision deteriorates), or if I have messed up my vision
through constant staring at the computer screen.

I wonder if any of you knows any facts about this subject and if it
is the fault of my computer work; what kind of screen should I use
to prevent
further deterioration of my eyes.

I am very concerned.

--
Andrzej
http://www.oysterstudio.com
Click to expand...
 
Sorry I can't offer any insight because I have a different kind of problem. Since I got my first computer in 1995 I've done very little reading and my IQ has dropped 15 points.
andrzej bialuski said:
Hello everyone.

This is a serious question to all heavy computer users.

I am 44 years old and never needed eyeglasses in my life. 2 years
ago I ventured fully into digital photography with my D30. These
days I spend hours daily in front of a computer looking at an
average 17 inch monitor.

During the last half year my vision has deteriorated so much that I
need eyeglasses to read anything printed. I never needed glasses
for anything in my entire life, but lately things are getting quite
blurry.

I do not know if it is because of age (some people say that after
40 your vision deteriorates), or if I have messed up my vision
through constant staring at the computer screen.

I wonder if any of you knows any facts about this subject and if it
is the fault of my computer work; what kind of screen should I use
to prevent
further deterioration of my eyes.

I am very concerned.

--
Andrzej
http://www.oysterstudio.com
Click to expand...
--
Tom
Photography – you gotta love it. All kinds of flavors and enough
for everyone. :-)
 
I've needed glasses since age 10 or so, and have used computers since I was 12 (and incidentally I've always been an avid reader). My eyesight has been myopic but very stable since my early teens despite all the computer use -- I'm 35 now and have the same perscription I did when I was 15.

Any rapid change in your vision should make you think about seeing an eye doctor pronto. There are certainly Bad Things that can cause these symptoms, and though you probably don't have any of them it would be wise to make sure.

As far as monitors; I use an NEC 17" flat-panel and wouldn't go back to a CRT for anything. Much crisper and easier on the eyes.
 
I'd get an eye exam. You probably need bifocals. Tell your eye doctor that you use a computer a lot and see what he says.
 
My doctor has prescribed glasses. That's it.
She says it's age, but I consider the monitor to have added to the mess.
sean said:
I've needed glasses since age 10 or so, and have used computers
since I was 12 (and incidentally I've always been an avid reader).
My eyesight has been myopic but very stable since my early teens
despite all the computer use -- I'm 35 now and have the same
perscription I did when I was 15.

Any rapid change in your vision should make you think about seeing
an eye doctor pronto. There are certainly Bad Things that can cause
these symptoms, and though you probably don't have any of them it
would be wise to make sure.

As far as monitors; I use an NEC 17" flat-panel and wouldn't go
back to a CRT for anything. Much crisper and easier on the eyes.
Click to expand...
--
Andrzej
http://www.oysterstudio.com
 
Everybody told me I'd need reading glasses for my 40th birthday. Of course I laughed at them, but sure enough, on or about my 40th birthday...Wham. Want ads and phone books no longer useful as is. I think it's mother natures way of turning old people into a prey species. 'What's that over there? I dunno, it kinda looked a Lion...'
 
As you get older, the lense gets stiffer, and the lense will not flatten out as the muscles pull on it. Thus reading glasses--mid range--for comupters.

As you get even older the lense not only gets stiffer, but there is calcium deposit (Catarrac) and the focus gets even worse, the stiffness keeps the far distance mode of the lense (lense muscles relaxed) from being in focus after watching the computer screen.

None of this is due to the computer--or the type of screen. I use both LCD on a laptop and a desk top, and a 21" CRT moniter (I think it is sharper and better color) for color photo work.

Agree that you need to see an opthamalogist--there is the remote possibility of Glaucoma etc.

Perhaps Don Cohen, who is an opthamalogist will chime in.

Bob Austin M D
 
well...what everybody else has said pretty much....

i'm in my fifties...have worn glasses now for about 10 years...started about where you are now age-wise...

i spend 8-12 hours a day on the computer....full time at work....half time at home...(chuckle)....

since i started wearing glasses, I have had my eyes checked pretty much once a year....for the first few years the prescription would change a bit every time....in the last few years it hasn't hardly changed at all....

don't know if this makes you feel better or worse.....

I don't even wear the silly things when i am out hiking or doing photography....can't stand looking through the lens with them on.....still see well enough without 'em to find my way back to the car....Hah!
-randy-
andrzej bialuski said:
sean said:
I've needed glasses since age 10 or so, and have used computers
since I was 12 (and incidentally I've always been an avid reader).
My eyesight has been myopic but very stable since my early teens
despite all the computer use -- I'm 35 now and have the same
perscription I did when I was 15.

Any rapid change in your vision should make you think about seeing
an eye doctor pronto. There are certainly Bad Things that can cause
these symptoms, and though you probably don't have any of them it
would be wise to make sure.

As far as monitors; I use an NEC 17" flat-panel and wouldn't go
back to a CRT for anything. Much crisper and easier on the eyes.
Click to expand...
--
Andrzej
http://www.oysterstudio.com
Click to expand...
 
That would be interesting.

Dr Cohen, are you there? Knock, knock.
Bob Austin said:
As you get older, the lense gets stiffer, and the lense will not
flatten out as the muscles pull on it. Thus reading glasses--mid
range--for comupters.

As you get even older the lense not only gets stiffer, but there is
calcium deposit (Catarrac) and the focus gets even worse, the
stiffness keeps the far distance mode of the lense (lense muscles
relaxed) from being in focus after watching the computer screen.

None of this is due to the computer--or the type of screen. I use
both LCD on a laptop and a desk top, and a 21" CRT moniter (I think
it is sharper and better color) for color photo work.

Agree that you need to see an opthamalogist--there is the remote
possibility of Glaucoma etc.

Perhaps Don Cohen, who is an opthamalogist will chime in.

Bob Austin M D
Click to expand...
--
Andrzej
http://www.oysterstudio.com
 
Thank you all!!! This thread has just been one of the first things I saw in my brand new 21" flat screen CRT monitor installed 15 minutes ago!!!!

I went from LCD to CRT because I was not able to get colours right with my 17" samsung flat screen and in fact this CRT is magnificent. Now, is it really true that CRT's are that more agressive to the eyes? I just turned 37 and spend all day in front of a computer. If this is going to hurt my eyesight I really would like to know!

What do you think?

Regards

João Salvador
 
The bottom line here is one word: presbyopia.

As a person ages, they gradually lose the ability to "accommodate" where the focus of the lens of the eye shifts from distance to near. It is our current understanding that this is caused by a decrease in the lens elasticity. Normally the ciliary muscle in the eye contracts, the 'zonules' which hold the lens in place relax, and the lens 'bulges' somewhat, increasing the power of its focus. This shifts the focal point from far to near. As one ages, the loss of lens elasticity results in less and less change in the power of the lens when the ciliary muscle contracts. There are some current challenges to this as the physiologic explanation, but this is the currently accepted one.

A child can accommodate extremely well, and the 'near point' (the closest point which can be focused) is quite near to the eye. As you age, this near point gradually gets further and further out, as accommodative ability is lost. It reaches a 'critical' point generally in the 40's, as the near point pushes reading material further and further out. The solution is reading glasses, which is basically just a plus lens (typically starting about +1.25 diopters).

I am not aware of any studies that suggest computer use, or prolonged reading or close work, have any effect on the rate of loss of accommodation. In fact, it could be argued (or rather hoped!) that prolonged use of the accommodative process might keep it stronger for longer than it would otherwise, but this is just a theoretical argument.

So to the best of my knowledge, there's no reason to blame your computer (LCD, CRT or otherwise), or any other activity on your part, for your need for reading glasses. It's just the passage of time. I was determined that I would be the "exception that proved the rule" and postponed getting reading glasses, hoping I would never need them. I sit here with a pair of +1.25 reading glasses perched on my nose as I type this. Sigh....

Hope this helps! As they say, getting older is bad news, but it's better than the alternative.

--
Don
http://www.dlcphotography.net
 
My day job is a programmer and so I use computer for a long period of time every day. And during my off work times, I spend time surfing the web in forums like this, working on my photos, etc. So I truely spend a long long period of time everyday in front of a computer screen. I use to use CRTs, however, I was suffering from periodic migraine like headache and periodic eye strains to the point sometimes the eye doesn't even like to keep open anymore.

The regular doctors just tell me to take some common headache medicine. The eye doctors can't do much, other than suggest I take more breaks during the day. And you know what? They didn't help.

And the fix? Ever since I switched from CRT to LCD, my headaches went away and my eye strains went away. All without changing my day to day behaviours. Now I have a load of useless Tylonel pills and I don't have to remind myself of taking a break any more. Well taking breaks is still good, just that now I even I don't take breaks and do works in straight longer hours for weeks trying to finish up client's work. I don't get headaches and my eye's not tired like before any more.

But then again this is just me. I find my eyes be very sensitivy at CRT monitor refreshings. I can actually tell monitor's refresh rate is set to 60, or 75, or 85, or 100 quite acurately. So I guess the down side to this is that my eyes gets tired of the scanning of the CRT too. I've know people who works long hours in front of CRT and they don't have any problem like mine. However, the same can be said that they can hardly tell the refresh rate of the monitor is low. They see a 60hz monitor the same as a 100hz. So it's really different from person to person.

--
Phoenix
http://photo.vitsco.com
 
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