Chorus: Will Visine get the red out?

By Joanne Eglash

Here's the challenge: spend long hours working at the computer—taking breaks only to play computer games—and then ask your eyes if they're having fun yet. If they respond with blurred vision, red speckles, and that dry, I-need-to-blink sensation, then the answer is "no."

Eyestrain and its associated eye irritations have a variety of causes. Working in an office with overhead lighting that causes reflective glares on your computer screen, positioning the screen in a way that causes your eyes to strain up or down, and becoming so immersed in your computer work that you forget to take a break (or even blink!) are just a few of the ways to get yourself one gorgeous pair of reddened, painful eyes.

I remember one evening at the office in particular. A last-minute "feature creep" in a software program required major revisions to the user's guide, which I had written. With the manual due to the printer the next day, I hunched over my keyboard and focused on getting it completed. Three hours later, I emerged from my cubicle feeling as if my eyes had been rubbed in a sandpit and Godzilla had stomped on my head. My eyes were so bloodshot the next day that one of the programmers informed me that "your eyes look like you spent a wild night on the town."

Since that day, I've been reading about what is known by experts as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). For me, one of the reasons for eye pain is that I forget to do something very simple: blink. Researchers have discovered that people concentrate on their work at the computer screen so intently that they do not blink as frequently as they need to. Fewer blinks equal dry eyes, which result in that stinging, burning sensation. When you blink, you lubricate your eyes—one reason why eye drops may help ease your pain.

Adjusting your computer screen to prevent eyestrain also can help. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that you place the top of your screen at or slightly below eye level. (You'll find additional recommendations at the DoctorErgo.com Web site described in the Related Links section). You should also minimize glare and reflections on your computer screen; if you cannot control the overhead office lighting, consider using a filter to reduce the glare on your screen. The simple act of making a computer "hood" out of cardboard to prevent the overhead lights from reflecting on my screen has helped me.

If you wear eyeglasses, make sure your ophthalmologist is aware of your computer work. Some people—particularly those who wear bifocals, trifocals, or reading glasses—benefit by getting a special pair of computer glasses. The reason is that people generally position their computer screens farther away and higher than where they hold books when they read. One prescription doesn't always work for both situations.

Those of you who have trouble remembering to blink, like me, should check out ScreamSaver software's site. It offers a special screensaver with a feature that lets you schedule regular breaks for different exercises, including eye relaxation exercises. I discovered that if I didn't just close the program and keep working like I wanted to, the reminders did help me to remember to take breaks (and blink!).

For wearers of bifocals who suffer eyestrain, TiredEyes.com has developed a bifocal PC Lens, which is available in different styles. For testing purposes, I received a flip-up, clip-on style. I asked several bifocal-wearing developers to try it out. Their reactions were mixed.

"It's too heavy," complained Sarah, "and I don't think I could get used to it."

Joseph disagreed, saying that the addition of the PC Lens eased his neck pain. "I tend to bend my neck backwards to see my monitor. [PC Lens] makes it easier for me to see the screen and the keyboard without doing neck gyrations."

Bob sided with Joseph, saying that he liked the product enough to buy an extra copy to send to his "bifocal-challenged brother."

As for that dry-eye feeling, my favorite solution is Bausch & Lomb's computer eye drops. I had debated trying them because they are more expensive than regular eye drops. But are they really more effective? I consulted my friendly neighborhood ophthalmologist. "Yup," he said, "I actually recommend that brand. They aren't harmful, like some of the ones that promise to remove all signs of red, and they do lubricate your eyes."

Of course the best eyestrain and eye-fatigue remedy is the one my mother used to suggest when she caught me staring at cartoons and gobbling sugary cereal on Saturday mornings: "Turn off that machine, go outside, and play!"