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You've probably heard the ads asking "how's your macula?" and you
may even have gotten your eyes checked recently. But there's more to eye health
than vision checks. Eye strain can lead to headaches, loss of concentration -
and of course, loss of productivity. So how do you relax the eyes of someone
staring at a computer screen all day? Or squinting into the sun?
First things first, prevention is always better than cure. So if you're in
the sun, even in winter, you should be covering up and including your sunglasses
(which should comply with
AS/NZS 1067:2003). If you're staring at a
computer screen, make sure your desk is set up ergonomically and that your
monitor is set the right distance away.
Since you're most likely reading this at a computer, you might be asking
"well, what's the right distance"? The 'right' distance depends on how clearly
you can see it. A general rule is to keep material as far away as possible,
provided it can be seen easily.
Another factor to consider is glare. Outdoors, you can cut down glare by
wearing sunnies. Indoors however, you can't really get away with that, bold
fashion statement though it might be. You can try adjusting the angle of your
monitor, or adjusting the settings on your monitor to reduce contrast. If your
work area is quite bright and your onscreen work has a lot of dark areas, you
may also want to look into a way to darken the area around your monitor.
Sometimes eyestrain might be just dry eyes. Staring at a screen does reduce
your rate of blinking, so give your eyes a break every so often by looking at
distant objects (such as out the window).
And getting away from the computer, another thing to consider is that the old
mother's adage of "eat your carrots, they're good for your eyes", does have some
truth to it. In general, if you eat well, nutritionally speaking, you are eating
well for your vision. A high-fat, high-cholesterol diet can lead to fatty
deposits in the macular vessels, which can hamper blood flow - not good for your
eyes! In general, colourful veggies - red, yellow, orange and dark green are
great or eye health.
Obviously, these tips won't cure vision problems like short and long
sightedness, astigmatism and of course, macular degeneration, but they can
reduce the incidence of eyestrain in your workplace and should be encouraged.
Employees should also be encouraged to see a health professional for eye
problems, as early detection can reduce the impact of a range of vision problems
- including macular degeneration.
Healthworks has published a
booklet on Eye Care and Safety which includes tips on reducing eye strain as
well as injury prevention and first aid for eyes. Or, coming at the issue from
another direction, our
Food Fix
booklets are full of nutritional advice on how to create and maintain a
healthy diet. We also have
seminars and
challenges available on the topic of good nutrition.
Sources:
Healthworks Eye Safety booklet,
Macular Degeneration Foundation
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