eyecaretips

Keeping Proper Distance and Some other Safety Measures

1 Keep the distance of the monitor from your eyes between 40 to 72 centimeters. But most of the people find a distance of 50 to 65 centimeters comfortable.
2 Make sure that the top of the monitor is at a level slightly below the horizontal eye level.
3 Tilt the top of the monitor away from you at a 10  to 20 degree angle. Most monitors are provided with tilt able display screens, which enable you to tilt the monitor to create an optimum viewing angle.
4 Keep your screen free of dust and fingerprints.
5 Use document holders to secure any reading material or reference material, if your work involves prolonged data entry. Place the document holders close to the monitor and at the same distance from your eyes as your monitor. This enables your eyes to remain focused as they look from the monitor to the reading material.
6 Use an adjustable chair that enables you to sit at a proper angle and distance from your computer monitor screen.
7 Use a work surface whose height is 65 centimeters from the ground.
8 Keep the distance from the front of your chair to the hollow of your knee between 5 to 10 centimeters.
9 Use a character size that is visible. The character size is an important factor since it determines the distance at which the user prefers to view the monitor.

Changing the Appearance of the Text Fonts on Your Computer Screen

1 Point your cursor anywhere on your desktop and right click on Properties. The Display Properties window appears.
2 Click the Appearance tab on the Display Properties window.
3 Go to the Font Size pull-down menu and choose either “Large Fonts” or “Extra Large Fonts” instead of the “Normal” font that has already been pre-selected by default. That is, if you are working on a Windows XP system. Once you have made a choice, you will see a sample of what you have chosen in the upper part of the Display Properties window. Choose what is comfortable for your eyes.
4 Click on the Apply button.
5 Close the Display Properties window.

Ensure Proper Lighting

1 Use fluorescent tubes to achieve lower illumination levels. Higher illumination levels wash out the image on the screen. Illumination levels refer to the amount of light falling on a surface measured in lux or foot candles (metric and English systems of measurement respectively).
2 Provide supplementary task lighting through lamps. Task lighting allows workers to adjust the illumination level according to their own preferences, if the illumination level is below the suggested ideal of 50 foot candles.
Ensuring Proper Lighting by Adjusting the Contrast

1 Contrast is the difference in luminance between two areas (the task area and the background area). Prevent excessive contrast within the visual field and reduce the contrast to acceptable
limits by avoiding extremely dark or bright surfaces. The primary reason for this is that vision problems could arise and viewing become difficult when there is high contrast between task and adjacent surroundings.
2 A good display screen also has separate contrast and brightness controls. Adjust the brightness of the background in relation to the characters by adjusting the contrast controls.
3 Control the amount of light emitted from the characters themselves by adjusting the brightness controls.
Ensuring Proper Lighting in Your Work Environment To Prevent Glare

1 Glare is caused by non-uniform distribution of luminance within your visual field, as well as bright luminaires or windows. You can prevent glare by reorienting your work station and moving the sources of glare out of your line of sight.
2 Cover windows with Venetian blinds, draperies, shades or filters to reduce glare from sunlight or the luminaires in your work environment.
3 Use panels to block the intensity of light, thereby reducing glare.
4 Adjust the computer’s contrast knob to change the brightness of the screen and characters, which will also reduce glare.
5 Position the screen at right angles to the source of light.
6 Avoid wearing bright clothes which may cause a glare by causing a reflection on the screen.
7 Cover your monitor with an anti-glare screen.
Ensuring Proper Lighting in Your Work Environment to Prevent Reflective Glare

1 When a worker can see a light on the surface of his or her screen, this is the case of reflective glare. This glare can also be seen on smoothly polished desk tops. The sources of reflected glare can be windows, reflective walls, luminaries or reflective clothing. You can control the reflective glare by the methods suggested in each of the steps below.
2 Reduce the intensity of light source by providing louvers for luminaries, by covering windows or by choosing appropriate height panels.
3 Provide a matte or flat finish on furniture equipment or walls.
4 Tilt the monitor to remove the reflection away from your line of vision. Tilting features are now included in most terminals.
5 Cover the screen with an etched surface or with different types of filters.
Rearranging the Office to Reduce Lighting Problems

1 Position the workstations between rows of luminaires.
2 Place the workstations away from the windows.
3 Place all workstations parallel to the windows.
4 Use panels to block light.

Doing Yogic Exercies

Most of the eye problems in later life are due to a loss of tone in the eye muscles. They become rigid, and this loss of elasticity reduces the ability of the lens of the eye to focus at different distances. It also causes the eyesight to become weaker. These exercises tone the eye muscles up and keep them elastic. If you already have eye problems when you begin these exercises, you will find your eyesight improving after a few months

If there are any eye tension present, will tend to produce a general feeling of tension, due to the eye’s connection to the brain via the optic nerve. This increase in nerve impulses travels along the optic nerve and bombards the brain, causing a general feeling of tension and anxiety. The eye exercises will reduce tension in the eye muscles, as well as reduce general tension.

Exercise 1
1) Move your eyes upwards as far as you can, and then downwards as far as you can.
2) Repeat four more times. Blink quickly a few times 1 to relax the eye muscles.
Exercise 2
1) Now do the same using points to your right and to your left, at eye level.
2) Keep your raised fingers or two pencils on each side as guides and adjust them so that you can see them clearly when moving the eyes to the right and to the left, but without straining.
3) Keeping the fingers at eye level, and moving only the eyes, look to the right at your chosen point, then to the left.
4) Repeat four times. Blink several times, then close your eyes and rest.
Exercise 3
1) Choose a point you can see from the right corner of your eyes when you raise them, and another that you can see from the left corner of your eyes when you lower them, half closing the lids.
2) Remember to retain your original posture: spine erect, hands on knees, head straight and motionless.
3) Look at your chosen point in right corner up, then to the one in left corner down.
4) Repeat four times.
5) Blink several times.
6) Close the eyes and rest.
7) Now do the same exercise in reverse. That is, first look to the left corner up, then to the right corner down.

8) Repeat four times, blink several times and close the eyes.
Exercise 4
This exercise should not be done until three or four days after you have begun eye exercises given here.
Slowly roll your eyes first clockwise, then counterclockwise as follows:
1) Lower your eyes and look at the floor, then slowly move the eyes to the left, higher and higher until you see the ceiling.
2) Now continue circling to the right, lower and lower down, until you see the floor again.
3) Do this slowly, making a full-vision circle. Blink, close your eyes and rest.
4) Then repeat the same action counterclockwise.
5) Do this five times then blink the eyes for at least five seconds.
6) When rolling the eyes, make as large a circle as possible, so that you feet a little strain as you do the exercise.
7) This stretches the eye muscles to the maximum extent, giving better results.
Exercise 5
1) Next comes a changing-vision exercise. While doing it you alternately shift your vision from close to distant points several times.
2) Take a pencil, or use your finger, and hold it under the tip of your nose. Then start moving it away, without raising it, until you have fixed it at the closest possible distance where you can see it clearly without any blur. Then raise your eyes a little, look straight into the distance and there find a small point which you can also see very clearly.
3) Now look at the closer point-the pencil or your finger tip then shift to the farther point in the distance. Repeat several times, blink, close your eyes and squeeze them tight.
Exercise 6
1) Close your eyes as tightly as you possibly can. Really squeeze the eyes, so the eye muscles contract. Hold this contraction for three seconds, and then let go quickly.
2) This exercise causes a deep relaxation of the eye muscles, and is especially beneficial after the slight strain caused by the eye exercises. Blink the eyes a few times.
Exercise 7
1) This exercise is called ‘palming’ and is very relaxing to the eyes. It is also most important for preserving the eyesight. Palming also has a beneficial, relaxing effect on your nervous system.
2) It’s an ideal way to finish off the eye exercises.
3) Remain seated on the floor. Draw up your knees, keeping your feet on the floor and slightly apart. Now briskly rub your palms to charge them with electricity and place the cupped palms over your closed eyes.
4) The fingers of the right hand should be crossed over the fingers of the left hand on the forehead.
5) The elbows should rest on your raised knees and the neck should be kept straight. Don’t bend your head. Do the deep breathing while palming your eyes.
6) If you are going to do the palming for longer than a few minutes, better sit down at a table, place some books or pillows in front of you to support your elbows so that you will be able to keep the neck straight, and palm the eyes in this position.
7) If the palming is done for only a short period one can do deep breathing for half a minute or so at first, gradually increasing it every week