
Are special glasses needed for regular computer users? - edw519
http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/02/23/1494041/are-special-glasses-needed-for.html
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ableal
I'm not an M.D. or similar, but this is good advice:

 _Q: What's the 20-20-20 rule?

A: People get on the screen and they don't take their eyes off for way too
long. We recommend that every 20 minutes, they look at least 20 feet away for
20 seconds. We're taking the eyes from this turned-in contracted muscle
position and stretching them out for a short period of time._

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jessriedel
Is there anything beside intuition that makes you think this would help
anything? It seems plausible to me too, but I have zero evidence that it would
help anyone's eyes.

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ableal
Three reasons: it sounds reasonable, because the eye muscles are probably not
'designed' for prolonged use in short distance focus. Second, I've seen
similar things mentioned from other sources, which also seemed credible.
Third, my experience - I can't abuse my eyes the way I did twenty years ago,
and the "pause and look at a distant thing" seems to help. Actually, I prefer
20 yards/meters or more, instead of just 20 feet.

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vaporstun
I have a pair of Gunnar Optiks (<http://www.gunnars.com/>) that I LOVE.

I used to have ridiculous eye strain when staring at the computer screen for
hours, but after getting a pair it's all but gone away. Like many here, I
spend all day in front of a computer programming. Now I can't go anywhere I'll
be using a computer for a prolonged period of time without them. When I bought
them I thought they were a bit of a gimmick that worked mostly on the placebo
effect, but after using them for close to a year, I can honestly say they have
made a great impact on my ability to do work. I'd highly recommend that anyone
who hasn't and has issues with eye strain give them a try.

Note, I do not work with Gunnar, nor am I associated with them in any way
shape or form other than being a happy consumer.

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FluidDjango
I find the info on their site _very_ difficult to evaluate... i.e., to tell if
they are just blowing smoke... full of slick images, slack on facts/data.

What are supposed to be the mechanisms by which their products might possibly
reduce eye strain?

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vaporstun
I felt the same way.

Basically, first you'll notice the lenses are colored yellowish. They make
everything feel a bit "warmer." I know that's extremely subjective, but I
can't explain it any other way. I suppose one could argue the same thing could
be accomplished by tweaking your graphics card settings or monitor, but this
just automatically makes things feel nicer. Also, it's not so extreme that
everything looks yellowy, it's very subtle.

But the main thing is that it has a different focal length. What I was able to
gather is the following. Most reading glasses have a focal length that you'd
have for reading. (~12-18 inches or so) These have a focal length which is 2-3
feet which is the viewing distance for staring at a computer screen. I'm
pretty sure this is the main thing that helps eliminate the eye strain that I
used to experience.

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Frazzydee
This is possible by adjusting software settings. I noticed a huge difference
when I changed the colour temperature of my monitor from 9300 K to 5000 K. It
made everything look "warmer," as you describe.

In addition to generally feeling less eye strain, my eyes no longer tear up
and hurt after a number of hours, and I don't have trouble sleeping after
using my computer at night.

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MattF
I used to experience "weird vision", which was diagnosed as ocular migraines.
I was prescribed reading glasses but was skeptical - my vision has always been
perfect. I bought a cheap $20 pair of glasses to disprove that theory, and
have been wearing them for over a year now with none of the symptoms I used to
have.

The optometrist's theory was the same as stated in this interview - that I had
a bit of trouble focusing at book/monitor distance, which was magnified by the
amount of time I spent working. The reading glasses take the strain off of my
eyes = no more migraines. It's been awesome.

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FlorinAndrei
I wish I had some kind of glasses like that a decade ago, when my monitor was
a small crappy CRT. That thing was painful to use, in the proper sense.

Nowadays, I don't care that much, the currently available LCDs are pretty
good.

