Vision Probelms when using Computers

[Hactar]

Lately, my friends told me about a new LAN center in my area. We usually go about once a week to play games and have fun. Unfortunately, whenever I'm there for more than about 30 minutes, it becomes hard for me to focus and I get a headache. I've come up with several causes, but I'm not completely sure.

 

- Its dark inside to give that cool sort of arcade feel. I was thinking that maybe its causing eye strain.

 

-I'm wearing headphones, and thought that perhaps i was wearing them too tight, but removing them only helped my headache a tiny bit.

 

-Its in the middle of the week, which means that I'm usually tired from school and work, and I was thinking that maybe that is causing it.

 

This is unusual for me because a few years ago I played video games and PC games a lot, although in the past 2 years I haven't played them very much at all until recently. I never had this problem before. I don't wear glasses or contacts. I sit usually abour 1.5 feet from the monitor.

Also, after I stop playing my vision is still blurry when I try to focus on far away objects, and the headache doesn't stop for a few hours. It also goes away faster if I'm in my house with the lights on. I'm considering going to an optician to get my eyes checked. Before I do that, however, my friends are going tonight and I plan on asking the owner to turn the lights on to see if I still get a headache. I'll post my results when I get back.

Any contributions would be helpful, I probably overlooked something along the line.

[5614]

Looking at screens in dark rooms can cause eye strain which leads can lead to headaches etc.

 

Which is why the cinemas (at least in the UK) always have a very dim light on during the movie.

 

You should always have a light on and have breaks when possible when using screens... at the same time who listens to that kinda advice? I try to have a light when using a screen for a long time because it can start to hurt my eyes if I do it for a few days running, but having breaks during work and gaming is just not convienient!

[Hactar]

I went there yesterday and opened one of the window blinds by my computer so that the daylight would come through. It wasn't very bright, but it was an improvement. Still, I got a headache after an hour.

[quick silver]

i ahev a problem also with my eyes. they're starting to skip letters and making some words look like other words.

example: miniseries. it looked like mystery and ministry. if any one can explain this. i would greatly appreciate this.

[Callipygous]

i ahev a problem also with my eyes. they're starting to skip letters and making some words look like other words.

example: miniseries. it looked like mystery and ministry. if any one can explain this. i would greatly appreciate this.

 

dyslexia?

[klanger]

Originally Posted by quick silver

i ahev a problem also with my eyes. they're starting to skip letters and making some words look like other words.

example: miniseries. it looked like mystery and ministry. if any one can explain this. i would greatly appreciate this.

 

Could be that you are going too fast, scanning the page rather than reading it, your eyes glance a few letters and your brain second guesses what it is, it is only when the sentence no longer makes sense that you go back and re-read and spot the error.

 

I did something similar in my teens, one occassion was when doing a crossword with my Dad, the Q Sugary .. I read it as surgery, had my Dad baffled for ages as to what the 5 letter answer could be till he looked at the question and laughed and gave me the answer ..... sweet

[quick silver]

dyslexia?

 

i doubt that. since i am capable of typeing at a moderate speed and i am very good at speed reading. this is a new problem, not somehting i have been dealing with for sometime. going to quick for my eyes sounds like the answer. the optomitrest told me that i had 20/150 or soemthing like that in my left eye. but thank you for your thoughts.

[YT2095]

are there any flickering images at all?

 

I know I`ll often get a headache when something like a Flourescent Light isn`t "set" correctly (usualy the Starter or the tube is on it`s way out).

[Newtonian]

Hectar your monitor has a refresh rate within ranges of 60-85 hz.You may be able to see this if you look away from the monitor slightly.

Although this is fast enough that the eye doesnt really notice,it is significant and causes eye strain and headaches in some people.Unfortunate but you perhaps should take more breaks away from your computer.

(if you have ever seen on television a tele or computer you can see this constant flickering)hope that helps.

[Dak]

i find that if, every 10-20 mins, i scrunch my eyes up tight for a couple of seconds, stare at a wall over the other side of the room, and roll my eyes around for a coupl of seconds, it stops me from getting a headache.

 

quickssilver, what you discribe sounds like dyslexia, which can get dramatically worse when your tired or stressed, so it might be that normally you are extremely mildly dislexic but it is becoming more noticable lately du to stress/tiredness.

 

also, when im tired i get the missreading and eyes-jumping-about-the-place thing, and also the screen pulses random colours and words change colour when im not directly looking at them, so if u also experience these symptoms -- its time to stop using the computer for a while.

[Hactar]

Thanks for all the help - I went to the gaming center the other night and turned on the light above my computer. I also took a good 15 minute break outside. It really helped prevent me from getting a headache. When I left, my vision wasn't blurry and I felt better.

 

I'll try upping the refresh rate on the monitor when I go there as well.

[Wequetequock]

I sit usually abour 1.5 feet from the monitor.

 

That's really close. The glare and the unnatural light from the monitor is intense at that distance. I'm glad that taking breaks and turning on that light seems to help, but you aren't doing yourself any favors by sitting that close to a screen, and you'll probably have more subtle effects over the long run.

 

I'm not an optician, and I'm not a gamer either, so I don't know all the conditions in the LAN center, but most of my income is dependent upon sitting at terminals, so I've had to learn what works for me just as a survival tactic to keep from getting headaches and glare.

 

HTH.

[aaronmyung]

It could also be because the monitors at the LAN centre have a low refresh rate. this will cause the screen to flicker (usually unoticable) causing your eyes to strain badly