Are your eyes tired from straining to see the computer?  Is your neck sore from tipping it up to see the screen through the bottom piece of your bifocal or trifocal glasses?  With limited exposure to in-person meetings, people are spending more time than ever in online meeting platforms.  The result is realized in health-related issues such as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).

With CVS, the most common symptoms include headaches, focusing difficulties, burning eyes, tired eyes, general eyestrain, aching eyes, dry eyes, double vision, blurred vision, light sensitivity, and neck and shoulder pain.

Computer glasses are becoming more common and are designed to wear when doing computer work.  They allow your eyes to focus on a computer which is generally further away than normal reading material.

We are seeing more patients who wear bifocals that are struggling with increased computer usage.  Wearing bifocal glasses forces a computer user to tilt their head back and move closer to focus on the screen to see through the lower part of the bifocal lenses. Such a position can cause neck and shoulder pain, as well as back pain and headaches. In this situation, a lens that corrects at the intermediate distance (arm’s length, not near or far) is needed to adequately focus on the computer screen.

There are three types of specialty computer glasses that our patients come to Bissell Eye Care to be fit

• Monofocal or single-vision glasses designed for computer work will provide the appropriate optical correction for the working distance between the screen and the computer user’s eyes. This option allows users to view the whole screen with a minimum up-and-down head movement.
• Bifocal glasses can be adjusted so that the upper segment is set up for the screen distance and a lower segment for work that is closer than the screen (reading distance).
• Trifocal glasses have lenses that combine a segment for far vision, another for near vision, and a third one for vision at the screen distance.

A computer tint can be added to decrease the amount your eyes have to focus on the screen pixels.  These tints filter out unwanted effects of certain colors – in particular blues in fluorescent lighting.

Old and young alike experience blurred vision and eyestrain that arise from their eyesight correction or lack of eyesight correction, which adds to the fatiguing effects of CVS. Computer glasses can make a world of difference in your comfort while using a computer. Not only do computer glasses correct blurred vision, but they also relieve symptoms such as headaches, eyestrain, tired eyes, and burning caused by people struggling to focus on their computer screen.

There is no one size fits all.  Visual ability, personal preference, the type of activity or work needed for specialized computer glasses are all things that are considered when consulting with the staff at Bissell Eye Care.

For more information regarding computer glasses, CALL our office at 724-443-6767 or 724-226-0444.

About Bissell Eye Care: John D. Bissell, OD owns and operates Bissell Eye Care servicing Northern Pittsburgh and Alle-Kiski Valley regions. With two locations to treat patients, we offer evening and Saturday appointments. Bissell Eye Care provides comprehensive eye examinations for the entire family beginning as early as 6 months, ocular disease detection and treatment, eyeglasses, sunglasses, activewear, contact lenses, and low vision examinations for those with significant vision loss. We accept most types of vision and health insurance plans. For more information, visit bisselleyecare.com or call our Bakerstown Office at 724-443-6767 or Natrona Heights office at 724-226-0444.