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I am an programmer with great eyesight who stares at multiple computer screens 8-10 hours a day, usually in deep concentration. A day would not go by that I my eyes did not burn and have redness in them. I knew it was from the daily exposure to lcd monitors that caused the issues because on the weekends I would not have the same experience.

Does any one try computer glasses? Is that work?

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Nowadays any white-collar work is staring at computer screens 8-10 hours a day, so I don't see how is that significantly different for programmers. – vartec Apr 19 '12 at 7:53
First and foremost: eyedrops – Konrad Morawski Apr 19 '12 at 12:50

closed as off topic by gnat, Walter, StuperUser, ChrisF♦ Apr 19 '12 at 14:24

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2 Answers

up vote 5 down vote

stares at multiple computer screens 8-10 hours a day

Don't! If you're staring at the screen all the time, you're doing it wrong (and your eyes are warning you!). The major problem with monitors (or any objects at ~fixed distance, such as books), is that your eyes are focused at a fixed distance for prolonged time, so the muscles that focus the eye are essentially cramped. Try keeping your hand at a fixed position for 8 hours - you'll get the point.

Programming is mostly knowledge work, and although you can't completely avoid computers, you can definitely do most of your work in your brain and on paper. Consider Hammock-Driven Development.

That said, I'm wearing glasses that slightly blur the vision everywhere except the center, plus I'm using an app called F.lux, plus the brigthness of my monitor(s) is usually turned all the way down. With that set-up, staring at the screen for maybe 3-4 hours (not continuously of course) per day is bearable.

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just curious, how does peripheral blurring help? doesn't it make your eyes avoid any movement? – Javier Apr 19 '12 at 19:16
@Javier: Regular glasses (for myopia, a.k.a. "negative") are made so that distant objects become sharp. As a side-effect, focusing to near becomes a bit harder for the eyes. This can be compensated by reducing the optical power at the edges, so by looking at the center I can see distant object sharply, and looking more toward the edges makes focusing to near objects more relaxed. The blurring is only very slight. – Joonas Pulakka Apr 20 '12 at 6:40
up vote 1 down vote

How far do you sit from your monitors? If it's 30 centimeters or less to comforably work you definately need other glasses.

Personally, when I can't work with my eyes at least 50 centimeters from the screen I know I need to get new glasses. Even half a point (0.5) can make a real difference.

Another thing which might not apply to you: contact lenses. I can not work in a heavy airconditioned encvironment wearing contact lenses. They dry out and give me red eyes.

Last: age, when you get over 50 the ability of your eyes to focus on close objects degrades. So even when you always had great eyesight you might need to get computer screen reading glasses.

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+1 for new glasses. Computer screens are great at revealing existing small eye defects and having appropriate glasses can solve many issues. – mouviciel Apr 19 '12 at 7:47
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Using eyeglasses to compensate for the eyes' lacking ability to focus on the screen is going to make things worse, not better. This is the same reason why some people have to progressively buy thicker and thicker eyeglasses. – Neil Apr 19 '12 at 10:52
@Neil - There is no medical fact to your claims. Wearing eyeglasses to correct your vision WILL NOT make your vision worse. What will make your eye sight worse is allowing your eyes to be strained 5 days a week because your cannot focus your eye sight. – Ramhound Apr 19 '12 at 15:53
@Ramhound, I don't claim to be an optician, but I've always understood that eye must be forced to focus rather than seeing objects already focused. – Neil Apr 19 '12 at 15:57

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