Part 2 of a series
Pop quiz: Count yourself, your circle of family, friends and co-workers. How many of you spend significant time on your computers?
Done? Now, how many of you say anything about headaches, or dry eyes?
Research shows that roughly 70% of the people who work with computers have problems with their vision. That breaks down to 7 out of 10 people. Does this figure agree with your findings?
Computing is an overwhelmingly visual media and it's because of this that so many people suffer from visual fatigue and computer vision syndrome . Most studies show that 70-90% of computer workers show symptoms of vision-related problems, bought on by a combination of poor workplace conditions individual visual problems, and improper work habits.
For example, in a normal setting people normally blink around 17-22 times per minute. On the computer, they slow down to 4 blinks a minute. The normal flow of tears that lubricate your eyeballs and wash out any possible irritant is compromised. Result: Dry, irritated "sandy" eyes.
And that's not all!
Have you ever seen little kids crouch over something of interest and bend down even lower? Adults do it too, in a more dignified manner. We hunch towards the focus point and lead with our head. Humans evolved this way. We're sight-hunters. But millions of years of evolution have a rather painful effect when adapting to today's demands.
See, to ease the strain bought on by focusing, we change our posture. We lean forward, lean back, cock our heads, and tilt them back -- all the while forgetting to release the tension in the supporting muscles. This leads to intense pain in our trapezius once we get up and away from our desks. And since everything's connected (the shifting, straining, hunching, non-blinking) the lower back gets pulled in and complains as well.
Interesting data
In googling for the answer to "What is the average weight of a human head?" we received these responses:
So you'd get an idea of where this is going, "Pros (professional bowlers) almost always use a 16 pound bowling ball. In rare cases, when a pro has an injury to their wrist or arm/shoulder, they will use a 15 pound ball."
Think of it. All your muscles working together, stomach girdle to hold you upright, working in concert with your back and your neck muscles, to hold up a bowling ball.
Here are a few tips to deal with eyestrain:
Blink. Blink more: Blinking gives your eyes for a short time, and it also cleans and lubricates the surface of your eyes to maintain clear vision. Use artificial tears if you need them.
Breathe. Breathe deeply: When you"re all focused and tense in front of the monitor, remember not to hold your breath. Oxygen deprivation can impair your judgement; make you feel woozy, drained or cranky weakening your brainstorm to a brainfart. Plus, tensing up like that for long periods is a major pain in the lower back. Sit properly and take good, regular breaths.
Have a break: Haves you tested the software we recommended in part one? Use the alarm on your cell phone to sub for an eggtimer. Be creative.
Have your eyes checked: There may be a deeper issue to your condition other than improper use of the monitor.
Change your set-up: After you get your eyes checked, you may have to deal with things differently. Check out anti-glare screens, different lighting, or higher refresh rates on your CRT monitor. Change the settings to enlarge the font size on your screen.
Now for back pain:
Aside from the obvious -- consult a qualified physician, exercise, exercise proper posture, stretch, for Pete's sake etcetera, you know this already, it's a question of "Yes, I can. I will" -- perhaps you can mosey over to Nada and see if their back support systems can help. They have cool stuff; you might find their Nada-chair to be the best thing to happen to you since the Internet.
If you're the handy type of person and you prefer DIY projects, why not go to Tom Miller"s Woodware Designs ("Plans for low-stress computer furniture you can build") and see what catches your eye. He also has free plans available for desks, shop furniture and more.
Part 1 of a series
You hustle, endure the daily grind, work. Your data is safe, you had a little fun playing around inside your head with your plans for eventual world domination (even if it's just a very small bit of the globe), and preen complacently as things move into the beautifully orchestrated flow you've always wished for, even if it just for now. You're above petty worries of the moment.
Except you have a nagging headache and see little sparkly things the corner of your dry, sandy eyes.
Hurt anywhere else lately?
Many computer users aren't trained to use their tools properly. You get your computer, plug it in and turn it on, then it's "Oh, cool, it works, let's do this!" Off you go. Time passes and you take it as a given when you have a headache, or your fingers feel a little tingly after some time --alright, a lot of time-- at the computer. The back pain, the dry eyes, they're all part of the package. It's normal.
It's not. Really, it isn't. Pain is your body tellling you that something is off. The more you ignore it, the worse it can get. And the longer you ignore it, the more damage can accumulate. Sometimes it ends in surgery and rehab, when just a little bit more of research can save you from that. Don't wait for the tingly feeling to become a burning thrum. That tingly feeling can already mean there's damage. Repetitive stress injury is no joke.
Point: Check your mouse-side shoulder. Bet you it's tense and creeping up by your neck. Ha!
This is the first article of a series on healthy computing, use-related injuries, identification and prevention. Of course, you can always go straight to Healthy Computing, it's a good source of information, but we've covered a lot of ground for you. You can also check the resource list at the end of each article.
Originally this article was supposed to cover time-savers and short-cuts on your computer, because who doesn't want more time? So we trawled the Internet for ways you can save some wear and tear on you and your PC, any way you can use that won't sacrifice quality work or too much of your time, letting you spend it on more vital matters, like your kids. Kit-building. Or golf. We"ll throw those things in too, somehow. Time-saving tips, not golf.
Rule 1: Take a break.
The first asset of computing is you, not the computer. Work is work, yeah, but crippling yourself bit by bit shouldn't even be an option on the table.
Every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds to focus on sometihng 20 feet away. Or close your eyes for 20 seconds, at least every 30 minutes or even more frequently.
No eggtimer? Can't tear your self away from the monitor? There's free software available for download that interrupts you -- on purpose. You can program some of them to lock your keyboard and prevent you from working, setting in the duration of the break and frequency.
Try out any of the following programs; see which one fits you best:
RSI Break for Linux users. Aside from micro-pause pop-ups, to remind you when to take a break, RSIBreak also records how much time you"ve has been active and idle.
Workrave - for GNU/Linux and Microsoft Windows. Workrave is currently available in nine languages. Danish, Dutch, English, German, Polish and Spanish among them.
Xwrits - prompts you to take wrist breaks. A window pops up when you should rest; you click on that window, then you take a break. Designed for Unix systems:BSD, Linux, Solaris, and so forth.
Reference sites:
Safecomputingtips - designed to help you be more comfortable and productive while using your computer.
Typing Injuries FAQ - a huge collection of research for finding the best and most helpful information on typing injuries like Repetitive Strain Injuries (RSI). You can also check their software recommendations.
