Eye pain from long computer usage
February 18, 2013 7:03 PM   Subscribe

An IT co-worker is having problems with eye pain. Specifically, they are experiencing light sensitive pain waking up in the morning and at night, so much so that driving in the dark can be dangerous. What can they do to improve this so they can get to work safely and work their desired hours?

The co-worker thinks they have 'dry eye' from too much continuous computer use without blinking. They have moved from a walk-around IT position to one where they are coding somewhat continuously all day long. They wear glasses and work in an area of the office that is a little darker than the rest of the room. It looks to me like they have reduced the light in this area as well due to this problem. Their ophthalmologist agrees and has given them eye drops and a suggestion they reduce their time in front of the computer.
I'm wondering if anyone on Mefi has had similar problems and found a resolution? At a minimum, I think the area where they are working should be brighter as a darkened work area would cause the pupil to expand, just the opposite of what I think is called for IMHO.
I found this thread with some useful tips, though it doesn't mention being light sensitive. I think they are referring to discomfort from dryness, which the IT person didn't specifically mention.
Anyways, without IT support our computer technology our endeavor will fall into a black hole of data decay. Thanks for any tips.
posted by diode to Health & Fitness (8 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Please tell your co-worker to drop $40 on a basic eye exam. The optician will either have an answer or refer him up the eye care chain. You are talking about his EYES. As someone with one functional eye I say any eye issue should be looked at by a medical professional- guess work just doesn't cut it. Drop the $40.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 7:10 PM on February 18, 2013


Meant to add - for a second opinion. It's not normal what co-worker is dealing with.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 7:11 PM on February 18, 2013


Response by poster: Thanks for the suggestion. Please note above where I mentioned they had visited an ophthalmologist, so they are getting expert support. I'm looking for suggestions, not medical advice for this person. I see this as a problem that could possibly resolved through nutritional or other functional changes, hence this post.
posted by diode at 7:32 PM on February 18, 2013


Yeah, that doesn't sound normal. If you weren't talking about pain upon waking and such, I'd recommend they look into some of the interruption-based software for folks trying to alleviate repetitive strain - I've used Workrave before at MeFi's recommendation, and found it useful - but this is definitely a big red flag to either go see another eye doctor, or go back to doc #1 and be sure to not minimize their symptoms and the impact said symptoms are having on their life.
posted by deludingmyself at 7:34 PM on February 18, 2013 [1 favorite]


Sorry to add another non answer, but I agree a second opinion is needed. If you look at the wikipedia page for light sensitivity you'll see its quite a long list of conditions that can cause it, some of them quite scary (retina detachment for example).

Additionally the father of a friend of mine is an opthamologist, so I asked them to ask him and based on what you put in your question, he said a range of tests would be required to determine how serious it is (ranging from could be potentially blind if left untreated to needs eye drops). Possibly those tests have been run already and thats the outcome, in which case its being handled.

And to share a story - a fellow IT worker of mine had exactly the same symptoms you describe and (after we basically forced him to go to the eye doc) he spent two weeks in hospital, the doctors told him if he'd waited much longer he faced the possibility of permanent loss of vision or even blindness (it was a fungal infection of the eye of some sort).

If its not a medical issue, then I'm not sure what else to suggest, their current opthamologist has already suggested less time in front of the computer, it seems like they would be the best person to make other suggestions. Maybe some eye exercises, though I would get their opthamologist to check they won't cause any negative impacts.
posted by Admira at 12:25 AM on February 19, 2013


When I've used the computer for long stretches at a time in a darkish area (I have a computer desk job and I play videogames; sometimes this results in way too much computer time), my eyes start to hurt, but not unless I'm actually at the computer in a darkish area.

Light sensitivity, pain, trouble driving in the dark - I don't think it's normal eye strain.
posted by Xany at 2:50 AM on February 19, 2013


Move there workstation to somewhere that has a view so that they can stare off into the distance.

I had eyestrain problems in uni and it was from too much close focus on the books in a study carol. My eye doctor told me to sit in the library at a table on the floor with the pretty girls and the problem would solve itself. It did. You need to be able to focus on the distance every now and then to relax your eye muscles or they will lock in.
posted by srboisvert at 7:22 AM on February 19, 2013


If they're working in front of a bright monitor in a darkened area then making the area even darker will worsen any eyestrain from looking at a bright object with dilated pupils for an extended period.

When you're working at a computer, the monitor should be the same brightness as everything else around you, anything else is asking for trouble.
posted by pharm at 7:22 AM on February 19, 2013


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