Failing eyesight,need advice.

[wojtek_kalinowski]

Pro for a couple of years,spending 2-3 hrs in front of a 21-inch CRT every

day.Do i just need glasses(i'm 45),or would a nice LCD screen be easier on my

eyes.Do more people have similar problems and if so,what do you do?Wojtek.

[nagle]

I spend a lot of work time and quality time in front of a PC. I'm your age and had to get specs just for use when sat at a monitor, even though I have no problems with viewfinders or loupes. There's no substitute for a good optician doing an eyetest. If you need specs and can afford it, get them with the anti-glare coating - it makes a big difference. I dont think the type of monitor will make any difference, if anything I prefer my 21"CRT to anything else. Chris.

[colin carron]

Wojtek, if you are concerned about your eyesight you should get an eye test. It is quite common for eyesight to start to become less acute after about 40 though the amount of deterioration varies from person to person. I'm mid 50's and my eyesight has gone downhill quite a bit since I was your age. It is a problem that one learns to live with it. In the meantime - get that eyetest!

[Jochen_S]

Get glasses if they give your eyes some relief to keep the screen in focus and not to hunt toward infinity. Take a good book and downsize the print at least one half - does it become hard to focus on it for reading more than 4 pages? - If yes, get glasses! - If you still feel some headache in front of the CRT but can read nastily small printed contracts for hours, you might need a LCD screen.

 

I'm 36. If I have to erase a multitude of smallest imaginable dust spots from printing plates, I'll dig out reading glasses, to be worn over my contacts, although I can read a book or nasty small manuals still without them. The glasses I wear at home aren't optimised for infinity, they are made for work aproximately at arm's length.

[mikeseb]

It is a hoary old myth that long hours reading or staring at a monitor can alter your

eyesight or "strain" your eyes.

 

On the other hand, it is true that hours spent reading with eyes whose lenses are stiffening

with age (happens to everyone by the 40's) and which won't accomodate easily (ie change

their shape) to changes in distance can produce fatigue and headaches.

 

The human lens is roughly spherical, and is focused by the action of muscles arrayed

around its diameter, which tug or relax their pull to alter its shape depending on the

distance of the target. The lens is elastic and wants to be spherical; the muscles deform its

shape to focus. Aging lenses lose elasticity (like a lot of other aging stuff does!) so those

ciliary muscles have to work much harder to do their job.

 

Solution: eye exam, glasses if needed.

[m_barbu1]

<p><i>It is a hoary old myth that long hours reading or staring at a monitor can alter your eyesight or "strain" your eyes.</i></p>Actually, the myth is that it can alter your eyesight. It is <b>not</b> a myth that <a href="http://www.google.com/search?q=crt+eye+strain">CRTs cause eye strain</a>. When selecting an LCD, make sure it's a digital one (look for a DVI or ADC connector). No point in buying an LCD if you're just going to have the same refresh problems. Also, your video card would need to have a DVI/ADC connector. Nevertheless, you should have your eyes checked out by an ophthalmologist

[ted_marcus1]

About four years ago, when I was 42, I noticed that after several hours of photo editing I would have headaches and sometimes double vision. The optometerist prescribed bifocals and a separate pair of glasses with the reading prescription for computer use. That cured the headaches and double vision. The CRT wasn't the problem. Aging was.

 

Get thee to an optometrist.

[dan flanders]

I am 85, cataract surgery and implants about a year or so ago. I got a LCD monitor and it made significant difference. I don't know the technical reasons for the improvement but I no longer get blurred vision after a couple of hours in front of the PC. I had to have prism in my lenses because of (pathological) double vision. In any event I can't imagine any situation that would send me back to the CRT. Just get a good eye exam and tell the Doc about your special considerations. He/she can prescribe dedicated lenses for PC use.

[mikeseb]

"implants"!? Dan, you got new eyes AND new boobs? :)

 

Happy Holidays sir.

[dan flanders]

When you have cataracts removed you loose the acuity provided by the cornea. Corneal implants are small lenses surgically inserted into the eyeball to restore visual accuity. My vision (distance) is now 20-20 right, and 20-30 left. I need a separate pair of glasses for reading and other closeup functions. No, I didn't require any silicone, obesity has taken care of that; and at 85, a male enhancing inplant is hardly worth the trouble and expense!

[mikeseb]

Dan, I was just kiddin' ya. Glad to hear you had such a good outcome from your surgery.

 

Interestingly, my father had his cataracts done a few years ago; he's in his mid-70's. Cataract-afflicted lenses are yellow (vs the normally transparent colorless lens) which meant that blues had become drab and subdued for him. He was blown away when he first saw a blue sky after his surgery. The fade had been such a slow one he hadn't noticed.

 

Best of luck sir.

[dan flanders]

Thanks, I knew you were kidding. Aside from the "yellow" phenomena, most dramatic for me was the elimination of the "aura" around light sources when driving at night. In any event, this old geezer has learned to laugh at adversity and and it is almost a miracle to see again as I did in my youth. Regards, Dan.

[wojtek_kalinowski]

Thanks guys and Merry Christmas,Wojtek

[alex_lofquist]

Looking through a screen door can strain your vision.

[m_barbu1]

You've got to get a little further away from the screendoor when looking through! ;)