Welcome to the Technology Age. You and I are both active participants in using (or over-using) technology. We have laptops, iPads, smart phones, desktop computers, Kindles, and the list goes on. We are spending an ever increasing amount of time on our digital devices.
As you might expect, this is taking a toll on our eyes. We were given these two amazing machines called eyes, but like other things, we have to take care of them. Staring at screens, especially small screen within three feet of our eyes can cause visual fatigue. Have you ever had that feeling at the end of the day as if your eyes are burning, or you want to just rub them for a minute? That is most likely from strain and fatigue. The majority of people over the age of 45 are now wearing some type of glasses to help them read. This can be single vision readers, lined bifocals or trifocals, or no-line “bifocals” (these are really multi-focals).
But what about those of us that are in the 18 to 45 year old demographic? We don’t need reading glasses…or do we? Our high level of use of digital devices has led to the identification in recent years of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). This is caused by long periods of uninterrupted use of computers, cell phones, tablets, etc. Symptoms include dry eys (from not blinking enough), headaches, blurred vision, and neck and shoulder pain.
There is a new lens design available that helps reduce or eliminate the symptoms of CVS, known as an anti-fatigue lens. This lens is for those non-presbyopic people who don’t yet need bifocals, those who are just starting to feel as if their arms are getting too short to read comfortably, and really anyone else who reads for extended periods of time. These lenses are designed to be your primary pair of glasses.
You have your regular distance prescription in what is essentially a single vision lens. The difference is the bottom of the lens has a +0.60 diopter bump in the power which magnifies whatever you are reading just slightly. Most often, this is not even something you would really notice, though it can be more easily detected by tilting you head back and looking at a far away object through the bottom of the lens. This extra power helps alleviate the eye strain throughout the days allowing your eyes to be more relaxed and helping to maintain clearer vision.
If you spend a lot of time reading or working on the computer, consider asking your optometrist or optician about these lenses. They might save you a few headaches and let you get a little more reading or work done! You can also call or email us if you have more questions.
