Staring at computer, smart phone screens will cause computer-related illness

BANGKOK, September 21 (TNA) -- The Computer Vision Syndrome will highly likely happen to those who keep staring at the screens of computers and smart phones for longer than two hours at a time, the Public Health Ministry has warned. The syndromes include eye and neck pain, headache, inability to focus, dry eyes, and shoulder and back pain, said Dr Narong Sahamethapat, Permanent Secretary for Public Health. He said the illness was raising a serious concern because people were using such devices for long hours every day in the digital society and the degree of the syndromes depended on the duration of the usage of such devices. He had health officials nationwide forward the warning to local residents. Dr Sophon Mekthon, director-general of the Department of Diease Control, said the Computer Vision Symdrome could also result from inappropriate positions and distances of computers, too much screen reflection, improper positions of users and unattended vision impairment of users. He advised a computer screen be placed 20-28 inches from users’ eyes, the screen center be 4-5 inches lower than the eye level, screen brightness be adjusted to an appropriate level, and an anti-reflective coat be attached. Dr Sophon recommended the 20-20-20 tip, meaning turning away from a computer screen at every 20 minutes and looking at an object at least 20 feet away for about 20 seconds. He added that those working with screens should blink more often to keep their eyes moist. (TNA)