The Computer Age Breeds High-Tech Ailments

Years ago, when working Americans began to rely more and more on some sort of keyboard to complete their work, the term "carpal tunnel syndrome" began to crop up everywhere. Now, it has always existed; it's a wrist ailment that can occur via other activities like painting or sewing. But in the last 20 years, computer usage has become common practice in most any business. And we're all typing more than we ever have before. But wrist issues are no longer our only concern. Yep, the eyes have it.

Not only are we tethered to keyboards--like I am right now--but we are staring at these screens with much greater frequency. And time spent doing so will only increase with laptops and iPads becoming more commonplace. So, we're going to have take better care of our eyes, lest we fall victim to something called Computer Vision Syndrome. Yeah, try finding a remedy for that one in a 1985 edition of the Physicians' Desk Reference. And, by the way, if you DO have a 1985 PDR, throw it away. But, I digress. We are staring at these little screens all the time. Then we're going home and watching TV. If our eyeballs had lungs and a larynx, they'd be screaming. Those little headaches we might get that we can't explain? I'm guessing Computer Vision Syndrome. Luckily, there are remedies. Some will cost you a little bit of money; others won't cost you a dime. Either way, it's probably a good idea to check them out. Computers are here to stay. And we have to protect our eyes. Otherwise we won't be able to read posts about protecting our eyes.