• Public Service Announcements
  • This Is What Happens
  • Attention America
  • Pay Attention to This
• Media Kits
  • Save Your Vision Month: Healthy Vision at the Computer
  • National Glaucoma Awareness Month
    • Glaucoma Fact Sheet
  • Eye-Friendly Toys for a Safe Holiday
  • National Diabetes Month
  • Ready for School
  • Summer’s Almost Here! Help Protect Your Eyes from Harmful UV Rays
  • Keep Spring in Your Step
  • Healthy Vision Month
    • Eye Safety — You Can Make the Difference [pdf file]
    • Eye Safety is Everyone's Business [pdf file]
    • The Importance of Eye Protection for Work and Recreation [pps file]
    • Eye Safety Fact Sheet
    • Additional Resources
  • A Little Prevention Goes a Long Way
• Be Wise About Your Eyes
• Calendar of Eye Care Events
• Optometric Outreach
• Doctors on the Frontline of Eye and Vision Care
• Press Releases
  • AOA Champions National Effort to Combat Diabetes
  • An Eye Opening Reality: UV Protection for Eyes Especially Important During Summer Months
  • Majority of Sports-Related Eye Injuries are Preventable with Protective Eyewear
  • Vision Discomfort Associated with Computer Vision Syndrome
  • AOA Introduces Electronic Coding Resource Exclusively For Members
  • Reduce Your Risk of Developing AMD, Leading Cause of Vision Loss in Older Americans
  • Barry J. Barresi, O.D., Ph.D., Appointed Executive Director of the American Optometric Association
  • New Research Shows Consumers Who Purchase Contact Lenses Online Face Greater Eye Health Risks Due To Not Following FDA Safety Recommendations
  • Early Detection Critical to Treating Glaucoma, Preventing Blindness
  • Diabetes: A Top Cause of Blindness Among Adults
  • New Survey Shows Few Americans Taking Care of Their Most Valued Sense: Eyesight
  • Warning for Consumers: Popular Halloween Eye Wear Accessory Can Permanently Damage Eyes
  • Computer Vision Syndrome Threatens Returning Students
  • Protect Your Eyes and Attend Professional Fireworks Displays
  • Doctors of Optometry Support AMO’s Voluntary Solution Recall, Urge Contact Lens Wearers to Discontinue Use
  • Survey Quizzes Americans’ Knowledge of Eye Care Topics
  • Project Team Explores Board Certification Process
  • Congress Rejects Attacks on Optometry
  • Diabetes Is the Leading Cause of Blindness Among Most Adults
  • AOA Low Vision University Receives Support From Kemin Health
  • AOA Backs Contact Lens Patient Safety Bill Sponsored by Kentucky's Rep. Whitfield
  • Former President Carter and American Optometric Association Celebrate InfantSEE's First Birthday by Announcing Results
  • American College of Nurse-Midwives Endorses American Optometric Association InfantSEE® Program
  • Doctors of Optometry Support Bausch & Lomb's Solution Recall, Urge Contact Lens Wearers to Discontinue Use
  • Federal Agencies Investigate Soft Contact Lens Use, Solution as Cause of Serious Eye Fungus
  • Eye Fungus Reports Increase as Cases Emerge in United States
  • Optometrists Anticipate “Boom” in Eye Diseases as Baby Boomers Turn 60
  • AOA Children's Educational Materials Features New Animated Characters

Computer Vision Syndrome Statistics

Children Computer Vision Statistics:

• According to the AOA’s 2007 American Eye-Q™ survey, only 16 percent of parents are “very” or “extremely” worried that their children may damage their eyes by prolonged use of computers/portable electronic devices.
  
  
• This constant activity with the eyes increases the risk of Computer Vision Syndrome, which causes eye focusing problems, headaches, and dry eyes. (American Optometric Association)
  
  
• Based on the findings from the AOA’s 2007 American Eye-Q™ survey, 44% of parents don’t realize that behavioral problems can be an indication that a child’s vision is impaired.
  
  
• 90% of school-age children have computer access at home or in school and 54 million children in the United States use a computer at home or in school for at least four hours a day. (U.S. Census)
  
  
• 9 in 10 adults rate eyesight as the most important sense, yet 2/3 of children haven’t had an eye exam in the last 12 months and more than half of children under 18 have never had an eye exam. In addition, by ages 12-17, almost half of U.S. children need prescription eyewear. (VSP Vision Care)
  
  
• Almost 25 percent of school-age children have vision problems. (College of Optometrists in Vision Development)

Adult Computer Vision Statistics:

• The majority of worker health surveys show that the most frequent health related complaints among workers using computers or visual display terminals are visually related. However, more public and professional attention is currently being directed towards the avoidance of musculoskeletal disorders including wrist problems, muscle strains and tendon disorders. (AOA)
  
  
• A survey of computer workers show that eye and vision problems are the most frequently reported health-related problems, generally occurring in 70 to 75 percent of computer workers. (Journal of the American Optometric Association)
  
  
• A survey of optometrists indicated that 10 million primary eye care examinations are provided annually primarily because of computer vision-related problems. (AOA)
  
  
• According to the Journal of the American Optometric Association, a national survey of doctors of optometry found that more than 14% of their patients present with eye or vision-related symptoms resulted from work with a computer or visual display terminal.
  
  
• According to the 2007 American Eye-Q™ survey, 82% of Americans frequently work with either a computer or a handheld device similar to a PDA.
  
  
• According to the AOA’s 2007 American Eye-Q™ survey, 78% of Americans do not have their computer monitor positioned at the correct height, below eye level, as the AOA recommends.

The AOA recommends that all frequent computer users rest their eyes every 20 minutes or less. According to the 2007 American Eye-Q™ survey, 73% of Americans do not take breaks as often as they should; and one of out 10 Americans never take breaks.