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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
< Childhood Computer Vision Syndrome
Impact of Computer Use on Children
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According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), parents should consider these issues concerning their children’s use of computers:
- Children have a limited degree of self-awareness. Prolonged activity without a significant break can cause eye focusing problems and eye irritation. These problems may occur as the eyes' focusing system "locks in" to a particular target and viewing distance. In some cases, this may cause the eyes to be unable to smoothly and easily focus on a particular object, even long after the original work is completed.
- Children are very adaptable. As a result, children often work in an unhealthy situation — such as with glare on the computer screen — and might not even think about changing the computer arrangement or surroundings to achieve more comfortable viewing. This can result in excessive eye strain. Also, children often accept blurred vision caused by nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) or astigmatism because they think everyone sees the way they do.
- Children are not the same size as adults. Most computer workstations are arranged for adult use. Therefore, a child using a computer on a typical office desk often must look upward at a higher angle than an adult. Since the most efficient viewing angle is slightly downward about 15 degrees, problems using the eyes together can occur.
- Use of computers with less than optimum lighting.The lighting level for the proper use of a computer is about half as bright as that normally found in a classroom. Increased light levels can contribute to excessive glare and problems associated with adjustments of the eye to different levels of light.