Dealing With Headaches

A little while back, I wrote about what I called computer headaches – headaches you get when working on the computer for hours at a time. I just made the name up — seemed a logical name to me. Apparently not.

It’s now officially called Computer Vision Syndrome (or CVS — I bet one American drugstore chain is smiling at the free promotion there). Doctors (ususally eye doctors or opthamologists) are saying they hear more and more of their patients complaining about CVS — the syndrome, not the drugstore chain.

Whee

Although just naming a particular physical complaint may not sound like much, in some ways it actually is a big deal. Getting an official medical name means:

• You are not the only person in the world that has it
• Your doctor will be more inclined to believe you
• Drug companies take notice and start to research expensive drugs for this particular complaint

And bloggers get yet another topic to write about.

Symptoms

Pain usually starts in the eyes, but not always. If you feel a headache coming on (pressure all over the top of your head, for instance), then take a painkiller as soon as you can. Also, look away from the computer screeen for a few minutes. This might help to abort a really painful bout of CVS.

But usually, pain starts in the eye or eyes. For me, pain tends to be in my right eye, but that may be because I’m prone to migraines. For those not prone to migraines or chronic headaches, your eyes will begin to feel like this:

• Hot to burning
• Gritty, as if something is in it all of the time
• Very dry, making even blinking uncomfortable
• Extrememly sore
• Blurred vision
• Double vision

Longterm Treatment

People with dry eyes (for whatever reason) are going to be more prone to CVS. You need to work on that problem as well as taking whatever painkiller that works best for your headaches. Ice packs also help relieve eye-centered pain, but you might not be able to use them at work. You need lubricating eye drops to help keep your eyes from burning. If you have allergy problems, you need to find out if your eyes are affected by allergies and get treatment for the allergies.

You also need to remember to look away from your computer screen every ten or fifteeen minutes just to give your eyes a break.

Are there any glare spots on your computer screen? They can certainly cause computer headache or CVS. You can tile your computer screen or try adjusting your light source to remove the glarte spots. In my home office, I’ve had no choice but to keep the window shades pulled and keep the overhead light on every single time I’m on the computer. It certainly made a diference in the time I could spend comfortably on the computer (although I don’t think Al Gore will be too happy with me.)

There are also color-tinted sunglasses available to help filter out any really glaring light and help make the word a little softer on the eyes. You need to be a patient patient, but computer headache or CVS is one of the more easily treatable headaches you can get.

Hope this helps.