每天盯着電腦3小時 你也可能患上這種病
Joanne Reitano is a professor of history at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City, Queens. She writes wonderful books about the history of the city and state, and has recently been spending many hours — sometimes all day — at her computer to revise her first book, “The Restless City.” But while sitting in front of the screen, she told me, “I developed burning in my eyes that made it very difficult to work.”
喬安·雷塔諾(Joanne Reitano)是皇后區長島市拉瓜地亞社區學院(LaGuardia Community College)的歷史教授，著有若干關於長島市和紐約州歷史的佳作。近來她花了大量時間——有時是一整天——坐在電腦前，修改她的第一本書《不安之城》(The Restless City)。但她告訴我，坐在屏幕前的時候，“我眼睛裏有灼燒感，很難好好工作。”
After resting her eyes for a while, the discomfort abates, but it quickly returns when she goes back to the computer. “If I was playing computer games, I’d turn off the computer, but I need it to work,” the frustrated professor said.
讓眼睛休息一陣子，不適感會消失，但等到她重新回到電腦前，很快又會感到不適。“如果是在玩遊戲，那我會關掉電腦，但我要用它來工作啊，”雷塔諾沮喪地說道。
Dr. Reitano has a condition called computer vision syndrome. She is hardly alone. It can affect anyone who spends three or more hours a day in front of computer monitors, and the population at risk is potentially huge.
雷塔諾得了電腦視覺綜合症。她並非孤例。任何每天花三個小時或更多時間對着電腦顯示器的人，都有可能患上，受其威脅的潛在人羣規模龐大。
Worldwide, up to 70 million workers are at risk for computer vision syndrome, and those numbers are only likely to grow. In a report about the condition written by eye care specialists in Nigeria and Botswana and published in Medical Practice and Reviews, the authors detail an expanding list of professionals at risk — accountants, architects, bankers, engineers, flight controllers, graphic artists, journalists, academicians, secretaries and students — all of whom “cannot work without the help of computer.”
在全世界，可能患上電腦視覺綜合症的人多達7000萬，這一數字只會越來越大。尼日利亞和博茨瓦納的眼部護理專家撰寫了一篇關於該病症的報告，並發表在了《醫療實踐與評論》(Medical Practice and Reviews)上。報告作者詳細列出了可能會患上電腦視覺綜合症的專業羣體——會計師、建築師、銀行家、工程師、空管員、平面設計師、記者、學者、文祕和學生——這一名單正日益擴大，所有這些人“離開電腦的幫助就無法工作”。
And that’s not counting the millions of children and adolescents who spend many hours a day playing computer games.
這還沒算上成百上千萬每天花很多個小時玩電腦遊戲的兒童和青少年。
Studies have indicated 70 percent to 90 percent of people who use computers extensively, whether for work or play, have one or more symptoms of computer vision syndrome. The effects of prolonged computer use are not just vision-related. complaints include neurological symptoms like chronic headaches and musculoskeletal problems like neck and back pain.
研究顯示，在工作或娛樂中經常使用電腦的羣體，有70%至90%的人會出現一種或多種電腦視覺綜合症的症狀。長時間使用電腦不僅會造成視覺方面的影響，其他後果還包括慢性頭痛等神經性症狀，以及頸部、背部疼痛等肌肉骨骼問題。
The report’s authors, Tope Raymond Akinbinu of Nigeria and Y. J. Mashalla of Botswana, cited four studies demonstrating that use of a computer for even three hours a day is likely to result in eye symptoms, low back pain, tension headache and psychosocial stress.
前述報告的作者——尼日利亞的託普·雷蒙德·埃金比努(Tope Raymond Akinbinu)和博茨瓦納的Y·J·馬沙拉——引用的四項研究成果顯示，即便每天使用電腦三小時，也有可能帶來眼部症狀、腰痛、緊張性頭痛以及社會心理壓力。
Still, the most common computer-related complaint involves the eyes, which can develop blurred or double vision as well as burning, itching, dryness and redness, all of which can interfere with work performance.
不過，與電腦有關的最常見症狀是眼部不適，包括視線模糊、重影，以及灼燒感、瘙癢、發乾、發紅等，所有這些都有可能影響工作表現。
One reason the problem is so pervasive: Unlike words printed on a page that have sharply defined edges, electronic characters, which are made up of pixels, have blurred edges, making it more difficult for eyes to maintain focus. Unconsciously, the eyes repeatedly attempt to rest by shifting their focus to an area behind the screen, and this constant switch between screen and relaxation point creates eyestrain and fatigue.
這一問題之所以如此普遍是因爲：不同於印在紙張上邊界清晰的文字，由像素組成的電子字符邊界模糊，讓人眼難以維持焦點。不知不覺中，眼睛會反覆試圖把焦點切換到屏幕後方的某個區域，以獲得放鬆，而在屏幕和放鬆點之間的不停切換，會導致眼部疲勞。
Another unconscious effect is a greatly reduced frequency of blinking, which can result in dry, irritated eyes. Instead of a normal blink rate of 17 or more blinks a minute, while working on a computer the blink rate is often reduced to only about 12 to 15 blinks.
另一個不易被察覺的影響是眨眼頻率大大降低，從而可能導致眼睛乾澀、過敏。正常的眨眼頻率是每分鐘17次，但在電腦前工作時，常常會下降到12至15次。
But there are additional problems. The head’s distance from the screen and position in relation to it are also important risk factors. To give the eyes a comfortable focusing distance, the screen should be about 20 to 26 inches away from the face. The closer the eyes are to the monitor, the harder they have to work to accommodate to it.
但還有其他方面的問題。頭部和屏幕之間的距離以及兩者之間的方位關係同樣是重要的風險因素。要讓眼睛舒適地聚焦，屏幕和麪部之間的距離應保持在20至26英寸左右（約合51至66釐米）。眼睛離屏幕越近，就越難以做出調整去適應屏幕。
In addition, when looking straight ahead, the eyes should be at the level of the top of the monitor. The University of Pennsylvania’s ophthalmology department advises that the center of the monitor should be about four to eight inches lower than the eyes to minimize dryness and itching by lessening the exposed surface of the eyes because they are not opened wide. This distance also allows the neck to remain in a more relaxed position.
此外，當望向正前方的時候，眼睛應與顯示器頂端平齊。賓夕法尼亞大學(The University of Pennsylvania)眼科學系建議，顯示器中心應比眼睛低4至8英寸左右（約合10至20釐米），以儘量減少眼睛乾澀和瘙癢的症狀，因爲這樣的話就不用把眼睛睜得太大，眼球暴露在空氣中的面積就會減少。
Yet, in a study in Iran of 642 pre-university students reported in Biotechnology and Health Sciences last year, 71 percent sat too close to the monitor for comfort, and two-thirds were improperly positioned directly opposite or below the monitor.
不過，伊朗的一項以642名高中生爲對象的研究顯示，71%的人坐得離顯示器過近，好讓自己更舒適一些；三分之二的人以不恰當的方式正對着顯示器，或者坐得比顯示器低。這項研究的結果於去年發表在了《生物技術與健康科學》(Biotechnology and Health Sciences)上。
Improper lighting and glare are another problem. Contrast is critical, best achieved with black writing on a white screen. The screen should be brighter than the ambient light — overly bright overhead light and streaming daylight force the eyes to strain to see what is on the screen. A bright monitor also causes your pupils to constrict, giving the eyes a greater range of focus.
不恰當的照明和炫光也會成爲問題。對比很關鍵，白色屏幕與黑色字跡的對比最爲強烈。顯示器應該比環境光亮一些——過亮的頂燈或者強烈的陽光，會迫使眼睛非常用力地望向屏幕。明亮的顯示器還會讓瞳孔收縮，從而讓眼睛的聚焦範圍更大。
You might need to reposition the desk, use a dimmer switch on overhead lights, or lower window shades to keep out sunlight. In addition, using a flat screen with an antiglare cover, and wearing glare-reducing or tinted lenses can help to minimize glare.
你或許需要調整桌子的位置，給頂燈安裝調光開關，或者拉下遮光窗簾，把陽光擋在外邊。此外，使用貼有防眩光膜的平面屏幕，佩戴防眩光或有色眼鏡，也有利於最大程度地減少炫光。
Be sure to use a font size best suited to your visual acuity, and have your eyes examined regularly — at least once a year — to be sure your prescription is up-to-date. This is especially important for people older than 40 and for children who are heavy users of computers because visual acuity can change with age. Make sure, too, that your monitor has a high-resolution display that provides sharper type and crisper images. And clean the monitor often with an antistatic dust cloth.
一定要使用最適合自身視力的字體，並定期檢測視力——至少一年一次——以便根據最新的狀況採取對策。這一點對40歲以上的成人和經常使用電腦的兒童尤爲重要，因爲視力會隨着年紀的增長而出現變化。還要確保你的顯示器配備了高分辨率的屏幕，從而讓畫面更清晰。此外，要經常用防靜電除塵布擦拭顯示器。
Those who work from printed materials, moving back and forth from them to the screen, could minimize neck strain by mounting documents on a stand next to the monitor. If, like me, you use many different printed documents at the same time, consider getting special computer glasses — bifocal or progressive lenses with the upper portion ideal for screen reading and the lower designed for print distance.
如果工作內容涉及印刷品，目光要在印刷品和屏幕之間來回切換，不妨在顯示器旁安一個擺放文件的支架，以便儘量減少頸部疲勞。如果你像我一樣，要同時使用不同的印刷資料，不妨考慮購買特殊的電腦眼鏡——其雙光或漸進式鏡片的上半部分適合看屏幕用，下半部分則適合看印刷品。
While prevention is most important, if you already have symptoms of computer vision syndrome, there are ways to reduce or eliminate them. Ophthalmologists suggest adhering to the “20-20-20” rule: Every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and look at something 20 feet away.
預防是重要的，但你如果已經有了電腦視覺綜合症的症狀，也可以採取一些辦法來緩解或消除它們。眼科醫生建議遵循“20-20-20”法則，每隔20分鐘，休息20秒，望向20英尺（約合6米）遠的地方。
Consciously blink as often as possible to keep eye surfaces well lubricated. To further counter dryness, redness and painful irritation, use lubricating eye drops several times a day. My ophthalmologist recommends products free of preservatives sold in single-use dispensers.
要有意識地儘可能經常眨眼，以便讓眼球表面保持潤滑。要進一步應對發乾、發紅以及讓人難受的過敏症狀，一天可以點幾次眼藥水。我的眼科醫生推薦購買不含防腐劑的、供單次使用的小包裝產品。
You can also reduce the risk of dry eyes by keeping air from blowing in your face and by using a humidifier to add moisture to the air in the room. And Dr. Reitano said her eye doctor also suggested applying warm moist compresses to her eyes every morning.
爲了防止眼睛乾澀，你還可以避免讓風直接吹到臉上，並使用加溼器，讓房間裏的空氣更加溼潤。雷塔諾說，她的眼科醫生還建議她每天早上對眼部進行溼熱敷。
