Are computers harmful for the eyes?

**Ivan.R** · February 15th, 2007, 04:13 AM

Are computers harmful for the eyes? I am not good enough to be a traditional painter, so probably I will have to be a graphic designer or 3D artist so I will have to stare at the screen all day. I am really afraid that I will deteriorate my sight and I won't be able to see clearly enough to paint. The eye damage is probably the worst nightmare to any artist. Can you give me some information on that topic?

**BlackVolgan** · February 15th, 2007, 05:39 AM

i play computer games day in day out... pretty bad eh?

my vision started screwing up when i was in year 9 or so. My parents always told me that the constant usage of the computer was stuffing my eyes up. Until i went to the eye doctor to get my glasses, he said my eyesight was hereditary. So it was my family line that got to my eyes, not my computer.

**Pattern Recognition** · February 15th, 2007, 06:35 AM

Ivaane Ivaaane.. hahaha sori, obache toq vurpos i tova ime : )))

OK lets start with a few basics on this topic:

1. Flickering light is bad for you. A CRT screen with a refresh rate under 85Hz is BAD for you. This means playing games on a TV screen (the refresh rate of a tv is usually 60Hz) will deteriorate your eyesight very fast.
This is also the reason LCD screens are good for you - they do no flicker, the refresh rate is just the times the crystals can rearrange. I used to have intense eyesight problems before switching to LCD.

2. The more you stare at a screen the less you blink. Get into the habit of doing blinking or buy eye-drops for dry eyes and apply them once in a while. I advise using them until you learn to blink while using the computer.

3. Since you are staring at a screen at a fixed distance, your eyes get used to focusing on the screen. They also become lazy when focusing on different objects. This is why it's good to have a window close to your monitor so you can look out of it while working, it's good excersize for your eyes and I've noticed it reminds you to blink (point 2).

4. Of course the other things that will help you while spending all day and night in front of the computer:
a - drink lots of water, not only good for you but makes you get up to pee so you're not stuck onto your chair all day
b - if you smoke don't do it in the room, always go outside or to the balcony and smoke there. Also helps because you focus on things more than a meter away - good for your eyes
c - take vitamins, try and stay more active to counter the amount of time you spend working

These are just some pointers from the top of my head - hope they help.

EDIT: Forgot to add:

5. Backlighting. Lessen the contrast between your room's lighting and your monitor. I know working in a dark room looks "leet" and scares away your relatives at home, but if you work at night or in a dark room you should use some sort of backlighting. I have a halogen reading lamp I put behind my monitor and it shines on my curtains. Some people I know use lava lamps. Just explore the possibilities!

**Rhynome** · February 15th, 2007, 10:43 AM

I've often wondered about this sort of thing.
I've had Bell's [Facial] Palsy quite a number of times. Basically the nerve endings die, and during it I pretty much lost the ability to smile, blink, focus,... facey things. They come back eventually, but my eyes are still a little unreliable, especially when tired*. Usually they won't focus beyond a metre or so, but sometimes they will focus on distant objects, but then just not focus back again.

The thing I've wondered about is whether using a computer monitor isn't helping this whatsoever. I make a point of looking at things far away each day, and trying hard to focus, but I'm still worried I'm just making matters worse.

So Ivan, I share your sentiments, eeep. (Though it does seem my eyes are improving, despite the use of a monitor.)

*Which, admitidly, is most of the time.

**Rabid** · February 15th, 2007, 11:33 AM

One piece of advice I have is that in programs such as painter 9 you can choose the background color for your workspace, as often as you can, make these backgrounds dark, my website is dark, my desktop background is a medium picture with black border, and my programs have black backgrounds, it's ten times more comfortable for the eyes! the mnore white light the worse it's gonna be...

**JAG.** · February 15th, 2007, 01:56 PM

indeed.. all great advice. it also helps to not strain your eyes. if you're tired or your eyes hurt.. then turn off the comp and go to bed. and try not to stare at it in the dark - JAG

**Idiot Apathy** · February 15th, 2007, 01:59 PM

Whoa whoa whoa, not good enough to be a traditional painter? *slaps you*
No one was born with that ability, it has to be learned and trained same as anything else.

**masque** · February 15th, 2007, 02:01 PM

computers can be harmful when applied directly to the eye. this is not recommended.

in case this wasn't well-known.

sry.

**otis** · February 15th, 2007, 03:16 PM

Every eye doctor I've ever spoke to said that monitors are harmless. Stress is far more harmfull. So it's the deadlines, bad work environment, or your attitude that will hurt you more.

Just don't stress yourself out.
Stress is always self-inflicted.

**Seedling** · February 15th, 2007, 04:17 PM

Originally Posted by otis

Stress is far more harmfull. So it's the deadlines, bad work environment, or your attitude that will hurt you more.

Yes. . . stress, and I suspect that the general level of inactivity that is associated with computer usage is the biggest offender. Get enough exercise and exposure to sunlight to counteract all the computer time. Balance is key.

**Rabid** · February 15th, 2007, 04:23 PM

agreed, whenever I'm inking or sketching I always use a 60 watt bulb not my dorm overheads, even though incondecent use half the energy of a standard 60 watt bulb human eyes are more comfortable in yellow light, this should be to no suprise since humans and other creatures on this earth have grown and adapted to the sun....people who are prone to migranes and constant headaches will tell you that white light just doesnt help.....

**Deverion** · February 15th, 2007, 04:58 PM

For those of you who like to have your screen resolution up high, I would suggest turning it down to help your eyes out (unless your monitor can support having a high resolution but the icons and text are still at a reasonable size). My monitor is pretty old and for awhile I had it on 1280x768, (which is not that high compared to some other resolutions ive seen) But my computer makes the text smaller, and it really strains my eyes. I also get migraines sometimes, so I went back to 1024x768 and it's much better.

Also I could never work on computer 24/7, because I tend to get migraines if I work in the morning especially (for more than an hour or so). That's why I want to go the traditional route if I ever get into the concept art industry, even though digital painting seems to be a standard almost everywhere.

**masque** · February 16th, 2007, 02:14 AM

Originally Posted by Rabid Peanut

agreed, whenever I'm inking or sketching I always use a 60 watt bulb not my dorm overheads, even though incondecent use half the energy of a standard 60 watt bulb human eyes are more comfortable in yellow light, this should be to no suprise since humans and other creatures on this earth have grown and adapted to the sun....people who are prone to migranes and constant headaches will tell you that white light just doesnt help.....

it's a fairly common misconception that the light from the sun is "yellow." in fact, it has little hue at all, with a color temperature of around 5000deg Kelvin (5000K fluorescent bulbs are made to imitate this very closely), which most people would perceive as a bit bluish. our sun IS a "yellow sun" in that it's peak visible output is near the yellow part of the spectrum, but because it also radiates at all other wavelengths, they combine to form what is commonly considered "white" light. scattering of wavelengths in the atmosphere that gives us our blue sky also "colors" the light toward the bluish side of the spectrum.

incandescent light bulbs (standard household types) radiate mostly toward the red end of the spectrum, as cool as 1200K, which is why when you take a photo in 1200K light, it comes out looking very reddish if not corrected for.

doing color work under 1200K light isn't a good idea, beacuse all the color evaluations will be skewed by the reddish light being used. it's fine for B&W and greyscale work of course.

just FYI, most fluorescent lamps emit light with a greenish or bluish cast, and sodium vapor lamps are ghastly orange.

**Anid Maro** · February 16th, 2007, 03:09 AM

Originally Posted by masque

Lots of helpful info about light

To see this in action (sort of), if you have a digital camera of some sort, see if it has any lighting settings and if so play with them.

For example, my camera has:

- Sunny: Which is for basic outdoor lighting.

- Shade: For taking pictures in the shade. It filters out some blue, which makes the picture slightly more yellow.

- Flourescent: For flourescent, office building type lighting. It filters out some green, adding a reddish/purplish tint.

- Tungsten: For your usual indoor lighting. It filters out orange, leaving the picture more blue.

Originally Posted by masque

it's a fairly common misconception that the light from the sun is "yellow."

I wonder how that misconception started?

I mean, I've tried looking at the sun before myself... and it hurts. I sure as hell didn't stare long enough to try and figure out what color it was.

**masque** · February 16th, 2007, 03:18 AM

too bad most digital cameras can't correct for sodium vapor or other similar very orangish lights; they're very efficient, which means they're showing up more often, even indoors. and it's about the only kind of light that is impossible to "fix" in photoshop, because it's so saturated. i did PS work commercially for many years, thousands of photo corrections and retouches, but every time i got one of those "orange blossoms specials" i just groaned and felt like throwing in the towel. hopeless.