FAQ: Computer Vision Syndrome
What is computer vision syndrome? Computer vision syndrome, or CVS, is the discomfort or symptoms caused by focusing on a computer or technological device for a long and uninterrupted time.
At some points in our lives, most of us have uitsquinted with our eyes to try to see things clearer. It’s a force of habit that we squint to improve our farsightedness. In any case, if you follow the signs from squinting, they will tell you that you’ll need eyeglasses or need to do a full checkup on your vision. Eyes are a fascinating part of our body with multiple facets, thus some people are still unaware of what is good for your eyes or not. Some people could still be wondering: “How, exactly, does squinting improve your vision?” and “Is squinting unhealthy for your eyes?” No matter the detailed answer, constant squinting should lead you to an appointment with your local optometrist.
Let’s get this out of the way first; there’s a rumor circling out there that says squinting will damage your vision. Is it true? No, but you still should acknowledge the fact that you are squinting because you may need glasses. However, even though squinting doesn’t affect your vision, it could give you a headache because it often involves contraction of the muscles of your face.
Squinting occurs when you are closing your eyelids, making the pupil smaller. This makes our vision focused and see better for a couple reasons. One is that it limits the amount of excess light that enters the eyesight. Your eye lens resides behind the pupil, which helps focus light on the retina. When light reaches your eyes’ retina, a chemical called rhodopsin is encountered, which converts light into electrical impulses that our brain processes as vision. The fact is that blurry vision occurs as we age more and more. Our ability to focus on light properly lessens and light coming from different angles will alter your focus off-center. Squinting helps your eyes focus together onto a single area and limit the number of directions that light can enter since the eyelids are help covering some angles.
The other reason that squinting makes you see better is that it changes the shape of your eye. Regarding the retina, it contains photosensitive cells called rods (low light vision) and cone cells (color vision) that make up the fovea, a tiny spot on the retina that creates our ability to see sharp and clear images. When squinting changes the shape of our eyes, light that is entering the eye can regain focus on the fovea. Thus, helping us see clearer.
Even though it sounds like we’re implying squinting is good for you, it isn’t. These signs from squinting are merely warning signals that are telling you that you need to visit an optometrist very soon.
The signs from squinting are a clear indicator that you’re vision might be impaired. If you start squinting more often than normal, schedule your appointment with your local optometrist immediately. Inglewood Optometric Center has the latest equipment and a skilled team to treat your eyes right and provide a concrete diagnosis to ensure that your vision gets to 100%.
