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Science Technology

Computers Linked to Glaucoma? 373

Posted by CmdrTaco from the how-crap-now-i'm-doomed dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Maybe we should have listened to our parents and gone outside instead of playing video games. In newly published study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, heavy computer users were 74% more likely to develop visual field problems as compared baseline in a group of 10,202 randomly selected workers. Furthermore, heavy computer users were found to be 81% more likely to develop glaucoma."
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Computers Linked to Glaucoma? More

Computers Linked to Glaucoma?

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  • Obviously (Score:5, Funny)

    by YrWrstNtmr ( 564987 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:00AM (#10830771)
    Nothing for you to see here.

    • Re:Obviously (Score:4, Funny)

      by Ignis Flatus ( 689403 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:01AM (#10830792)
      Yeah, that's the long and short of it.

      • Re:Obviously (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Pii ( 1955 ) <jedi@nOSpam.lightsaber.org> on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:24AM (#10831115) Journal
        Excellent!

        There's your justification for the Medical Marijuana prescription!

    • Re:Obviously (Score:3, Funny)

      by Thud457 ( 234763 )
      So can I file a worker's comp claim for reading slashdot all day?!!!

    • Re:Obviously (Score:3, Interesting)

      by CriX ( 628429 )
      All joking aside, I find this very disturbing. I'm still using a CRT at work, which I am at pretty much 8 hours a day. Being employed in a technical field I anticipate working with computers the rest of my life... I'm sure I'm not alone in this respect.

      So, what then? Use a TFT display? Wait for bionic eyes (that would rule :)?

      Don't say "Smoke up," damnit.

      • Re:Obviously (Score:3, Interesting)

        by Mysticalfruit ( 533341 )
        Basically, it just means we need to dump some real R&D money into neural interface devices.

        I don't want to have to sit and look at the screen and type the code, I want to think the code and just have it appear...
        • I don't want to have to sit and look at the screen and type the code, I want to think the code and just have it appear...

          Hmm... that is what is called "designing the code" :).

          Disclaimer though: that is a technique I have no idea about. Even for a report, I stare at the screen blankly instead of taking a printout, sit quietly and make changes on paper. Well, anyway, to save the eyes (and the sanity), avoid staring blankly at the computer (note to self)...

          S

        • Re:Obviously (Score:3, Interesting)

          by 2nd Post! ( 213333 )
          Why do you think that neural interface devices wouldn't cause headaches, aneurysms, tumors, and strokes?

      • Re:Obviously (Score:3, Interesting)

        by dnoyeb ( 547705 )
        I stare at computer screens all day, and then when I get home often all night till I go to sleep.

        Anyway, when I used my first LCD display on a laptop, I immediately quit using my 21" CRT all together. The LCD was just WAY easier on my eyes. No refresh flicker, no glaring colors.

        I will never buy another CRT ever. Maybe a TV, but never for a computer.

        P.S. my boss tried to order some LCDs for us but they tricked him and sole him some Flat Screen CRTs. Suckx.

    • Re:Obviously (Score:5, Funny)

      by blowdart ( 31458 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:22AM (#10831084) Homepage
      And it proves that all those years looking at jpg porn does make you go blind.
    • Your mother warned you about this. Playing with your joystick will make you go blind.

  • trouble reading (Score:4, Funny)

    by slimak ( 593319 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:00AM (#10830776)
    Is anyone else having trouble reading the article?

  • Glaucoma (Score:5, Funny)

    by What'sInAName ( 115383 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:01AM (#10830781) Homepage Journal

    Hmmm, I can think of a good cure for that. Actually, many video game players already self-treat this condition. ;-)

  • Woo Hoo! (Score:5, Funny)

    by Mz6 ( 741941 ) * on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:01AM (#10830782) Journal
    And we all know what helps Glaucoma... right? Always reminds me of the classic Simpsons episode. All the pretty colors, huge donuts, and of course flying to work and then forgetting about everything. Ahh.. I can't wait!

  • It's what they were looking at on the screen... (Score:4, Funny)

    by shawn(at)fsu ( 447153 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:01AM (#10830786) Homepage
    And what they were doing while they were looking at it.
    Mom was right, it really does make you go blind

  • augh (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:01AM (#10830787)
    My eyes! The googles do nothing!

  • Ironically, (Score:3, Funny)

    by Vengeance ( 46019 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:01AM (#10830794)
    Very ironically, heavy computer users also consume more marijuana, offsetting the glaucoma problem ;-)

    • Re:Ironically, (Score:3, Informative)

      by NaugaHunter ( 639364 )
      Unfortunately not. I was looking forward to writing my own 'geeks for weed' jokes or maybe something about outsourcing to Canada, but it turns out that while THC can reduce pressure it also reduces blood flow through the optic nerve which is apparently not good for glaucoma.

      Reference 1 [hivpositive.com]
      Reference 2 [mfiles.org]
      Reference 3 [cnn.com]

      Oh well.

    • Re:Ironically, (Score:4, Interesting)

      by BlackHawk-666 ( 560896 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @12:18PM (#10831812)
      It's also pretty good for treating pain in knuckles and reducing inflamation in joints. If you're an I.T. worker then dope is a virtual wonder drug. It reduces blood pressure, stress and glycoma related problems, helps with arthritis, and is a pretty nice psychoactive to boot. The only big negatives are increased risk of lung and mouth cancers, a lowered motivational drive, lowered short term memory and the fact that it's illegal and in some repressive countries can land you in prison (oh, and your short term memory goes too). I've been an I.T. worker for 24 years now, and a regular pot smoker (most days, but only small amounts of heads and only after my personal "watershed" hour) for 21 years and I can heartily recommend them both.

      Interesting to note, recently I ran out of smoke and thought it might be a good time to take one of my breaks from it for a few months to let my system flush and clean out. Within a few weeks I had serious issues occurring with my sight, and I was developing a tic in one of my eyes that wouldn't go away. My knuckles became inflamed and I wondered if I could keep working with a PC. The joints of my entire body swelled, and sleeping became incredibly difficult at night. When doing sit-ups I had crunching sounds coming from my spine and a deep cracking in the lower back. ALL of these symptoms went away went I went back to smoking weed! Now, I know the long term effects aren't exactly conducive to our profession (computer programmer) but they are definitely the lesser of two evils here.

  • I'd better tell my boss and go smoke my medicine now.
  • I heart radiation

  • Trial lawyers, start your engines! (Score:5, Funny)

    by glrotate ( 300695 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:03AM (#10830811) Homepage
    Class action baby. Let's sue the hell out of the monitor manufacturers. This will be bigger than aesbestos and silicone implants combined!

  • This could help the Libertarians (Score:5, Funny)

    by Thunderstruck ( 210399 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:03AM (#10830816)
    Large sections of the population use computers heavily.

    Ergo large sections of the population may develop glaucoma..

    Ergo Large sections of the population will have an interest in legalizing marijuana as a cheap means to treat the problem

    Ergo the Libertarians now have a drawing card to people who would otherwise find the whole thing a bit kookie.

  • Glaucoma (Score:4, Informative)

    by arnoroefs2000 ( 122990 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:03AM (#10830820) Homepage
    For a non-slashdotted link to information on Glaucoma: clicketie-click [wikipedia.org]

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Funny)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:04AM (#10830828)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • Weekend At Burnsies script

    HOMER Ow, ow! I hate getting stitches in my eyes! Stupid crows.

    DR. HIBBERT Don't feel bad for the crows, Homer. They weren't trying to blind you, they were just trying to drink your sweet, sweet eye juices.

    HOMER (calmly) Hmm, fascinating. Say, Doctor, can you do something about my (hysterical) SEARING PAIN!?

    DR. HIBBERT Well, there is medication, although it is a little... controversial.

    HOMER Does it go in the butt?

    DR. HIBBERT I'm talking about medicinal marijuana.

  • Now they fucking tell us (Score:5, Funny)

    by IronChefMorimoto ( 691038 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:06AM (#10830862)
    The bastards. Could they have told us this AFTER I finished winning Doom3, HALO, and HL2? Crap. And I don't have vision insurance right now.

    Fuck it -- my wife says I'm good at groping around for things in the dark. I'll survive.

    IronChefMorimoto
  • that with the explosive growth of the internet, porn is rampant leading to an explosion of hair growth in hand palms.

  • Hmmm (Score:2)

    by clinko ( 232501 )
    So by 2000 all kids were using pcs/video games, so by 2060 you could rule with an iron fist over the blind elderly if you just keep away from pcs.
  • Can't be because glaucoma was very very present before anything similar to today's computer was ever produced. Read the article for entertainment purposes. Cb..

  • Hardly surprising (Score:5, Interesting)

    by LurkerXXX ( 667952 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:10AM (#10830908)
    The article seems to be slashdoted, so I can't see it but...

    I'm thinking folks who work on computers for long periods of time just may fall into a couple stereoypes. Glasses wearing and/or overweight/out-of shape. (I know sitting at a computer all hours doesn't do much for my physical fitness)

    People of shape are going to risk a higher rate of diabetes, which is a risk factor for glaucoma. Being nearsighted is also a risk factor.

    http://www.umm.edu/ency/article/001620.htm

    • Re:Hardly surprising (Score:2, Interesting)

      by cj_goth ( 525978 )
      There is also a statistical linkage between myopia and intelligence (and quite a few different theories as to what mught cause the linkage) - it's not just a stereotype.

      Some might say (people around these parts?) that higher intelligence might mean greater likelihood of computer use, hence linking the myopia risk factor to the computer use.
  • Let me be the first to say something other than I can't read the article because I can't see. (ha ha)

    I wonder if the insurance companies are going to eventually look at us programmers and categorize us as "uninsurable" for eye care because we stare at the monitor all day? I mean, they can turn down or boost rates on smokers because smoking is very bad for your health. So why not boost rates or turn down us computer bound programmers because we will almost certainly suffer from carpal tunnel, or glaucoma

  • CRT vs LCD? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by FortKnox ( 169099 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:10AM (#10830921) Homepage Journal
    The story is /.'ed, so I haven't read it... did they compare staring at LCDs vs CRTs? I know LCDs are easier on the eyes...

    • Re:CRT vs LCD? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by pherris ( 314792 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @01:29PM (#10832969) Homepage Journal
      Or for that matter what about dot pitch or scan rate? Does being on a 20" high quality LCD screen cause less damage than a 14" Packard Bell CRT?

      With such a wide variety of "computer displays" available it seems it would be worth reinvestigating the results and looking for a relationship.

  • CRT vs LCD (Score:4, Interesting)

    by DigitalRaptor ( 815681 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:11AM (#10830937)
    I can only speak for my own experience, and I don't know whether this study differentiates between CRT and LCD users, but when I first became a programmer using a CRT for 3 or 4 years straight, my eyesight deteriorated rapidly from 20 / 20 to needing glasses to read comfortably without getting headaches. Since switching to a dual LCD setup my prescription hasn't changed in about 2 years.

    Your mileage may vary. But I'll never use a CRT again.

    • Re:CRT vs LCD (Score:3, Insightful)

      by bersl2 ( 689221 )
      I second this. I used to have 20/20L 20/15R. Whoops. (It's now 20/(n+5) for each eye.) But now that I use an LCD, I can go for much longer with less strain.

    • Re:CRT vs LCD (Score:5, Informative)

      by bconway ( 63464 ) * on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:22AM (#10831075) Homepage
      That's a nice anecdote. Apparently neither you nor the author understand the difference between correlation and causation.
      • This was the only period of my life where I experienced degradation in my eyesight.

        Additionally, the eye strain and feeling of my eyes being hot stopped as soon as I switched to using LCD's.

        For me the contrast between the two experiences is unmistakeable and signifigant.

        When you look at the design of a CRT [wikipedia.org], with a stream of electrons and radiation being shot directly at a peice of glass with your eyeballs directly on the other side, is it so hard to believe it could cause damage to the eyes?

        • Re:CRT vs LCD (Score:4, Insightful)

          by tsg ( 262138 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @12:04PM (#10831614)
          This was the only period of my life where I experienced degradation in my eyesight.

          Additionally, the eye strain and feeling of my eyes being hot stopped as soon as I switched to using LCD's.

          My eyesight started deteriorating rapidly before they even had computer monitors and my prescription hasn't changed in the last five years. By your reasoning, the CRT helped my eyesight.

    • Re:CRT vs LCD (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Politburo ( 640618 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:23AM (#10831088)
      What was your age at the time of eyesight change and family history of eye problems? In my family, eyesight deteriorates in the teens, but the change levels off in adulthood. My dad hasn't had his prescription changed in many, many years. I still have mine changed every 2-3 years. Correlation != causation, etc.
      • This was the only period of my life where I experienced degradation in my eyesight. Yes, some other members of my family wear glasses, but there is no discernable pattern.

        I don't deny I would have likely needed glasses as some point either way, but I am certain that my heavy CRT usage speed up and increased the problem.

        Additionally, the eye strain and feeling of my eyes being hot stopped as soon as I switched to using LCD's. The problem also worsened exponentially as I needed to lean closer and closer t

        • Re:CRT vs LCD (Score:3, Informative)

          by Reziac ( 43301 ) *
          I don't think it's the electron stream. I think it's the excessive brightness and just plain glare. My eyes are light-sensitive to begin with, and I noticed it immediately, but most people don't.

          My eyes complained when I went from an amber-mono screen (where the unused part of the screen is truly BLACK, that is, unlit) to VGA. If you look at a VGA screen in the dark, and set your desktop to plain black, you'll see that even the "black" is *bright*. Well, no wonder VGA tires the eyes more than mono!

          When I
      • True for me as well. I used to get my prescription changed yearly, and it wasn't uncommon for it to shift many degrees in axis and/or a diopter in strength.
        I'm 40 now, still using CRTs, and for the last 10 years or so, my prescription changes only slightly, tweaking it just a bit, maybe 1/4 diopter, maybe a few degrees of axis, every 2 or 3 years is fine. I could probably get around fine in my old glasses from 15 years ago.

        This is common apparently; when my eyes were changing a lot, my optician said that
    • I didn't RTFA...

      Agreed... LCD's are much easier on my eyes... bigger the screen the better off I am too... a 17 or 19" LCD in 1280x1024 w/ big font is perfect... you can see plenty on the screen and the fonts are large and clear. The higher res w/ the bigger fonts makes it equal (in available virtual real estate) to a 1024x768 display.

      Digital vs. Analog for my TV and monitors has also been an improvement... fuzzy screens make your eyes keep trying to re-focus... I don't know that that would cause glaucom
    • I totally agree. I know there probably have not been a study yet, but my eyes are much less tired at the end of the day since switching entirely (at home and at work) to LCD. I am curious to see if there is any relation to LCD use being better for your eyes.

  • bad conclusions? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by photon317 ( 208409 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:12AM (#10830950)

    IHNRTFA (I have not read the f-in article), but it seems to me this is yet another case of the misuse of statistics. Just because X% of PopulationY happens to also be in PopulationZ doesn't imply a causal relationship in any specific direction. It's just as likely that the real reason for the link is the opposite of what they suppose: that persons who have the genetic defects and/or environmental factors in their lives which lead to a higher rate of glaucoma are more likely to be computer users....

    • Re:bad conclusions? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by American AC in Paris ( 230456 ) * on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:52AM (#10831477) Homepage
      It's just as likely that the real reason for the link is the opposite of what they suppose: that persons who have the genetic defects and/or environmental factors in their lives which lead to a higher rate of glaucoma are more likely to be computer users....

      ...do you say this because you have access to research that refutes their theories? Or do you say this because you don't like their conclusion, and are thus inclined to dismiss their work with the Cudgel of Correlation Is Not Causation?

      It is not "just as likely" that computer workers are, as a group, genetically different from other workers. That there may be "environmental factors" doesn't really make any difference to their conclusion: for some reason, computer workers exhibit a much higher rate of visual problems. Yours is a plausible scenario, but do give the researchers some credit. Grant them the fact that they're eminently more qualified to examine this particular issue than you are, and that it's worth taking their findings seriously, even in light of the fact that their findings aren't carved in stone. Hell, the researchers themselves would likely be among the first to emphasize that their findings are not fact. This is one of the founding tenets of scientific research, for crying out loud.

      Simply because John Q. Citizen can fire off a plausible alternative after five seconds' thought does not mean that his theory is "just as likely" to be the case as the result of a published research project.

  • I have always thought that using CRT monitors heavily has caused nearsidedness in a lot of people. Now, I know the arguement that people who normally don't need to wear glasses, feel the need to wear some kind of reading glasses to read the monitor. But on top of that, in my lifetime I have seen so many cases of people becoming nearsided within months of owning their first computer. An eye doctor once told me that when looking at a CRT, your eyes end up focusing about an inch or two behind the actual ima

    • Re:CRTs probably cause nearsidedness (Score:5, Interesting)

      by JeffTL ( 667728 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:26AM (#10831140)
      Well, that's because a CRT is basically an HDTV -- it shows you a high res image that doesn't actually exist, but is rather an optial illusion produced by scintillations of beta radiation on phosphors. The screen is thick and has lead in it so the beta particles don't get out and cause any problems associated with small quantities of radiation.

      That's probably why LCDs produce less eye strain -- the image is actually there (having been created by the electricity activating the liquid crystals) and it's where you perceive it as being. It's got a fluorescent light behind it in most modern cases, and that's why you can use it in the dark -- non-backlit LCDs depend on available darkness.

  • Did they properly control the experiment (Score:5, Interesting)

    by PsiPsiStar ( 95676 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:12AM (#10830959)
    1. Did they control for the fact that people who use computers heavily are more likely to be sedentary. Could this lifestyle lead to increased diabetes and related vision problems (don't know about glaucoma)

    2. Did they control for the possibility that people with vison problems or other problems originally might be less outgoing and likely to interact with others? What demographic uses computers heavily compared to the mainstream?

    I know my distance vision has deteriorated from heavy computer usage, but I'd like to see whether glaucoma is caused by staring at a screen... or some other aspect of computer usage, like chronic inflammation from Carpal Tunnel or somthing like that.

    • Re:Did they properly control the experiment (Score:5, Informative)

      by Peyna ( 14792 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:34AM (#10831237) Homepage
      Glaucoma is definitely related to diabetes, and diabetes is definitely related to a sedentary lifestyle.

      Although, glaucoma also is caused by a number of other things (many of which we do not know); the article is down right now, so I can't tell what type of glaucoma these people were found to have.

      Assuming that the increased rate could be explained by the sedentary lifestyle associated with heavy computer usage, it's just more news of the same: we're getting fat, lazy and stupid, and we'll look for any thing to blame it on other than the fact that we eat too much, don't exercise, and think education is a joke.

  • LED vs CRT (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Splinton ( 528692 )
    The authors haven't broken down the type of computer use at all. It'd be interesting to see where the aetiology lies - extended use without blinking (eg gamers), bad lighting conditions (oh, gamers again), LED vs CRT use etc.
  • ...I can convince my boss I really need two 21" screens on my desk.

  • Obvious link here (Score:3, Insightful)

    by NDPTAL85 ( 260093 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:17AM (#10831017)
    I think this has more to do with heavy computer use promoting a sedentary lifestyle which is one cause of higher blood pressure than any direct affect computer monitors have on our eyes.
  • Does this mean I get to claim I'm just taking it for preventative measures?

    After all, "an ounce of prevention is worth a kilo of cure" ... or something like that.

  • Free Eye Tests (Score:2, Informative)

    by cj_goth ( 525978 )
    Every company I've worked for in the UK has offered free eye tests to heavy computer users (and has done for some time now). A study like this can only encourage this practice becoming wider-spread. One of the things I've been tested for in the past has been glaucoma too.
    • It's actually a legal requirement now to have an eye test... they're not being generous!

      In fact at my last place if we didn't have an eye test (we had to book it/pay for it ourselves then claim it back), then we were docked a months' pay.
      Everyone complied, of course...

  • Correlation vs. causation (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Temporal ( 96070 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:19AM (#10831044) Journal
    French-speakers are far more likely to live in the France than the average person. Therefore, if you don't want to live in France you should make sure not to learn French.

    *sigh*

  • Ive recently developed it. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Izeickl ( 529058 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:20AM (#10831051) Homepage
    Ive been a heavy computer user for about 17 years now, the early signs of Glaucoma appeared in June of this year....cant tell you how scary it is thinking you might end up blind...thankfully I caught it soon so currently getting monthly check ups and using some steroid eye drops to calm it. Not saying its because of computers, just saying I fit the profile that the article is stating. BTW> a non slashdotted link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4008185.stm [bbc.co.uk]

  • Simple, inexpensive cure to this (Score:5, Interesting)

    by TyrranzzX ( 617713 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:22AM (#10831082) Journal
    Every hour or so for you sitting at your machine, sit back and close your eyelids, and completly relax and unfocus your eyes. Every night before you go to sleep, completly unfocus your eyes until you fall asleep. This will alleviate the pressure inside of the eye long enough for some of the fluid to drain and pressure to decrease, and will help combat the feeling that the moniter really isn't there nor are the words and the occasional difficulty reading them, or as I call it, virtual nausea, which tends to develope after a few thousand hours of using a computer without stopping for much. This is what I do, and it really helps to keep me focused. If you like meditation, it can really help you get focued and keep you from having problems seeing things. Anyone who games really should learn it. The other reccomendation, is to have a nice view to look at outside the window so you aren't always looking at the moniter, preferably by a strip club or beach or somethin ;).
  • I don't see the established causality. Just because a certain set of people have an ailment at a higher rate, does not mean that that activity causes said ailment. It's a fallacious argument.

  • Computer eye strain story. (Score:5, Funny)

    by ahfoo ( 223186 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:25AM (#10831123) Journal
    I was living in Taiwan in the nineties and doing tons of computer work on a little 15" monitor for weeks on end. My eyes were seriously going out. It was quite obvious. I was having trouble focusing.
    So, there were all these Chinese medicine shops around where I lived and I decided to go in and ask for some herbs or accupuncture.
    I got a Chinese friend to go with me and I communicated to the Doc that my eyes were going blurry from using the computer constantly.
    The guy told me --stop using the computer.
    I was impressed with his skill.
  • Now, see, I've had an actual class in ergonomics, and so I can say, without fear of argument, that my standard work position meets all ergonomic criteria.

    That is, with my feet on my desk, and the keyboard in my lap.

    First, my wrists are supported, and comfortable.
    Second, the monitor is at eye level.
    Third, I'm at least half a meter from the screen. Now we *know* that strobes, and even fluorescent lights can set off epileptics. When you're close, half or three-quarters of all the light falling on your eyes i
  • But does pdf aversion syndrome count?

    The hazzards of computing:

    - No women
    - Super terrific carpal tunnel syndrome
    - Bad eyes
    - Hairy palms

    The worst thing for you are those stupid stupid stupid feet on keyboard, somehow keyboard-feet-gnomes some into my office and put them up every so often, increasing the angle in stress as I type. There is an awesome paper on keyboard stress testing, which has some wierd spikey graphs showing that a 20% deviation in your wrists from the normal, for 8 hours, can com

  • Oh the humanity.... (Score:3, Funny)

    by supercytro ( 527265 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @11:29AM (#10831170)
    Great, another activity which makes you blind:-)
  • As someone who has borderline high eye pressure - I find this interesting. There is a syndrome called pigmentary dispersion syndrome - which is usually occurs in men, with brown eyes, who read a lot (close focus) - and can be aggrivated by changing light conditions - I wonder if it's related (I have pigmentary dispersion syndrome - it CAN lead to glaucoma)
  • I'm a heavy computer user but whenever I have a glaucoma test, I get 5 points subtracted off the result because I have super-thick corneas, and that puts me back in the safe range. Doctors have only begun measuring thickness relatively recently, but studies show that the thicker your cornea is the less likely you are to develop glaucoma, and that people with very thick corneas can safely have larger scores on the glaucoma test.
  • Maybe I'm just lucky, but I started computing at age 9 with 20/16 vision, and 25 years later I see better than ever (though perhaps my depth perception at long range is atrophied). I've always made certain my monitor was razor-sharp, at highest rez: CRTs mainly Trinitrons, and switched to LCD in the early 1990s. Maybe these kids are just sitting too close to a fuzzy TV, like Mom always warned against?
  • Is it that computer use causes eye problems, or is it that nerdly dweebs (myself included) are more likely to be using computers heavily and we seem genetically predisposed to have more eye problems anyway?
  • Combine "don't sit so close to the TV" with "if you don't stop that, you'll go blind", and the real health problem here is too little effect of Mom's good advice.

  • Another useless study (Score:3, Interesting)

    by gerardrj ( 207690 ) on Tuesday November 16, 2004 @12:36PM (#10832099) Journal
    The study seems flawed in manny respects.
    The glaring one is that is did not study a single population over time. They are assuming, or implying, causation here and I don't see any reasonable evidence of that with their two, unrelated groups method. It might be that people who are visially impaired tend to gravitate toward jobs where their eyesight is not critical to success. It might not be that computer work causes eye problems, but people with eye problems tend to do computer work.

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