Staring at a screen all day strains your eyes, dries them out, and blurs your vision. You're not imagining things. It really does happen and the medical world's got a name for it - Computer Vision Syndrome, or Computer Eye Syndrome.

The term covers a whole range of irritating and uncomfortable conditions brought on by long stretches of computer use. Most computer users have some form of eye trouble, brought on by heavy use of a backlit screen in less than ideal conditions.

Computer Vision Syndrome doesn't only affect office workers. Children use computers at school and then rush to their tablet or portable video games when they get home, spending long hours focused on a screen inches from their eyes. Working at a screen doesn't compare to reading a book for hours. A book page is flat, uniformly lit and unmoving. There is no backlight, flickering or glare.

Like other repetitive strain injuries, Computer Vision Syndrome is brought on by repeated action and worsens over time. While you're sitting at your desk, your eyes are constantly working, shifting between the screen and documents on your desk, adjusting to screen content so that your mind can make sense of what you see. The effort is even more intense if you work online and worse still if you are 40+ because your eyes' ability to focus at a close distance weakens with age and as a result near vision spectacles are needed.

If an eye test indicates taht spectacles are needed, your eye care professional can even suggest using occupational lenses such as bifocals and varifocals, depending on the prescription.  When choosing spectacles lenses, consider new technologies including specific coatings and tints with anti-reflective properties. These enhance the digital experience to prevent digital eye strain.

Taking frequent breaks, drinking water regularly, blinking often and adjusting your work area can help reduce the strain of Computer Vision Syndrome. It is essential that an eye exam is carried out at regular intervals if you're a frequent computer user.

SYMPTOMS

Computer eye syndrome doesn't cause long-term, permanent damage to the eyes, but eye strain is uncomfortable to live with and can affect your ability to work properly. If you notice any of these symptoms are relieved by taking a break from using a screen, your eye problems are probably due to computer eye syndrome and an eye examination is necessary.

• Back pain
• neck pain
• blurred vision
• dry, red eyes
• eye irritation
• headaches.

PREVENTING COMPUTER EYE SYNDROME

9 things you should do right now

1 Adjust the lighting or your work position. When you use a screen, you still need ambient lighting but it should be about half as bright as a normal environment. Place your screen with windows to the side and not directly ahead of or behind you.

2Use an anti-glare filter on your screen to reduce reflections. If you work for long periods at a desk, consider installing a computer hood to cut out lateral light.

3 Adjust your display settings. The background light of your screen should be about as bright as the light in the immediate area around the screen. Play around with the settings until you find the right balance. Switch the auto-adjust control on so that your screen light will adapt as your ambient light changes. Reduce the colour temperature of your screen display to reduce the amount of blue light your screen emits and enlarge the font to a comfortable size.

4Blink and drink often and use eye drops. Blinking prevents your eyes drying out. Drink enough to keep well hydrated. Use natural eye drops to relieve occasional dryness.

5 Give your eyes a 20-20-20 break. Close focused work for long stretches tires out your eyes. Give your eyes frequent breaks. Look up from your screen every twenty minutes and focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds to relax your eye's focus muscles.

6Take 10-10 eye breaks. Look far ahead for 10 seconds, then at something close for another 10 seconds and then look far ahead again. Repeat this ten times at frequent intervals.

7 Don't take your work breaks at your desk. Stand up, move around and relax your neck, back and shoulders.

8 Rearrange your desk and workstation. If youneed to refer to paper documents while working, use a support stand so that the documents are in the same plane as your screen. Set up your workstation so that the centre of your screen is slightly below eye level. Laptops aren't suitable for hours at a time. Choose a desk chair that allows you to sit upright.

9 Have your eyes  thoroughly checked. Tell your eye doctor how often you use a screen and for how long. If you use contact lenses or spectacles, your doctor may recommend using computer glasses. These are specially coated and tinted to reduce glare and eye strain.