The average American child spends almost one to three hours a day sitting in front of the computer. They have homework to do, friends to chat with, and video games to beat. All of this while sounding fun, can be quite a strain on their eyes. Staring at the screen for hours stresses their eyes since it forces the vision system to focus and strain more than normal. It is a relatively new problem not known years ago.

It's this prolonged staring at the computer screen which leads to eye discomfort, fatigue, blurred vision, and headaches. How children use computers is what makes their problem unique and causes them to be more susceptible than adults to these problems. The symptoms are increasing in frequency too. Eye doctors are seeing an increase of patients requesting eye examinations because of these symptoms due to experience at the computer. Here are some other ways you can avoid computer vision syndrome in your child:

• How is the lighting in your computer room? There should be no glare at all on the computer screen. You don't want to see any light sources like a lamp or window directly behind the monitor. One way to get around this problem is to simply, turn the computer screen or entire desk if need be, away from the source of the glare. Close the curtain on the windows to reduce the amount of light coming in from the windows.



• Is your computer set up at the proper height? The computer desks where your children work at have to fit your child and not you. That includes the size of the keyboard and monitor, too. For example, your monitor should not be too for them or they will strain their eyes to see it. Instead have it tilted downward to make it more comfortable for them. Many parents I speak with alleviate this problem by purchasing an adjustable chair that can be raised or lowered.



• How much time does your child spend on the computer? It is important you monitor how long they spend on the computer and keep an eye out for signs of fatigue. They usually have a minimum degree of self-awareness and will ignore feelings of discomfort. Force them to take frequent breaks away from the screen. Most doctors recommend one 10-minute break for every hour lets the eyes to rest properly.



• When was the last time their eyes were examined? Schedule an eye doctor appointment to determine if your child sees clearly and comfortably. If there are any conditions or problems causing eye strain for your child, an eye doctor can discover it and clear up any problems. Have the doctor check their near-point vision since it is used most frequently during computer use.



• Does your child have any symptoms? All parents should know and be able to spot the symptoms of computer vision syndrome. In case you didn't know, these include eye redness, frequent eye rubbing, unusual postures, complaints of blurriness, and eye fatigue. If your child is avoiding the computer all together, then you know something must be up and they are experiencing some type of discomfort.