5 Tips for All of Us Who Spend Hours at the Computer

[longknife]

I usually pass this stuff by and being meaningless and just another hype. But these 5 tips seem to make a lot of sense. Here they are in brief:


Give your monitor a 2nd look – not sure of this as I've go nowhere else to put it. One thing I've done is increase the size of the text in all my on-screen items.

Correct your posture

Stand up for yourself – this makes sense.

Move it or lose it.

Pace yourself.


The full piece is @ How to Stay Healthy If You Sit at a Computer All Day

 

[iamwhatiseem]

About 80% of my job is in front of a computer. (Actually 4 computers/4 screens)
I purposely get up a minimum of 15-20 times a day and walk around the warehouse or outside weather permitting. This is very important. Not just for my legs and back, but also my eyes.
I also keep the florescent lights in my office shut off. I have two floor lamps and two different arm lamps...keeping all direct light out out of my eyes.

 

[XPostFacto]

I'm retired, now, but back when I worked, my boss was always accusing me of looking out the window too much. I too was very restless with loads of energy so had to get up and move around. I got the work out so the boss really couldn't complain.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I'm retired, now, but back when I worked, my boss was always accusing me of looking out the window too much. I too was very restless with loads of energy so had to get up and move around. I got the work out so the boss really couldn't complain.

Probably good that you did. I definitely have "Computer Vision Syndrome".
My vision has a "blur zone" - I cannot effectively focus on anything that is between a foot to two feet away from my eyes. I have to either step back, or get closer to see it properly.
So now, when I use a computer - I either lean back in my chair so I am further from the monitor - or worse I have to get literally within 3 to 4 inches to see something better.
I am convinced this was caused by using computers heavily for over 20 years.

 

[XPostFacto]

I'm retired, now, but back when I worked, my boss was always accusing me of looking out the window too much. I too was very restless with loads of energy so had to get up and move around. I got the work out so the boss really couldn't complain.

Probably good that you did. I definitely have "Computer Vision Syndrome".
My vision has a "blur zone" - I cannot effectively focus on anything that is between a foot to two feet away from my eyes. I have to either step back, or get closer to see it properly.
So now, when I use a computer - I either lean back in my chair so I am further from the monitor - or worse I have to get literally within 3 to 4 inches to see something better.
I am convinced this was caused by using computers heavily for over 20 years.

Ever since I had cataract surgery, I noticed that floaters have become a problem with me in making it hard for me to see the work. I was a cost analyst so did a lot of spread sheets. Not only did I work hard on the job, but I had to carry a laptop home with me to continue the work. To make matters easier on my eyes, I would plug the laptop into my 23 inch monitor. Even then, I found it increasingly difficult to focus on the cells of the spreadsheet. When I had to close one eye to see the particular cell or line, I knew then it was time to turn off the computer and quit.

Now, playing the first person and 3rd person shooter games doesn't bother me that much. It's probably because there is so much movement in these games.

 

[longknife]

Just remember the Ctrl+ and Ctrl- for your screen.

 

[XPostFacto]

Just remember the Ctrl+ and Ctrl- for your screen.

I always use the Ctrl Key and the middle mouse wheel, but in doing spreadsheets, making a cell bigger just means you see less of the spreadsheet since there is so much going on with the cost models I used to build. I wanted to see the whole game. But, thanks for the info on those keys. I never realized you can use the minus and plus keys like that, which is good to know if you don't have a mouse. Who computes these days without a mouse?

 

[iamwhatiseem]

Just remember the Ctrl+ and Ctrl- for your screen.

I always use the Ctrl Key and the middle mouse wheel, but in doing spreadsheets, making a cell bigger just means you see less of the spreadsheet since there is so much going on with the cost models I used to build. I wanted to see the whole game. But, thanks for the info on those keys. I never realized you can use the minus and plus keys like that, which is good to know if you don't have a mouse. Who computes these days without a mouse?

Sooo...we're you a dBase man or Lotus 123?

 

[XPostFacto]

Back way before when, different Navy commands had different types of software. It was only later that the Navy decided on standardizing along with the rest of the business world and requiring only Microsoft Office products. To answer your question, my old command had Lotus 123, but I hated that spreadsheet software because I had originally started on Excel 2.0 back in 1993. Spreadsheets are built the same way, but Lotus differed somewhat from Excel, and I had to learn how to use it. The learning curve was steep. Oh, let us not forget WordPerfect. Gaaagghhhhh!

Dbase? Yeah, I had to go to school on it, but back in the 80's only a few of us, mainly engineers had computers to run that app. I was a tech and used a terminal with a UNIX based system, which we could program to run various electronic tests. UNIX systems are different from DOS. so I had to learn the different nuances of DOS in order to use Dbase. It was a nice bit of software for its time, but even then I noted how cumbersome it was.

Here's a secret that a lot of folks these days don't know. Back in the late 70's the Navy had touch screen computers made by Fluke. They were primitive by today's standards, but it is only in just a few years ago where industry started marketing the touch screen concept. I don't own one. I have enough fingerprints on my monitor, and it's not even a touch screen.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I hated Lotus also, I started out on Dbase and got pretty good with the macros and shortcut keys...of which of course none worked in Lotus. And then excel came out what 95' or so?
Today I use Office Libre.

 

[waltky]

possum's eyes get wobbly from starin' at the computer screen too long...

‘Safe’ screens touted for long-term device users
Mon, Sep 07, 2015 - As it gets harder for people to tear their eyes away from smartphones, televisions, tablets or computers, concerns are growing over a blue light emitted by screens, blamed for harming the retina and causing interrupted sleep.

Electronics giants are turning crisis to an opportunity — quickly declaring that their latest products feature “safe” screens. At the IFA mega consumer electronics show in Berlin, Dutch company Philips is showcasing a new technology for its computer screens called “SoftBlue,” which it claims is gentler on the retina. “We are shifting the harmful blue light frequencies, which are below 450 nanometers, to above 460 nanometers,” Philips marketing director Stefan Sommer said.

Other brands like Asus and BenQ, along with US firm ViewSonic, have also seized on “safe” screens as a new selling point. “We’ve been told from a very early age by parents that too much screen time, in front of a TV or a computer, is bad. So a ‘safe’ screen might resonate with consumers,” IHS Global Insight analyst Paul Gray said. Because it generates a relatively high intensity of light from just a low amount of energy, LEDs are used to light up smartphones, televisions and computers. The problem is the blue ray emitted at the same time, which is feared to pose potentially serious health consequences. “We should not be so afraid that we bin all our screens,” Institute of Sight researcher Serge Picaud said in Paris.

Picaud carried out a study in 2013 in which he exposed sample retina cells from a pig — similar to those found in people — to different wavelengths of light, and showed that those between 415 and 455 nanometres killed the cells. Nevertheless, “that must be taken in proportion as the light intensities produced by our screens are still relatively weak compared to sunlight,” Picaud said. “Those who worry about harm caused by screens, do they also wear sunglasses at the beach?” Picaud asked.

Vincent Gualino, an ophthalmologist at a French hospital said that “we should not be afraid of the screens.” “The real problem is over-consumption,” the specialist on retina illnesses said, warning people against spending more than six hours in front of their screens. For those who cannot help but stay glued to screens, Gualino prescribes special glasses to filter out the blue light.

‘Safe’ screens touted for long-term device users - Taipei Times

 

[Ringel05]

Damn, I got started on WordPerfect, used it for years before finally getting Microsoft Office which I hated..... What would you expect, I was familiar with WordPerfect.
Oh and WP is still available...... I use LibreOffice though, before that it was Open Office. The wife has Office 2007 which is completely foreign to me, don't know how to use it at all.

 

[Bleipriester]

I just switched to WPS Office, the former Kingsoft Office. LibreOffice is again taking eternities to start. However, the free version is said to print a watermark on each document. WPS Office also works with Nitro Pro.

 

[Mr. H.]

Just get a braille monitor and quit worrying about the eyesight issues.

 

[Mr. H.]

You think it's funny?

Braille Displays - HumanWare USA

 

[Tresha91203]

DOS, Word Perfect, Lotus123 and dBase for my start as well.

Damn, we're old. I like it!