Subject:  comp (fwd)
Date:     Tue, 28 Apr 1998 085921 -0500 (CDT)
From:     "Roy L. Beavers" <rbeavers@llion.org>
To:       emfguru@hotmail.com
--------------------------------------------------

Hi everybody:

Many of you will appreciate this one, sent by Peter DePippo.....

Roy Beavers (EMFguru)
rbeavers@llion.org..............http://www.feb.se/EMF-L/EMF-L.html
................................It is better to light a single candle ...
than to curse the darkness...............................................


From: AOL News 
Subject: Computer Vision Syndrome: Growing Crisis in the Workplace
Date: Tue, 28 Apr 1998 05:25:42 EDT
Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com)


Computer Vision Syndrome: Growing Crisis in the Workplace.......

Computer-Related Vision and Eye Problems Affecting Employee Health

And Productivity Can Be Remedied with Changes in Lighting

 LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa., April 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Eyestrain, blurred vision,
headaches and tense muscles are universal complaints among workers who put in
long hours in front of computer screens.  Although many computer users, and
their employers, figure these annoying discomforts are just something to put
up with as part of the job, one million new patients each year are seeking
professional help for computer-related eye problems according to the American
Optometric Association.  Eye doctors, alarmed by the steady stream of new
patients, see the potential for an eyestrain epidemic in the 21st century if
the problem is not addressed by U.S. businesses.

Computer-related vision and eye problems, known as Computer Vision Syndrome
(CVS), are already reaching crisis proportions in the workplace.  A study
conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health
indicated that 88 percent of the people who work at computers for more than
three hours a day suffer from symptoms of eyestrain.  And the number of CVS
sufferers seeking help is on the rise, growing from 10 million in 1992 to 15
million in 1995.  American companies and employees now spend close to $2
billion each year to diagnose and treat CVS according to the American
Optometric Association.

Since more people are using computers, it's no wonder that a Harris Poll found
that computer-related eyestrain is the number one office-related health
complaint in the United States.  And CVS will continue to increase as people
increase their dependence on computers, on-line services and the Internet.  By
the year 2000 nearly 75 percent of all U.S. employees will be in front of a
computer screen for several hours every day according to the Journal of
Behavioral Optometry.  Then, of course, many of them will log in a few more
hours in front of their computers at home every evening, thereby heightening
their chances of visual problems as well as sore necks and shoulders.

Employees at greatest risk for CVS use computers intensively for two or more
hours on a daily basis.  They are the engineers, stock brokers, administrative
assistants, editors, accountants, graphic artists, software developers,
architects, telemarketers, customer service representatives -- the valuable
business and professional people whose productivity and good health are so
crucial to a company's bottom line.

Beyond the issue of keeping those employees comfortable and happy, addressing
computer-related vision and eye problems makes economic sense.  Far from a few
minor irritations, the symptoms of CVS are severe enough to cause fatigue and
stress, increase error rates and time spent taking breaks away from the
computer, add to employee dissatisfaction with the job, absenteeism, and
become potential health insurance and disability issues.

The adverse impact of CVS has been documented with examinations of computer
users' visual performance.  A study cited in the Journal of the American
Optometric Association found that in the presence of very little visual
degradation, such as glare on a monitor, employees show an efficiency decline
of 4 percent to 19 percent in accomplishing standard tasks. Translating that
percentage into dollars, just a 4 percent improvement in efficiency of an
employee earning $30,000 per year would be worth $1,200. Consider the costs
for employees at much higher pay scales.

Providing optimum conditions for computer users impacts health costs, too. To
understand the potential for CVS to become a financial burden to American
businesses, consider its similarities to carpal tunnel syndrome.  Carpal
tunnel syndrome now costs over $8 billion in medical bills and lost work days
annually.  If CVS-related conditions begin to qualify for medical treatment
under guidelines similar to those used for carpal tunnel syndrome, employee
health and disability costs could easily escalate.

For years, ergonomics designers have studied how to adapt computers to the
human anatomy to make computing as comfortable as possible.  As a result,
ergonomic keyboards and mice, tilting computer screens, wrist supports and
other devices to relieve physical stress have become the norm.  Yet even
though it's well-known that reading a computer display is not the same as
reading a printed page, human factors engineers have failed to successfully
address the eye problems of computer users.

What can be done to help computer users who suffer from CVS?  Assorted
remedies such as anti-glare screens, special glasses, visors, eye drops
specifically for computer users, restructured workspaces, and ergonomic
furniture help in the short term.  There are even new software programs that
advise users when to take breaks.  But according to experts in various fields
-- optometrists and medical professionals, computer manufacturers, ergonomic
consultants and lighting designers -- a primary factor in computer-related eye
problems is improper lighting and a primary solution in alleviating CVS is
good light distribution.

Good light distribution is accomplished when all of the objects in the field
of view have approximately equal brightness.  Typically, that is not the case
in standard office settings.  Most office lighting, which was designed for
working on paper on a flat, horizontal desk surface, is about twice as bright
as it should be for computer work.

The constant, bright lighting and glare from overhead fluorescent lighting
produces washout, veiling reflections and an uncomfortable brightness ratio.

-- Washout, or uniform glare is the ambient light that falls across the
computer screen.  Light washes over the entire screen and lightens it, robbing
the image of sharp contrast.  For example, black objects or letters become
dark gray and closer in color value to the lighter objects or backgrounds on a
screen.  The eye must work harder to see the characters on the monitor.

-- Veiling Reflections are objects that can be seen on the screen in addition
to the screen image.  Examples are reflected documents, the user's clothing
and silhouette, furniture, objects hanging on the wall, and lighting fixtures.
Initially this multiple image is not a problem, but after two or more hours,
it becomes very tiring as the eye is always filtering out the reflected image
from the screen image.

-- Brightness Ratio is the difference in the overall brightness of the
computer screen compared to the brightness of the surrounding surfaces in the
workstation.  When there are marked differences in brightness, the eye is
forced to constantly adapt, causing strain and fatigue.

Parabolic fixtures which direct fluorescent light downward over an employee's
work area, indirect lighting techniques which focus lighting upward, screen
filters, wall and window coverings -- anything that addresses good lighting
distribution -- will help to reduce the symptoms of CVS.  Some CVS specialists
advise unscrewing a light bulb or two to achieve lower light levels, but then
what does the computer user do when more light is required to read a report or
check through a paper file?

One of the most effective and practical remedies to the lighting environment
problems is to give computer users individual control of their own overhead
fluorescent lighting.

It is now possible to adjust fluorescent lighting with a hand-held remote
control.  With the remote, the employee can adjust the fluorescent lighting to
his or her personal comfort level for various tasks at different times of the
day -- dimmer for computer work, brighter for reading or paper work.

Each employee can fit the lighting to his or her own needs without affecting
the lighting of employees in adjoining workstations.  Each person sets his or
her own lighting level depending on his or her own visual requirements and
tasks.  This economical, individualized fluorescent lighting control system --
PerSONNA from Lutron Electronics Co., Inc. -- is a small investment to
alleviate a problem that affects employees' physical and mental well-being on
a daily basis.

If not addressed, Computer Vision Syndrome will continue to raise healthcare
costs and deteriorate worker satisfaction and productivity.  The symptoms of
CVS can be remedied.  Individual lighting control puts the remedy in the
computer user's hand.  It not only creates a visual environment that is
conducive to work, it also minimizes liability and health-related expenses and
saves energy as light levels are reduced.

For more information on PerSONNA, the individual fluorescent lighting control,
please call the Lutron Hotline:  800-523-9466 or visit Lutron's Web site at
www.lutron.com.

Lutron Electronics Co., Inc., headquartered in Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, is
the world's leading designer and manufacturer of lighting controls and
architectural lighting control systems for residential, commercial, industrial
and institutional applications.

SOURCE  Lutron Electronics Co., Inc.

ST:  Pennsylvania





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Reprinted with permission of Roy Beavers, http://www.feb.se/EMF-L/EMF-L.html