PCs are ubiquitous, at home, at work and at school.   Most of us seem to spend a large part of our days squinting at a monitor and with more of our shopping and entertainment being driven by the Internet, the time we spend on the computer is surely going to increase.  For many of us, that’s not a problem. But if you spend more than two hours at a computer each day, especially if you already wear glasses, it’s likely that you will experience symptoms of what some have termed Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).
Several factors can cause CVS.Decreased blinking while you’re focusing on the screen is thought to be significant.Studies have shown that the blink rate decreases to as low as 6–8 blinks per minute if you’re focused on a display (the normal blink rate is 16-20 per minute).This leads to dry eyes and the focusing for long hours also puts strain on the ciliary muscles in the eye. The most common symptoms of CVS include headaches, focusing difficulties, eyestrain, aching eyes, dry eyes, double vision, blurred vision, light sensitivity, and neck and shoulder pain. 
CVS can also accelerate the early onset of a condition called presbyopia (usually associated with aging).
The positive news is that it is relatively simple to ease these symptoms. Daft as it may sound, try blinking more often!   If you are not a glasses wearer, simple changes like ensuring your computer screen is clean, correctly positioned, and set up properly will make a difference.
If you do wear glasses, then ensuring your lenses are clean and smear free will help to reduce glare and reflections. Anti-Reflective coatings (usually available at no charge if you ask for it through suppliers like SelectSpecs.com) will reduce or eliminate surface reflections and ensure clear vision day or night.Anti-Reflective coatings also have the cosmetic advantage of making the lenses of your glasses appear almost non-existent, so your eyes look more natural.
Whether you wear glasses of not, you can improve your vision at work by having regular eye examinations, taking  frequent breaks to give your eyes a rest every 20 minutes or so and avoiding  glare or bright reflections on the screen.Change to an LCD display if you are using a CRT monitor.Get at least a 19 inch TFT screen with the highest resolution possible and a dot pitch of .maximum 28mm.They lack the “flicker” of CRT monitors and usually have an anti-reflective surface.  

The even better news is that If you you use a computer or VDU screen on a regular basis (i.e. for at least an hour most days), then according to the Health and Safety (Display Screen Equipment) Regulations 1992, your employer is obliged  to pay for regular eye examinations. Your employer may have an agreement with a local optometrist or they may refund you the cost of an examination.  If that examination reveals that you require glasses specifically for Display Screen Equipment use, your employer must also pay for budget  glasses.

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