PC is starting to wear on me ( my eyes & ears), anything I can do to prevent damage?

snowdog

snowdog

snowdog

Soldato
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Hello,

I'm just 16 and I've basicly just tested my eyesight myself and it appears my eyes are starting to wear, seeing less than perfectly sharp @ long distance, I also noticed my right eye is worse than my left eye, when I can just not read small letters in the distance with just my right eye, my left eye can still read it ( although also starting to wear I think), is there anything I can do to my monitors to reduce eye wear? I have one CRT and one TFT (TN panel).
My crt is on the right and I think that might be the reason I see worse with right. Should I start saving for a 2nd TFT for the sake of my eyes?

I also noticed I've been seeing more ''grainy'' these days, I in dark area's of my room in the evening my eyes kind of grain... :confused: Kinda like camera's in dark conditions, but a lot less extreme just a kind of grainy pattern in the distance. My eyes are agitated now when watching tv in a dark room, I can see the kind of ''flash'' effect, I see a line of light coming off the screen from the bottom left to top right. Also seem to rub my eyes quite often ( I know it's bad ) wich means my eyes tear a bit more as they used to, especially when yawning ( wich I do a lot, I don't sleep enough) as a result I keep rubbing em dry :(.

So except for more sleep, would an lcd be less agressive than a CRT ?
Anything else I can do to ''protect'' my remaining eyesight?

Now moving on: My ears, 2 years ago I did an earcheck and had perfect hearing, now I can clearly notice it's deteriorated and an online test says I have minor ear damage. Now again one ear is better than the other, my left one is poorer than my right one, I've concluded this because when I listen to music through headphones on my right ear, I can barely make out what people are saying to me in noisy envoirements, but when I listen to music with left ( so I have right free), I can hear people more clearly. But both my ears are damaged I guess as I can barely eastdrop on a conversation that is litteraly 25 CM away when in a mid noise envoirement ( about 50-55 db I'd say), I noticed this during sports today @ school, people that sat next to me were talking and I couldn't make out what they were saying even though they talked normally.

Now I also have a theory why my left ear is degrading more, my subwoofer is directly to the left of my monitor pointing directly @ my left ear ( exact height too, bout 20-30 cm distance), would it be better to put the sub on the ground or is my theory rubbish and won't it make any difference ?
Problem is I love banging out loud music wich obviously contributes to the problem :(. Why can't ears like loud music :mad:?


So, in short, what's most eye and ear friendly in terms of pc and music, I love loud music and long gamign sessions, but I don't want to be deaf & blind @ 30 ( exgaggerated I know, but you know what I mean).
Is having a subwoofer 30 cm directly in front of your left ear very bad and should I put it elsewhere? Are tft's more eye friendly than CRT's ?
 
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We can't advise on medical threads but there are lots of online guides for appropriate use of VDUs, not to mention guidelines of breaks every hour or so when gaming and not playing in the dark etc.

Oh, and it's areas and cameras - there is no need for apostrophes.
 
I'll say the obvious because I'm no expert. Replace CRTs with TFTs (like everyone else did 5 years ago) - they're definitely better for your eyes. Keep the screens at least an arm's length away from yourself. The subwoofer should really go on the floor, even just for sound quality IMO. Stop using headphones, especially at high volumes, since they're the fastest way to kill your ears.

If you can, position your monitor so its in front of the window. This way it's easier to look up and look outside at distant objects to relax your eyes. You should really be giving your eyes a rest every half an hour, especially if you're getting these problems. Get at least 8 hours sleep a day and turn off the computer when you feel tired (ie. when you can actually feel your eyes straining). I've found that drinking as much water as possible also helps to relieve tension in the eyes and brain (scientifically speaking, looking at colourful, changing images uses a lot of your brain power).

Finally, I'm afraid you will have to cut those long gaming sessions. I'm sure you would like to be gaming for as many years as possible :) Find another hobby to replace it... like playing the guitar. You might also get away with playing console games on a TV at a distance.
 
my eyesight and hearing has always been 'less then perfect'
the worst thing i get is morning headaches!!! every single morning for the rest of my life i will wake up with a 'chronic' tension headache :( according to the doctor theres no cure i just have to take painkillers for it

not 100% sure if its pc usage that has caused it but its a possiblity
 
Dont know about effects to your hearing etc, but a subwoofer sounds a lot better in a corner , or just on the floor in general. Do not have it at head height
 
Try angling the monitor so that it is on the left or right, such that you need to turn your head when to view the monitor. That way its not directly infront of you so you dont stare at it.
 
Hedge said:
Dont know about effects to your hearing etc, but a subwoofer sounds a lot better in a corner , or just on the floor in general. Do not have it at head height
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my sub is above head height :D i dont really play it loud though... dam neighbours lol
 
You tested your own eyesight, how does that work, go to a optician you might need glasses, eyesight does not get worse from looking at a monitor.
 
snowdog said:
Now moving on: My ears, 2 years ago I did an earcheck and had perfect hearing, now I can clearly notice it's deteriorated and an online test says I have minor ear damage.
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It's an online test, don't take it as 100% accurate, instead try doing a proper test :)

I know what you mean about having trouble hearing conversations in noisy environments, my hearing is not all that great due to listening to loud music a lot when I was a bit younger, so I've started wearing ear plugs when seeing artists live, and also bought a decent set of head phones for my ipod that seal the ear from the outside so you don't need it as loud, seems to have helped a bit as the constant ringing has pretty much gone :)

Generally I go by if your ears are ringing after listening to music then it's too loud
 
my eyesight and hearing has always been 'less then perfect'
the worst thing i get is morning headaches!!! every single morning for the rest of my life i will wake up with a 'chronic' tension headache according to the doctor theres no cure i just have to take painkillers for it

not 100% sure if its pc usage that has caused it but its a possiblity
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Sorry to hear, luckily I have no such problems, sounds very bad to have headache every morning, rly sorry to hear, kind of makes me happy I don't have such problems.

Try angling the monitor so that it is on the left or right, such that you need to turn your head when to view the monitor. That way its not directly infront of you so you dont stare at it.
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It is, my crt anyways wich I use as my 2ndary screen.


cheets64 said:
You tested your own eyesight, how does that work, go to a optician you might need glasses, eyesight does not get worse from looking at a monitor.
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How?
I have a linksys wireless router box in front of me, I close one eye, and go backwards till I can not read a sentance on it any more, then see with my 2nd eye at that distance, wich happens to still read it.

Generally I go by if your ears are ringing after listening to music then it's too loud
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My ears are ringing almost 24/7, I just don't pay attantion to it, but in bed after I shut down my pc or now atm because I read it I can hear it.

Oh, and it's areas and cameras - there is no need for apostrophes.
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Okay :confused:, you know I'm a foreign teenager that hasn't known a word english till about 10, It was hard enough getting all the initial mistakes out of my op :(.
not to mention guidelines of breaks every hour or so when gaming and not playing in the dark etc.
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I know, but as a gamer, I find myself mostly ignoring this :(, perhaps I should gain some brains and listen to it.

Stop using headphones,
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It's hard, I like listening to mp3's @ school.
No other way than headphones, can't listen on speakers in class can I :( ?

Dingleberry88 said:
Turn the brightness down a bit on your monitors.

I also find TFTs much easier on the eyes than CRTs.
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Tft = @ 50%, crt @ 100% but it's less bright, it's very old and worn now.




However, some of my problems may be due to too little sleep, I keep going to bed way too late and sleeping just 5-6 hrs a day on average during school, I'm trying to fix this but it's hard, used to be a bit better awhile ago as a good talkshow started @ 10.30 pm and I just went to bed to watch it, closed to once it was doen and went to sleep, and fell asleep soon always, but now that it's not on as the season is over, I can't force myself to stop doing pc stuff or tv at a particular time :(, resulting in a sleep shortage. I guess it'd be a lot better for me if I prevent being tired but atm druing schooldays I'm tired & drowsy pretty much the whole day.
Nvm about that tho.

Will try to save some money for a nice 2nd tft :).
Will also put the sub on the grnd soon.
Window is a bit of a problem, I cant put my mons in front of a window as I have a tilted roof, the windows are below my eyesight when I'm sitting in my desk too.



thx for the reply's :).
 
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Haha, i'm also 16 and I get the grainy kind of vision. When I look at anything I almost see the photons entering my eyes. Maybe we're evolving.
 
Repetitive breaks away from your monitor will help relax your eyes.. The eyes don't blink as much when you are at a monitor due to concentration, and your vision is perminetly set at a fixed distance for longer than normal, thats why sore and dry eyes are experianced during long hours at your PC.... Again during gaming etc, make sure you take breaks away from your monitor for your eyes to relax and re-focus..;)
 
use the computer less, thought itd be obvious. have a break every half an hour.
get eye exam..

reading your post again im seeing you really need to think about your life... Shouldnt you have a few more healthy hobbies and put things into perspective?
Why the heck are you doing all these online tests for, that just reaks of lazyness and paranoia, go get the proper checks done if your worried. Healthy life is all about balance, you currently have none.
 
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Monitors (CRT or TFT) do not harm your eyes directly. This is not just a random statement - it has evidence to back it up. Eyestrain on the other hand most certainly does, and a badly set up monitor of either type can certainly exacerbate that.

Regular breaks are key, as is not looking at a monitor in a darkened room (I know a lot of gamers do it, but it really isn't a good idea). You can also do focusing excercises (e.g. look out of a window at a distant object and then back to your monitor) to help. But, if you are suffering from tiredness/dry eyes, then do something about that.

If in doubt, go see an optician and get your eyes checked properly, rather than relying on some potentially dodgy self-applied test.
 
snowdog said:
Window is a bit of a problem, I cant put my mons in front of a window as I have a tilted roof, the windows are below my eyesight when I'm sitting in my desk too.
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You can't put your mons in front of a window because you'll get a very dodgy reputation and possibly a visit from the police! Assuming you're female - if you're male, you don't have one.
 
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