Unfortunately, Computer Vision Syndrome is not only limited to the adult population. Many children are involved with computers in their school and home environments. Hours spent on computers by children can result in the same vision stresses experienced by adults. CVS in children can have a profound effect on the normal progression of their vision maturity.

Symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome usually appear after 2 or more continuous hours of work on the computer. Headaches, wandering focus, itchy or watery eyes, double vision, and blurry vision are the most common symptoms. Other symptoms also occur and can even include muscle and joint aches, especially in the shoulders and neck.

Harder to Focus On

CVS results from the affect of the computer screen on the eye. Eyes do not read and process characters on a computer screen the same way they process printed materials. Printed characters have crisp edges and high contrast levels making it easy for the eye to focus.

Characters on the computer screen are less defined. Each character is composed of small dots of light that are bright in the middle and fade towards the outer edges. Just as the images fade, our eyes wander across the characters and have difficulty finding a focal point. We must force our eyes to focus which creates a strain.

When reading printed material the eyes automatically find the RPA, the resting point of accommodation. Once this point is determined the eyes can comfortably read the text. The eye has difficulty relaxing on the RPA on the computer screen. The eye wanders and must be forced back to the focal point. This is the cause of eye tension and CVS.

Computer Reading Glasses Work

Is there help available for Computer Vision Syndrome? Yes! Computer reading glasses can greatly ease the symptoms of CVS. Reading glasses work to reduce eye strain and make it unnecessary to constantly look for a focal point when reading text on a computer screen.

Computer glasses have the added benefit of helping in the workplace. Workers who wear computer reading glasses show fewer mistakes in their work and a marked increase in output. This result is due to less stress caused by vision strain.

One drawback to computer glasses has been the fear that they may resemble safety glasses. This fear can be put to rest. Lenses for reading glasses are placed in fashion forward spectacle frames. This includes reading glass styles such as ½ frames and full frames.

Many people who work with computers regularly usually have several pairs of eye glasses instead of just one. They keep the glasses handy by storing a pair near the home and work computer while also carrying a pair for reading computer screens in department stores or at the library.

In fact some people will have reading glasses stored in every room in the house including the kitchen where so many newspapers are read and the bedroom for reading a book before falling asleep. You can keep a pair in the car too so that you always have reading glasses available no matter where you go.

Presbyopia normally appears as a part of the aging process around age 40. At this age fine print becomes difficult to read because it tends to blur. This can occur to both near and far vision, but normally occurs to near vision at this age.

There are several different ideas as to the causes of this condition, but all focus on the fact that Presbyopia is primarily due to aging. The general consensus held by most in the optical medical profession is that Presbyopia is due to stiffness that begins to slowly present itself in the lens.

Non-Invasive Correction First

Other causes of Presbyopia are gaining attention though and seem to merit further study. There is some evidence that as a person ages the lens continue to grow which results in blurred vision. What’s more, there is evidence that aging causes the muscles of the eye to disintegrate over time.

There are surgical and non-surgical remedies to correcting Presbyopia. For patients with mild cases of Presbyopia surgery is not recommended. In fact, surgery is not the answer for many patients because glasses offer a non-invasive solution.

Surgical solutions for Presbyopia include Monovision LASIK and Conductive Keratoplasty. Both of these surgeries correct the vision in one eye to see far distances and the other to see near distances. The drawbacks to this surgery include a long adjustment time after the surgery is complete. It is necessary to adjust vision to one eye at a time, a complex process which involves retraining the brain.

Multifocal Glasses

The most common solution for advanced Presbyopia is reading glasses. This magnifying power of the reading lenses is often enough to correct vision for reading purposes. Reading glasses are suggested as a starting point by an ophthalmologist for a Presbyopia patient if the patient has no other vision problems. Reading glasses will allow the patient to read text at close range without blurred vision. They are not worn at all times and can be removed when not in use.

Other options may be suggested for patients who have experienced previous vision problems. For example, in more severe vision conditions bifocal and trifocal prescription lenses allow vision to be corrected at different distances without the need for more than one pair of glasses. But these types of glasses can be very expensive. That’s why so many people have a pair of eye glasses to correct distance vision and multiple sets of affordable reading glasses kept handy in various locations.

Today’s lenses are miles apart from the thick, lined lenses of years past and can be a fashion accessory, not a drawback to appearance. The new lenses are also thin. This allows them to be placed in fashionable frames. They are coated with today’s newest UV coatings and anti-reflective coatings. In short, any lens wearers can now benefit from the latest fashion in frames and colours.

The symptoms of Presbyopia due to aging can be mild fortunately. But with the new fashion frames available today, people are much more willing to wear reading glasses than ever before.

Eyewear has come a long way from the thick lens and black frames standard in past generations. But, retro is always in and a new thinner lens can be found in updated, stylish black frames that match today’s hip fashion attitude.

There are a multitude of shapes, styles, and designs available in eyewear. A person should determine which glasses to purchase based on her fashion sense and needs.

So Many Options With Attitude

It may seem overwhelming when first faced with choosing a pair of spectacles and faced with all of today’s options. Hundreds of textures, colours, and styles ranging from funky to demure make it difficult to decide on just one pair. It is always helpful to keep a few points in mind when shopping for glasses.

• Why are the glasses needed? Will they be worn periodically or all the time?
• Hair colour, eye colour, and shape of face
• Colour likes and dislikes, predominate colours in wardrobe

And, don’t forget attitude! When choosing fashionable frames it is important to choose frames that match attitude. For example, if a person wants to express their desire to be a power player or to jet around the world, a wrap around frame or larger frame will match her attitude. Or, if an inner lady is looking to break free, the pair of dainty pastel glasses is perfect.

Amazing stylish designs in today’s frames for eye glasses include reading glasses, sunglasses, and spectacles. Reading glasses are becoming more and more popular as baby boomers begin to age and develop Presbyopia, a condition where text blurs for people beginning around middle age.

Stylish and Portable

Fashionable reading glasses are compact and can be easily stored for portability. They also come in many designs. Their frames are super lightweight and the lenses are thin. One unique style of reading glasses is the size of a credit card. It fits into a purse or wallet and is available whenever needed.

Sunglasses are necessary to wear for protection against UV rays. As with all other types of glasses they come in many different styles and colours. In the 1950’s and 1960’s the sunglass craze began with Wayfarers and Aviation style sunglasses. Today there are over one hundred fashionable favourites for fall 2009 alone.

Of course, we cannot forget spectacles. The first and foremost selling style of glasses, spectacles come in literally thousands of combinations and lens types to fits every persons needs. One truly original frame for this season is making a big splash with fashion experts. The Coccinella, or the ladybug, pays homage to nature. This frame is foldable in a flat style for ease of storage. When folded it appears to be a small jewel.

From big, bold rock star sunglasses to small scholar reading specs, amazing stylish designs in today’s eye glasses frames are a must. And why stop at one pair? If you are having trouble making a decision, buy more than one – purchase a wardrobe of fashionable spectacles.

Don’t forget the squinting too. Frequent squinting combined with the arm motions intended to place the reading material at the ideal distance is a sure sign someone is dealing with aging eyes.

There are other ways to spot people who need reading glasses. Not able to see the screw slots while doing repairs with a screwdriver around the house? Are you unable to thread the needle? Having trouble reading the instructions that came with the new television? Thought that price tag said $3.00 when it really said $8.00? Frequently find yourself asking friends or family “Can you read this for me please?”

Being Unable to Read Fine Print is Not Funny

If you can answer yes to any of these questions, then it’s time to buy reading glasses. Discovering you need eye glasses can be a bit of a shock to some people. In days past reading glasses were big, bulky…and let’s admit it…ugly. They had huge black or brown frames that turned you into an alien-looking creature when worn. People would avoid buying reading glasses as long as possible and then after a purchase hide them at home to wear secretly. Between being bulky and ugly they seldom made their way into purses or shirt pockets.

Of course there are also those people who buy reading glasses and then spend a lot of their time looking for them. The old joke about someone looking for glasses they pushed up on the head is not really a joke. It happens all the time. Eye glasses:

• Get shoved to the back of drawers
• Misplaced in cluttered purses and bag
• Fall off tables and break
• Left at the last place where they were worn
• Forgotten at work

Reading glasses left behind don’t provide any benefit when you need them (unless upon discovery someone else borrows them to read with).

That’s why someone invented the string or chain worn around the neck that holds glasses in a loop. You don’t lose them but eye glasses swinging on a chain do nothing for your outfit and can actually become a nuisance. They hit the desk or table or get in the way when bent over a filing cabinet drawer. Many people get tired of the string rubbing their neck skin.

Manufacturers have tried to make neck string or chain holders for eye glasses look trendy and appear as if they are part of an ensemble but without much success. When was the last time you saw a celebrity wearing an eye glass string or chain made of seashells or a rhinestone encrusted string? It was probably about the time the early rock and roll artist Buddy Holly performed in Australia in 1958 and bulky eye glass frames were the only choice.

It’s easy to tease people about losing their reading glasses, but the fact is that being unable to read small print is frustrating. The frustration grows exponentially when you can’t find your reading glasses. That’s why so many people own many pairs of reading glasses that can be placed in strategic locations like the office and the bedroom or on the table next to your favourite reading. But that doesn’t help you when in the restaurant reading a menu or at the grocery store trying to decide if the cheese spread has too many grams of fat listed on the label (which you instinctively know it does without reading glasses).

A New Family of Reading Glasses

So what’s the solution? Experts in easy living solutions have designed reading glasses that are only distant cousins of those ugly bulky glasses you remember. The new designs are made ultra-thin and compact so you can easily slip them into a purse or bag, shirt pocket or even the automobile glove compartment and always have them handy no matter where you are at the time without taking up valuable space.

There are even credit card sized reading glasses that will fit in a wallet, and reading glasses that do double duty as sunglasses. Just as importantly the new reading glasses are stylish and made in a variety of frame colours. So they really can complement your outfit instead of making you look like a throwback to the 1950s.

Reading glasses are needed in a number of situations throughout the day and having them readily available is important. With the compact reading glasses and reading sunglasses made today there is simply no reason to find yourself squinting, doing the arm motions, ordering the wrong menu items, or relying on other people’s eyes to read the small print. The convenience of the new designs makes it possible to always have reading glasses on hand and to look great when you actually put them on.