Gain and pain too

Gadgets may speed up our day-to-day work and communication. But, do we realise they could pose a health hazard, asks Geeta Padmanabhan

This story appeared in TODAY.com. A Swedish couple has moved to a stretch of forests and frozen lakes so they could live outside the reach of all cellular towers and wireless signals. Electromagnetic waves, they say, give them headaches, rashes, nausea and fatigue. In medical terms, they are “electrosensitive”.

E-sensitivity is not recognised as a medical diagnosis. But there is a move in Europe to ban cellphones and Wi-Fi in schools, the Telegraph reported. Research is on to see if long-term e-radiation could lead to skin irritation, brain cancer, leukaemia and neurological diseases.

Computer Vision Syndrome

The buzz of modern life — the jingle of cell phones, the hum of laptops, the cloud of Wi-Fi — is enough to give anyone a headache. But when we dig into the inbox and tweak the spreadsheet all day, we aren't being kind to our eyes. “Eight-to-ten hours a day at the computer bring on symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome, a widespread medical condition common in these high-tech times,” says eye surgeon Dr. Mohan Rajan. “Staring at the computer reduces your blinking reflex and consequently, eye fluid generation. The result is dryness, red eyes, fatigue, head/brow ache.” Home doesn't bring relief if you plonk yourself in front of the LED/Plasma TV and reach for the remote.

Count the ergonomic problems of living in a plugged-in world, says Dr. Sunder, MD (www.premergonomics.in) who visits software companies to talk about pain syndromes. Laptops, he says, are the prime suspects for severe pain in the young. “Laptops offer the facility of working from wherever you are — at the airport or in your bedroom. This inherent advantage could be detrimental to your health because there is no fixed posture at which one works on the laptop.” How you bend over the laptop or notebooks is different from the way you sit at the PC, he says. In a PC, the keyboard and the monitor are separate and can be placed at different levels. In a laptop/notebook they are attached. You place the gadget at a lower level, and hunch over it. If you're tall, you bend that much more. You can place the monitor at eye-level, but then reaching the keyboard is uncomfortable. You work on and straighten up with a sharp backache.

You don't walk to the bank, shop, stand in a queue to withdraw money or stroll to the post-office, he says. “Your computer has invaded all these domains and threatens to occupy your leisure hours too.” You watch movies, surf the Net, socialise — all these adding to the computer work in the office. Fast repetitive actions such as typing are superimposed on an immobile body causing newer syndromes. One is repetitive strain injury (RSI). “The medical field is coming to terms with the large number of cases relating to RSI,” he says.

Office ergonomics

Take care, say the doctors. “There are many reasons for neck and back pain. It's best to adopt a lifestyle that includes good office ergonomics, dietary habits, comfortable travel options and, last but not the least, exercise involving the rest of the body,” says Dr. Sunder. Buy ergonomic accessories such as a modified or an external keyboard. Have exercise breaks; half your waking hours are spent on e-gadgets.

“Keep your monitor below eye level, 15 cm away,” says Dr. Rajan. The closer mode will make you blink. Don't put your workstation against the wall. Make sure there's something to look at beyond the wall to take your eyes off the screen. Turn off overhead lights and face your screen away from direct sunlight to avoid glare, he advises.

Try these as well. “Bias lighting” that creates a soft white glow around your screen reduces eye fatigue by “increasing perceived image clarity”. A polarising filter, the kind you'll find on a professional photographer's lens. An anti-glare filter that snaps on your monitor. A matte screen or an “anti-glare” screen, as in the MacBook Pro laptops.

Also, keep your monitor or laptop lid at a 90-degree angle to reduce glare from nearby light sources. Lower the brightness level and see if it feels better. Check. Is your computer/laptop well-calibrated? Do the images have clear colours, contrast and brightness? Find calibrator assistance in the Settings menu.

And oh, take a break. Follow the “20-20-20 rule” — every 20 minutes look at an object 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Take short, frequent breaks from your screen. Set a recurring alarm on your phone to remind you to get away from the computer. Take a stroll; wash your face. Your back, neck and eyes will thank you.

WHAT TO DO

* On a Mac, access a built-in tool called Display Calibrator Assistant.

* Open System Preferences > Displays > Color tab >Calibrate.

* On other computers, it's a web tool — Screen Check.

* Explore the settings to decide what looks right for you.