Yes, Computer Vision Syndrome is a real diagnosis, and if you work on the computer for greater than 3 hours at one sitting, you likely suffer from it!  Extended computer use has been well documented to cause eye strain and fatigue, watering, burning, redness, dryness, blurry vision, and headaches.  Why is using the computer so detrimental to your eyes?  It is a really unnatural setting for our ocular system.

• The computer is typically 2-3 feet in front of us, forcing our eye muscles to constantly "accommodate" or strain to focus
• We blink about 50% less at the computer screen because our brain signals our eyes to stay open longer to process more information.  Basically you are staring.  For hours.  Without a break.
• Not only is the screen unnaturally close and you are staring at it, there's also light coming from it, casting a constant glare that obscures vision

http://ergonomics.about.com/od/office/ss/computer_setup_2.htm

Let's face it, wearing contact lenses can be a very uncomfortable experience.  Think of a contact lens as a little piece of plastic that you are putting into your eye.  The higher your prescription, or if you have astigmatism, the thicker that piece of plastic is going to be.  It's amazing you can even stand wearing it for a few hours!

Contact lenses have come a long way in to improve their safety and  comfort since first being introduced mainstream in the 1970's.  With that being said, today's contact lenses can still provide major health risks (see THIS post) and cause significant dryness, pain, and comfort issues.  Here's a break down on how to get the BEST contact lens experience.

1) WEARING TIME
All contact lenses are going to lose their moisturization as the day goes on.  Typically, you can expect 12-14 hours of comfortable wearing time with today's soft contact lenses.  Some people can get more; some people can get less.  It all depends on your body's own chemistry and amount of tear film production.  Your work environment can also play a role.  On the computer all day?  Your contact lenses are going to be a lot dryer that the average person's, because we blink about 50% less during computer use.

Not everyone can sleep in contact lenses, and if you wake up with dry, uncomfortable eyes, discontinuing "extended wear" or overnight wear is the first change you need to make.  Think of sleeping in lenses as a special ability that only some, super moisturized eyes can take.  And remember, your brand of contact lens may not be approved to handle overnight wear without major medical risks. Only Air Optix Night and Day has the moisturization and oxygen transmission to the eye that meets FDA standards for a month of continual overnight wear.  If you don't wear this lens, then you need to be taking your lenses out at night, at least a few nights a week.

2) DISPOSAL SCHEDULE
All contact lenses have an expiration date that is determined after rigorous FDA studies that investigate safety and corneal health factors.  Your cornea is a delicate tissue with NONE of it's own blood vessels.  It gets all of its oxygen from the atmosphere.  Now you are going to put a piece of plastic over top of it, and slowly suffocate it for the next month.  Sounds crazy, right?  Wearing contact lenses is a dangerous activity, and should be treated with the utmost responsibility.  Your doctor will tell you how long your contact lenses are approved for, but the information is also readily available online.  The most popular monthly lenses are Air Optix, Biofinity, and Pure Vision.  If you wear Acuvue products, then the MOST you can wear your lens  is for 2 weeks.  Acuvue doesn't make any monthly products.  Even if you take them out EVERY night (like you are supposed to if you wear Acuvue lenses), you have to throw them away every 14 days!

With a few exceptions, most of today's soft contact lenses are either monthly, bi-weekly, or daily disposal.  No surprise here, but if your contact lenses are uncomfortable, then changing to a brand that you throw away more often will increase comfort.  A recent study published in Contact Lens Spectrum showed that 2 week disposal lenses (when thrown away every 2 weeks) consistently rated higher on vision quality, comfort, and dryness than monthly contact lenses.  Dailies are the ultimate for dryness and comfort issues.  If you are having difficulty with your contact lenses, often times changing to a lens that you throw away more often is going to solve the issue.  Nothing beats a fresh, new contact lens that you throw away every single day!

I have tried on a LOT of contact lenses, and Acuvue TruEye is the most comfortable lens I have worn thus far.  It is an excellent daily option for people with very intense dryness issues.

3) SOLUTIONS
Yes, solutions DO matter.  There's a reason that name brand solutions cost more than generics.  Let me reassure you, all contact lens solutions that you can purchase over the counter are approved for killing bacteria and pathogens.  The difference comes in the amount of preservatives and moisturizers.  Today's best contact lens solutions kill pathogens with less preservatives (these are toxic to your eyes!) and added moisturizers.  Try Opti-Free Pure Moist and Biotrue for great options.

If your contact lenses are still feeling uncomfortable towards the end of the month, try using a hydrogen peroxide solution for an extra intensive clean.  Clearcare solution will solve almost everyone's end of the month comfort issues, but you can use it every single night too for ultimate contact lens 'freshness'.  Just remember, you have to let the solution sit in the special case for at least 6 hours before you get any solution in your eyes!!

Do you ever see tiny specs floating around your vision?  Some people describe them as little dots of "gnats" in their vision. Others see strings or strands.  I've even known a patient who complained of a "letter Q" in her vision, and low and behold, when I looked inside her eye she really almost did!  These little specs or spots move when your eye moves, and tend to be more visible on lighter or brighter backgrounds, like computer screens or looking outside on a bright day with a clear sky.  

http://www.miodesopsie.it/eng/site/floaters.asp

Here's another healthy dosage of retinal photos from my days at work.  Again, the white reflections are really just unfortunate camera artifacts.

When you look in the mirror, do you see any bumps on your eye or eyelids?  You are not alone!  I answer questions about "eye bumps" every single day, and most every one of these ocular growths are a very common entity.  I see so many different kinds of eye growths, or ocular lesions as we techinically label them, that I can spot them even when I don't want to.  Like when I am in the theater watching a movie.

Pinguecla via peperonity.com

Daniel Craig:  Can you spot the pinguecula?  Look at the inner (nasal) corner of the left eye.  It is small, but definitely present.

We have read research claiming that early retinal vasculature changes could clue eye care providers in to early signs of Alzheimer's.  But what if detecting Alzheimer's was as easy as putting in an eye drop and looking at the eye?  We may be getting very close to this seemingly unlikely reality

fluorescent dye signals the presence of amyloid deposits

Is your child near-sighted (or myopic)?  Chances are, their prescription is only going to increase as they grow!  Myopia progression is something that I discuss with worried parents daily.  Many parents have high prescriptions themselves, and would love to save their child from the difficulties involved with highly myopic prescriptions. Unfortunately trying to prevent this from happening is a difficult battle.

Atropine:  Warning--it burns when it is inserted into the eye!