Take a look at two sides of the debate in this article from the Wall Street Journal. And remember, no matter which side you are on, computer vision syndrome is a real problem. Help your children avoid eye strain by teaching them good habits like the 20-20-20 rule.

Today’s blog post features questions asked by VSP members and answers from VSP Optometrists Thomas Jonas, O.D. and Jennifer Wademan, O.D.

1. Should you have your eyes checked every year or like every other year if you’re diabetic? What is the normal?

VSP Provider Jennifer Wademan, OD

Annual eye exams with a dilated retinal exam or retinal photography are recommended for a person with diabetes.   Annual eye exams are very important for  people with diabetes   because uncontrolled or fluctuating blood sugar levels can cause changes in vision but most importantly, irreversible damage to the back of the eye, leading to permanent vision loss.  However, even a person whose diabetes is under perfect control, can still develop changes.  For that reason, it is essential for  people with diabetes to have an eye exam  annually.

Annual eye exams  are recommended for everyone — babies (starting at 6 months), children, adults, and seniors. Eye exams are especially important for children because nearsightedness, farsightedness, and/or astigmatism can easily go undetected in a child and potentially lead to vision and learning problems as the child gets older. Even adults who have great vision should get an annual eye exam. Your VSP eye doctor can detect signs of health conditions, like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.

2. How much of a risk am I at for glaucoma if a sister and brother have it? 

A family history of glaucoma certainly puts you at an increased risk for the disease; however, it is only one of several risk factors. Your VSP eye doctor can assess if you have any other risk factors for the disease, such as increased eye pressure, reduced peripheral vision, and/or changes to structures in the back of the eye.  A family history of the disease is only one piece of the puzzle and a glaucoma diagnosis is not solely based on this alone.  However, it is important that you relay a family history to your VSP eye doctor and he/she can determine what level of risk you have for developing the disease.

3. Every so often, a red spot appears/white area of my eye. What causes this? Could it be sinus/allergy related? 

VSP Provider Thomas Jonas, OD

Red spots or redness to the white part of the eye can be a number of things, from allergies to an infection. What is most important is that you see your VSP eye doctor to have your eyes checked with the proper equipment and determine what treatment would be necessary.

4. What can I do to prevent styes?

Some individuals are more prone to styes and require routine cleaning around the eyelash and eyelid area.  To prevent sytes from occurring; regularly using a warm compresses and/or eye drops or ointments may be needed.  However, certain systemic conditions can increase the frequency of styes and may require prescribed medication to prevent them from reoccurring.  An evaluation by your VSP eye doctor can determine the cause of styes and help to prevent them in the future.

5. I have started getting frequent migraines. I seem to be getting more sensitive to bright lights. What to do? 

First and foremost, visit your VSP eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam.  Headaches and migraines can be the result of uncorrected nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism.   During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor will also check the overall health of your eyes and can determine if the migraines are the result of something else pertaining to the front or back of the eye.

6. I’m on the computer several hours a day. What can I do to protect my eyes?

Computer work can cause multiple symptoms including headache, double vision, loss of focus, dry eyes, excessive blinking, tearing, and general eye fatigue known a computer vision syndrome (CVS).  To help control the symptoms make sure you discuss your symptoms with your eye doctor and try these tips:

1) Talk to your eye doctor about computer vision glasses, which can help with focusing and reduce some of the strain the computer places on your eyes

2) Adjust your work space and lighting to reduce the reduce the strain your monitor may put on your eyes, back and neck

3) Take frequent breaks. Remember the 20/20/20 rule.  Every 20 minutes take a 20 second break to look at something 20 feet away.  This will give your eyes some time to rest.

For more information about eye health, please visit The Center.

VSP EyeFiles Season 2 continues with Dr. Liddicoat’s recommendations for avoiding digital eye strain, which include:

• Getting annual comprehensive eye exams: make sure your eyes are healthy and can see properly without squinting.
• Following the 20/20/20 rule: every 20 minutes, focus on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
• Ensuring proper lighting: reduce bright light and position devices to reduce reflections and glare.
• Limiting device use: watch for squinting and eye rubbing as this indicates overuse
• Establishing proper working distance: use the distance from your elbow to your knuckle—about 18”.
• Going outside: daily outdoor play can reduce the risk of nearsightedness.

For more information on these tips, be sure to watch VSP Eyefiles episode below, and don’t forget to enter the contest on our Facebook page. You could win a Samsung Galaxy Tab!

The Blink Now(TM) device encourages blinking subconsciously.

When I’m really concentrating on a project, I’m not thinking about blinking. Hours can pass before I even look away from the screen. Of course, this is really how computer vision syndrome becomes a problem, and I know I’m not alone. So how can I remind myself to take breaks—even blink? I took to the Web to see what I could find.

Some sites suggested that I use a timer, but I’m fairly certain my co-workers would not enjoy that. I found a few timers that featured a flashing-only option, but I wasn’t that impressed with them for the cost. I also think that continually resetting a time would be invasive to my workflow. Here’s what I found:

• Protectyourvision.org stays open in the background and sounds an alert every 20 minutes. Then, once you click a button to start your “break,” the screen goes black to encourage eye rest. After 20 seconds, another 20-minute session starts. There’s even an “eyes gymnastics” section you can visit. I found the site to be pretty handy, simple and customizable, but it does require at least some engagement.
• Dryeyezone.com offers a pop-up window with an eyeball that blinks every 10 seconds. I put it up in the corner of my monitor to see if I would blink more often, and I often noticed that I blinked right after the on-screen eye did. One drawback is that if you open another window over it, the eyeball will not be visible and is therefore useless.
• Blink Now, similar to the eye above, this it’s a small, external screen that can attach to your monitor. The screen is a frequently blinking eye. I think it’s pretty innovative to present a schematic of an eyeball to subconsciously encourage more blinking. I will admit it’s a bit creepy to have an eye staring back at me, but it’s definitely worth it if I can avoid dry eyes and headaches.

Let me know what you think about the options presented above or any ideas you may have of your own.

Cathy G. a.k.a. Fashion Maven

Here’s what’s been going on with my eyes for the last few months and why I want to “tear” them out of my head! They’ve been beyond irritated almost as if someone blew 1,300 lashes into my eyes then forced me to blink, they’re excessively watery (puzzling as you find out the cause), burn, with blurred vision.

Off to my trusted VSP optometrist, I went, and here’s what he was able to assess through an eye exam. Mine are classic symptoms of…drum roll please…dry eye syndrome, or not producing enough tears or having poor tear quality. My particular malfunction is with tear quality. Really? Seriously?

You’re probably wondering, like I was, how does this happen? Well, dry eye syndrome can be brought on by a variety of factors such as environment, computer and/or digital device use, age (typically over 65), some medical conditions, certain medications, gender (yes ladies, its more prevalent in women) and other factors which may include long term contact lens use or after refractive eye surgeries like LASIK.

All that said, my optometrist put me on a treatment plan to help manage the symptoms yet informed me that it can be a chronic condition. Yikes! There are a few different approaches but here’s my plan for improving my tear quality:

* Hot compresses twice a day while gently massaging eyelids
* Use artificial tears specifically designed for dry eye
* Take nutritional supplements containing essential fatty acids
* Drink plenty of water
* Blink regularly while at the computer or using digital devices (a.k.a. the 20/20/20 rule)
* Wear computer vision glasses
* Wear sunglasses outdoors, to protect from the wind and sun

Why am I telling you all my dry eye woes? I sincerely hope that if one of you reads this and thinks that you may have dry eye syndrome know that there is hope for more comfortable vision. Please see your optometrist for an eye exam and treatment options tailored to your specific needs.

Wishing you all adequate tear production and fabulous tear quality!

Fashion Maven (a.k.a. dry eye girl)

Philip K. is a member of VSP's Enterprise Information Services and avid video gamer

I’ve been playing a good amount of online multi-player video games over the past year – specifically Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops – two of the most popular games in the past couple years.  If you’ve played the games, you know that it’s not uncommon to play for three to four hours without a break. 

After an extended period of play, my eyes become dry and sore and I wind up with a headache.  All the things that make the games great like the high level of detail, fast pace action, pinpoint accuracy, and stiff competition is what also makes it tough on the eyes.  Your eyes need to constantly adjust and focus on the ever changing game environment details, finding targets that are small and large.  It’s no wonder my eyes get so tired.

Whether you play yourself or you have kids that play, it’s important to understand the strain that your eyes go through and pay attention to what your eyes are telling you.  Here’s an opportunity to use the 20-20-20 rule.  Take a break every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.  Give your eyes a rest and enjoy your gaming experience! Here are five more tips to help ease eye strain while on a digital device.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Mother of two and fellow blogger Jessica Gottlieb recently expressed her concern, from personal experience, about digital devices and young children. She also shares some of our CVS tips to help keep your child’s eyes safe and healthy while using such devices. Find out her story.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dr. Lior Koppel is a private practice eye doctor at Eye Krafters Optical in Edison, New Jersey.

Dr. Nate Bonilla-Warford, a regular contributor to the VSPBlog, was recently featured in a post on Mashable - a key source on the web for social media and technology news .

Here’s an excerpt …

Dr. Nathan Bonilla-Warford is a VSP provider practicing in Tampa, FL

In attempting to sum up the world in 2010, one word comes to mind: connected. Everywhere we go we carry devices that keep us connected to something important to us. Be it a sleek new tablet letting you share photos with the person helping load your groceries, or a smartphone making sure you don’t miss that late night e-mail from a colleague; we are now constantly connected to the world around us, more than ever before.

We’ve become dependent on these digital devices to survive both professionally and personally, and with the holiday season now upon us and digital devices topping most of our gift wish lists, the amount of time we spend with these gadgets will only increase. Yet many of us forget to consider two devices we are naturally equipped with that keep us more connected to the world than anything else: our eyes. Consumers often don’t think about the impact digital devices might have on their vision, and it can be to the detriment of not just their health, but also productivity.

In an effort to help consumers keep their eye health in mind this winter while enjoying these amazing products, we’ve put together five tips for creating a vision-healthy environment for digital device usage.

See Dr. Nate’s tips and read the entire article here.