Posted by
timothy
on from the mmmm-lcds-are-great dept.
SunPin writes "Slashdotters are doomed. An article from Reuters describes serious health problems from using CRTs (they call them "VDT") for too long. Studies show that we need more studies." So go ahead and expense a three-head LCD setup for your desk.
Study this!
by
Blackneto
·
· Score: 5, Interesting
It's not just the CRT, it's the SITTING. All day in one position, gee I wonder if thats going to have an effect on you. The only damage I've had from sitting in front of a monitor at work for 10 years is 100 more pounds on my frame than I should have.
-- Ursula Andress, Catherine Deneuve, and Charo, twice...
Re:Study this!
by
Alphi1
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
This is the thing that bugs me about this type of "study"...
They have two years (so they claim) worth of data that they ASSUME is due to the CRT, and nothing else...
But my experience has been that people who look at a CRT all day also tend to have other things in common. They (generally) also sit all day. They (generally) sit in close proximity to a computer. Heck, they even (usually) work with those new-fangled devices, called a keyboard and a mouse.;)
But none of those are to blame for what they've seen, it MUST be the CRT.
But do they have "control" cases, where people are sitting at a desk, with a computer (and mouse and keyboard) that DOESN'T have a monitor (a CRT)? Not terribly likely.
The article doesn't mention or theorize why these symptoms are occuring. We don't know that LCDs are necessarily a solution to the problem, even if they're generally better on the eyes.
Mental symptoms such as lethargy, anxiety and "reluctance to go to work," as well as sleep-related problems including insomnia and fatigue, were most common among workers who spent more than 5 hours a day glued to their computer screen.
Maybe it's just from staring at a fixed object without moving for long periods of time? Staring at a textbook for five hours would probably give me those symptoms as well in the short term.
Better than flat screen: get one of these
by
rufusdufus
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
I just got a new Hitachi CP-SX5500W. It is a bright projection LCD that does better than 1280x1024. I am using it for my main computer display. I now have a 72+ inch display. Woohoo! No CRT strain here!
LSD^H^H^HLCD
by
RAMMS+EIN
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Fortunately, I've mostly ditched CRTs for LCD. I use my laptop to control all the computers I administer, and I connect the CRT I have only in emergency cases, i.e. when the machine won't run sshd so that I can't log in to it. LCDs (I think they are more correctly called TFTs?) are energy-efficient, produce next to no radiation, are small, and don't flicker. On the flip side, they're more expensive and less flexible (resolutionwise) than CRTs. However, 1024x768 is the only resolution I use, and I'm glad to pay a little more for all the goodies I get.
--- Shaw's Principle:
Build a system that even a fool can use, and only a fool will want to use it.
As a read it I felt like it was answering my problems. Through college I gradualy found my self in front of computers for greater amounts of time and now feel like as they describe, I can't sleep for crap any more. I ether sleep for 15hrs a day or don't sleep at all. Hell it's 5am and I'm up. I was tired a bit ago, but no more, I have to study for a test but don't feel like it, but I'm up because I'm wanting to study.
Well guess it's time to make coffee
Re:I like this study
by
mshurpik
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I've noticed this. I think it's because sitting in front of the computer basically takes no energy. You can easily pull an all-nighter clicking and browsing around. Then you crash.
Any normal activity, like driving, shopping, going to work eventually exhausts me to the point where I want some good sleep. Coding will do that too, but video games, web browsing etc. doesn't seem to.
What factors did they take into account?
by
ifoxtrot
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
Quoting from the article: '"In our study, we found a significant relationship between duration of daily VDT use and physical symptoms," even after adjusting for other factors that could influence the results, the authors write. '
I'd like to know how they account for these 'other factors'. I'm just wondering whether this could be attributed to the kind of working environment these people face... Stress is know to be a major cause of the symptoms they describe and I'm not sure how they factor that into their analysis... Nevertheless I agree that more research is necessary.
For years I have been unable to sleep properly. It's been at least 6 years, perhaps since I was 15, maybe younger. I wake up feeling energetic, sort of - able to leap over piles of junk in my room instantly. Yet for the whole day my eyes feel sleepy, like they want to sleep. And my body screams out that it's not ready for bed.
Before you say it, I already know - this sounds pretty much like I'm not getting enough excercise, and spending too much time looking at a monitor. However, even if I spend a month away from a computer, doing active outdoor activities, it still makes no difference. I think it may take longer time.
If it is true that an LCD is better for me, then I will gladly get one to end the way I feel. It's just...something...like a constant gnawing, irritation. I'm able to fall to sleep, providing I go when my body is ready. This is usually around 2-3am. Sometimes (very rarely) it can be as late as 7am before my body is ready to sleep. If I go too early I simply cannot sleep. If I go when I am ready I fall to sleep within, perhaps, 30 minutes.
I don't feel much back pain (if any) though, and my eyes almost never feel strained or saw (right now being the exception, so I'm about to go do something else).
So, is an LCD really going to reduce the effects that this article talks about?
One year after starting my job I got all the symptoms mentioned. I have to sit in front of the computer all the day (>8hrs). I had pains in my shoulders, neck, and lower back, I had eyestrain, and my index finger hurt from using the scroll wheel (that's why a 1-button-mouse is a good thing:-). I also developed some neurotic behavior including anxiety (9/11 helped much to make things worse:-(), and I didn't like the job very much, also the colleagues and the whole environment is really great - also the job is easy and well paid.
I coped with it mostly by doing one thing: sports. Since I go to the gym 3 times a week, everything went back to normal. No pain, no fear.
I have these symptoms too but
by
supertsaar
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
My feeling is that they are more likely to be caused by the fact that my job is boring, the workload is too high and most of my colleagues are dildo's.
I think many jobs that require a person to sit in front of a monitor for more than 6-7 hours a day are probably monotonous and unsatisfying.
So this accounts for the described symptoms better than any wierd electromagnetic radiation effects the post suggests (and would also mean that getting that ultra-sexy cinema display would _not_ help a bit)
Of course this does not apply to people that do some actual creative work that they like to do (programmers, video artists, whatever)
Well. Perhaps I should become a farmer or something.
-- The Bigger The Headache The Bigger the Pill
Re:safety goggles?
by
SecGreen
·
· Score: 4, Interesting
Don't knock the safety goggles.. My brother works in a manufacturing plant, and while he was using a high-speed bandsaw to take a sample of a metal part for destructive testing, the part self destructed sending a _very_ high velocity projectile directly at his face. The face shield absorbed some of the impact as it cracked, and the safety glasses under the face shield distributed the remaining force accross the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. He had a broken nose and racoon-style black eyes for a couple weeks, but at least he still has the use of both eyes.
And we computer geeks have the nerve to whine about our arses getting sore... There's a simple solution: Drink 2 quarts of water every work day. You'll be surprised how many levels this will work on: 1. You'll have to get up and take a walk to the loo at least every hour. This excercise and stretching will help eliminate the aches & pains. 2. With the extra water, your body will be more efficient at eliminating toxins, and you'll generally feel better and more alert. 3. Keeping a steady flow of water will eliminate cravings for junk food & soda. This will have the long term effect of making you more attractive to the opposite sex!
Considering that most of the symptoms (including eye-strain) can be compounded by cronic dehydration, this regimin is worth a try!
regards, -sg
-- Dupe posts are/.'s tacit protest on the rights of users to time-shift content...
I'm not so sure
by
estoll
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
I've been sitting in front of a CRT for 15 years and I'm sure the average is more than 5 hours/day. I can admit, most of those symptoms are true, but I highly doubt they are from the CRT.
"including headache, low back pain, eyestrain, depression and anxiety." "complained of headache, eyestrain, joint pain and stiff shoulders." "lethargy, anxiety and "reluctance to go to work," as well as sleep-related problems including insomnia and fatigue"
Get a new pair of glasses.
Set up your computer ergonomically correct, get yourself a good chair, and sit up straight.
Maybe you are just bored of your job.
Sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day is going to fatigue your body. Get off your ass and workout after work.
Proper ergonomical setup is the absolute key to computer work.
-- http://www.askthevoid.com
Re:Ergonomics
by
Anonymous Coward
·
· Score: 1, Interesting
> As a consultant, I have spent at least half my >career stuck in front of blurry, non-adjustable, >cheap monitors that I wouldn't even consider for >a kids computer, much less someone who has to >spend hours a day on it. While far from the worst >I've dealt with, my current client environment >consists of 5+ year old 17" monitors with poor >color, poor contrast, glare problems, low refresh >rates, and focus problems (the monitor I'm >saddled with can't handle more than 1280x1024 at >60Hz NI. While the resolution is theoretically >good enough, refresh rates under 75Hz cause >serious eye strain.)
And here I thought the piece of crap unreadable monitor they gave me when I started my current contract position was some aberration. Yikes!
To my current client's credit, they gave me a much less punishing monitor recently...I may be able to retain sight into old age yet.
The Cause -- Radiation
by
Silver+Surfer
·
· Score: 2, Interesting
There seems to be some confusion and misunderstanding as to the points in the article. First, VDT is a reference [late 80's - early 90's] to computer monitors [CRT's only].
The problem outside of those taken into account (namely posture and lack of exercise) is radiation given off by the CRT. A study/test was done with computer users (mostly programmers) working 8 hour shifts for 5 days, then testing the blood. Rouleaux was found of the blood that linked in fashion of that found in Alzheimer's Disease. The low-level radiation that caused this would even pass through lead. The symptoms are those described in the article.
The solution they found was sunlight. After the subjects spent the weekend outdoors, the condition disappeared.
Afterwards, the reserchers suggested exposure to sunlight, indirectly -- that is, partial or full shade or northern exposure. Another option is to use a full-spectrum, natural light, which you can buy from various companies including OTT-Lite. [www.ott-lite.com]
The research was headed by Dr. John Ott, who perfected time-lapse photography [Disney]. Dr. Ott was instrumental in having warnings and safety measures for radiation placed on televisions in the 1960's. He has demononstrated with different spectrums of light the growth, gender, and death of plants.
Slashdot Mirror
It's not just the CRT, it's the SITTING. All day in one position, gee I wonder if thats going to have an effect on you.
The only damage I've had from sitting in front of a monitor at work for 10 years is 100 more pounds on my frame than I should have.
Ursula Andress, Catherine Deneuve, and Charo, twice...
I just got a new Hitachi CP-SX5500W. It is a bright projection LCD that does better than 1280x1024. I am using it for my main computer display. I now have a 72+ inch display. Woohoo! No CRT strain here!
Fortunately, I've mostly ditched CRTs for LCD. I use my laptop to control all the computers I administer, and I connect the CRT I have only in emergency cases, i.e. when the machine won't run sshd so that I can't log in to it. LCDs (I think they are more correctly called TFTs?) are energy-efficient, produce next to no radiation, are small, and don't flicker. On the flip side, they're more expensive and less flexible (resolutionwise) than CRTs. However, 1024x768 is the only resolution I use, and I'm glad to pay a little more for all the goodies I get.
---
Shaw's Principle:
Build a system that even a fool can use, and only a fool will
want to use it.
Please correct me if I got my facts wrong.
As a read it I felt like it was answering my problems. Through college I gradualy found my self in front of computers for greater amounts of time and now feel like as they describe, I can't sleep for crap any more. I ether sleep for 15hrs a day or don't sleep at all. Hell it's 5am and I'm up. I was tired a bit ago, but no more, I have to study for a test but don't feel like it, but I'm up because I'm wanting to study.
Well guess it's time to make coffee
I'd like to know how they account for these 'other factors'. I'm just wondering whether this could be attributed to the kind of working environment these people face... Stress is know to be a major cause of the symptoms they describe and I'm not sure how they factor that into their analysis... Nevertheless I agree that more research is necessary.
For years I have been unable to sleep properly. It's been at least 6 years, perhaps since I was 15, maybe younger. I wake up feeling energetic, sort of - able to leap over piles of junk in my room instantly. Yet for the whole day my eyes feel sleepy, like they want to sleep. And my body screams out that it's not ready for bed.
Before you say it, I already know - this sounds pretty much like I'm not getting enough excercise, and spending too much time looking at a monitor. However, even if I spend a month away from a computer, doing active outdoor activities, it still makes no difference. I think it may take longer time.
If it is true that an LCD is better for me, then I will gladly get one to end the way I feel. It's just...something...like a constant gnawing, irritation. I'm able to fall to sleep, providing I go when my body is ready. This is usually around 2-3am. Sometimes (very rarely) it can be as late as 7am before my body is ready to sleep. If I go too early I simply cannot sleep. If I go when I am ready I fall to sleep within, perhaps, 30 minutes.
I don't feel much back pain (if any) though, and my eyes almost never feel strained or saw (right now being the exception, so I'm about to go do something else).
So, is an LCD really going to reduce the effects that this article talks about?
One year after starting my job I got all the symptoms mentioned. I have to sit in front of the computer all the day (>8hrs). I had pains in my shoulders, neck, and lower back, I had eyestrain, and my index finger hurt from using the scroll wheel (that's why a 1-button-mouse is a good thing :-). I also developed some neurotic behavior including anxiety (9/11 helped much to make things worse :-(), and I didn't like the job very much, also the colleagues and the whole environment is really great - also the job is easy and well paid.
I coped with it mostly by doing one thing: sports. Since I go to the gym 3 times a week, everything went back to normal. No pain, no fear.
My feeling is that they are more likely to be caused by the fact that my job is boring, the workload is too high and most of my colleagues are dildo's. I think many jobs that require a person to sit in front of a monitor for more than 6-7 hours a day are probably monotonous and unsatisfying. So this accounts for the described symptoms better than any wierd electromagnetic radiation effects the post suggests (and would also mean that getting that ultra-sexy cinema display would _not_ help a bit) Of course this does not apply to people that do some actual creative work that they like to do (programmers, video artists, whatever) Well. Perhaps I should become a farmer or something.
The Bigger The Headache The Bigger the Pill
Don't knock the safety goggles.. My brother works in a manufacturing plant, and while he was using a high-speed bandsaw to take a sample of a metal part for destructive testing, the part self destructed sending a _very_ high velocity projectile directly at his face. The face shield absorbed some of the impact as it cracked, and the safety glasses under the face shield distributed the remaining force accross the bridge of his nose and cheekbones. He had a broken nose and racoon-style black eyes for a couple weeks, but at least he still has the use of both eyes.
And we computer geeks have the nerve to whine about our arses getting sore... There's a simple solution: Drink 2 quarts of water every work day. You'll be surprised how many levels this will work on:
1. You'll have to get up and take a walk to the loo at least every hour. This excercise and stretching will help eliminate the aches & pains.
2. With the extra water, your body will be more efficient at eliminating toxins, and you'll generally feel better and more alert.
3. Keeping a steady flow of water will eliminate cravings for junk food & soda. This will have the long term effect of making you more attractive to the opposite sex!
Considering that most of the symptoms (including eye-strain) can be compounded by cronic dehydration, this regimin is worth a try!
regards,
-sg
Dupe posts are
"including headache, low back pain, eyestrain, depression and anxiety."
"complained of headache, eyestrain, joint pain and stiff shoulders."
"lethargy, anxiety and "reluctance to go to work," as well as sleep-related problems including insomnia and fatigue"
Get a new pair of glasses.
Set up your computer ergonomically correct, get yourself a good chair, and sit up straight.
Maybe you are just bored of your job.
Sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day is going to fatigue your body. Get off your ass and workout after work.
Proper ergonomical setup is the absolute key to computer work.
http://www.askthevoid.com
> As a consultant, I have spent at least half my >career stuck in front of blurry, non-adjustable, >cheap monitors that I wouldn't even consider for >a kids computer, much less someone who has to >spend hours a day on it. While far from the worst >I've dealt with, my current client environment >consists of 5+ year old 17" monitors with poor >color, poor contrast, glare problems, low refresh >rates, and focus problems (the monitor I'm >saddled with can't handle more than 1280x1024 at >60Hz NI. While the resolution is theoretically >good enough, refresh rates under 75Hz cause >serious eye strain.)
And here I thought the piece of crap unreadable monitor they gave me when I started my current contract position was some aberration. Yikes!
To my current client's credit, they gave me a much less punishing monitor recently...I may be able to retain sight into old age yet.
There seems to be some confusion and misunderstanding as to the points in the article. First, VDT is a reference [late 80's - early 90's] to computer monitors [CRT's only].
The problem outside of those taken into account (namely posture and lack of exercise) is radiation given off by the CRT. A study/test was done with computer users (mostly programmers) working 8 hour shifts for 5 days, then testing the blood. Rouleaux was found of the blood that linked in fashion of that found in Alzheimer's Disease. The low-level radiation that caused this would even pass through lead. The symptoms are those described in the article.
The solution they found was sunlight. After the subjects spent the weekend outdoors, the condition disappeared.
Afterwards, the reserchers suggested exposure to sunlight, indirectly -- that is, partial or full shade or northern exposure. Another option is to use a full-spectrum, natural light, which you can buy from various companies including OTT-Lite. [www.ott-lite.com]
The research was headed by Dr. John Ott, who perfected time-lapse photography [Disney]. Dr. Ott was instrumental in having warnings and safety measures for radiation placed on televisions in the 1960's. He has demononstrated with different spectrums of light the growth, gender, and death of plants.
'til dawn...