If you’ve been on the internet in the last couple of years, you have definitely heard of "investment in education" - basically, one of the key lines in marketing of various online-courses, especially when it comes to the IT sphere. But there is another investment that you can make if you want not only to make money in the future, but to save some — by not spending more than you have to on doctors and treatments. And if you are not the frugal type, maybe you’ll be interested in saving yourself from unpleasantries that come with illnesses associated with working on a computer. But what exactly are those?

Credit: Anupam Mahapatra (@mister_a) via Unsplash

Well, they can be guessed easily, especially if you remember social advertising against a sedentary lifestyle — those use some exaggerated but truthful images. Like bloodshot eyes or ridiculous question mark-like postures. But you don’t have those, right? Except maybe you experienced back pain once or twice in the past week… Wait, there is no need to panic — this article is here to help you. So here are three most common health problems caused by long hours spent in front of a computer — and ways to prevent them.

Dry eye syndrome:

As a child, you were probably told not to stay too close to a computer to avoid damaging your eyes. And, yes, that is good advice, but unfortunately this isn’t enough if you are using a computer daily for long periods of time. One of the worst possible scenarios is getting what is commonly known as dry eye syndrome.

There are a lot of possible causes to this syndrome — for example, it can accompany more serious conditions like lupus. But in the last few years, another common cause has been discovered — the harmful blue-violet light coming from a computer screen. Dry eye syndrome is practically what it sounds like, the inability of an eye to produce tears. It only sounds like a minor issue, but in reality, eyes need to be moisturized all the time or else eye tissue can be easily damaged and become inflamed. And, as expected, it comes with its own unpleasant symptoms, such as painful sensations or redness of the eyes.

Solution:

If you search "dry eye syndrome" on the internet, the most common advice will be artificial moisturizing — in simple terms, eye-drops. But, as you may guess, this will only deal with the symptoms of the condition, not its cause.

A lesser-known solution are special computer glasses that block the harmful spectrum itself. Most versions come with blue lenses, so it may be a problem if your work requires attention to colors. But in recent years, this issue has been resolved with the invention of transparent "light-blocking" lenses. These can be more expensive, but in any case, they will still be cheaper than endlessly buying bottles of eye-drops for the rest of your life.

Chronic back pain:

This is an easy one, as it’s probably the first thing you thought of upon seeing this article’s title. Most of us, while working on a computer, can assume some rather uncomfortable postures — and the worst thing is that we can stay in them for a rather long time. And at the end of the day this behavior will definitely be paid for with pain in our back, neck, or shoulders.

Solution:

This problem has been with us since the time office work was invented. Many solutions have been suggested since, such as back massages or taking breaks to do some light exercises. All of them are rather effective and should actually be your first choice when deciding to prevent or get rid of back pain. But there is another not-so-obvious way to save yourself from feeling like a 100-year-old — and it comes from esports. Unfortunately, I’m not talking about playing games, but rather making your environment so comfortable that you won’t be distracted. Cue in those huge futuristic-looking computer chairs. They may seem ridiculous at first, with design coming before functionality, but it’s actually the other way around. Yeah, they won’t look as serious as your typical slick black chairs, but isn’t it better to look uncomfortable rather than feel it?

Tunnel syndrome:

And for the last, I prepared something that you may have never heard about but highly likely have felt symptoms of. If after a long (or maybe not even that long but at least intense) work session on a computer you have felt numbness in your fingers — that was tunnel syndrome! Simply put, it is a strain of your nerves that causes you some difficulties with your hands.

The reason why it's so common today is that the position of our hands while using a computer is quite unnatural. You can see it for yourself — extend your arm with your palm down, like when you are holding a mouse or typing something. After that, turn your hand like you’re about to give a handshake to someone. Do you see the difference? That’s what I’m talking about.

Solution:

Of course, you can take painkillers or do some hand gymnastics, but you could’ve known it by yourself, right? Well, here is a much weirder solution: vertical mouses! You have to see them with your own eyes. Basically, they change your hand’s position to the handshake-like one, with the buttons on the side. Vertical mouses are quite difficult to get comfortable with, but if you’ve suffered enough from tingling and numbness in your fingers, you should definitely consider them.

So, I hope I have scared you enough to at least check your body for the abovementioned symptoms. Or maybe even enough for you to finally decide to do something about them. It’s never too late to get rid of discomfort in your everyday life, even if you won’t choose the options I recommended to deal with it.