Are computers safe?

[Athena]

There's something iffy about working so close to a screen for any extended period of time..
Is there any research about the safety or effects of working on computers on our minds or bodies?

[WanderingOak]

CRT screens probably aren't the safest things in the world to have sitting a few feet in front of your head. After all, the electron guns inside that thing are pointed right at you . Actually, they are supposed to be shielded and quite safe, but you never can tell. I've never actually tested a CRT for EM radiation or anything like that, so I could be mistaken and die a slow death from an excruciatingly painful tumor growing right in the center of my brain. LCD screens use an entirely different technology, so they should be safer than a CRT. However, with either type, extended usage over time could degrade your eye's ability to focus at objects of varying distances. Somebody could build a monitor or glasses designed with optics that would keep the screen readable while changing the focal point that your eyes focus at. While this could save your vision, it would probably be distracting to the point of madness.

[Athena]

Goodness. I usually do under 2 hr per day working on the computer, emails, IMs, browsing, bc then my eyes hurt. In 2007, I resolve to do less than 1 hour per day standard.

GREAT

[Clavdivs]

If I recall correctly, optometrists recommend taking a short break every 20 minutes or so, focusing on an object in the distance for at least a few seconds.

[Baltar]

My eye doctor told me that computer screens don't damage your vision. Just that your eyes will get tired, and thus you need to rest them periodically by looking at distant objects. As for general safety of a CRT screen, well that's more complicated but they're still considered pretty safe. If it's a concern you should just get an LCD screen. They take up less space, are much lighter, use less energy and generate less heat. Here's some info about CRT screens from Wikipedia:

monitor and television manuals typically recommend a minimum viewing distance of 85cm (34in). The EM energy is also less intense for the display's user than for a person located behind it, because the deflection yoke is closer to the rear.

It is well-known that electromagnetic waves of sufficient energy can harm human cells (see ionizing radiation), but it is not currently well-established that the weaker radiation commonly emitted by electronic devices (including CRTs) has long-term health effects (see Electromagnetic radiation hazard and Bioelectromagnetics).

Ionizing radiation: CRTs emit a small amount of X-ray band radiation as a result of the electron beam's bombardment of the shadow mask/aperture grille and phosphors. Almost all of this radiation is blocked by the thick leaded glass in the screen, so the amount of radiation escaping the front of the monitor is widely considered harmless. The Food and Drug Administration regulations in 21 CFR 1020 are used to strictly limit, for instance, television receivers to 0.5 milliroentgens per hour (mR/h) (0.13 µC/(kg·h) or 36 pA/kg) at a distance of 5 cm from any external surface; most CRT emissions fall well below this limit.

[Michael Chui]

Please, please, please, please, please use a word other than "safe".

"safe" makes me wonder if terrorists are using my computer screen to neutralize and subjugate me.

[Ibanez]

You forgot about postural problems from exteneded use. Forward shoulders, shortened hip flexors, weak glutes, tight calves, etc.

[moltar]

LCD screens are perfectly safe from the device point of view, i.e. there is no radiation or whatnot. But you should take precautions yourself - take frequent breaks, exercise, warm-ups. There is a great free program that can assist you with this stuff - Workrave.

P.S. If you stare at a wall for hours, I don't think it'd be safe.

[openeyes]

Originally Posted by moltar

If you stare at a wall for hours, I don't think it'd be safe.

Actually that's been perceived as a path to enlightenment for centuries now, though in seclusion the method was to do it for years, not hours. I wonder if staring at a computer screen for that long would work too I guess it depends on what web page you're on ...

[moltar]

I think staring in one spot is harmful for the eyes. The best exercise for the eyes is to look and focus as far as you can and then look and focus as close as you can. When you look at the computer screen, you always look at the same distance.