iHealth

November 3, 2009

Last month a new application for the iPhone, Eye Glasses, offered an option for Apple users who are forever forgetting their reading glasses at home. The app allowed users to magnify print through the camera lens on the phone, making it easy to read a restaurant menu or newspaper in a pinch.

On Halloween, a new app for the eyes was released. The app claims to relax, refresh and strengthen optical muscles while reducing eye strain. When the app beeps, users copy the movements of an ostrich, which moves its eyes in different directions for five seconds at a time.

Perhaps this app could be a way to reduce the side effects of Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). The American Optometric Association (AOA) reports that the majority of Americans who work at a computer suffer from some form of CVS. Symptoms include eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision and neck or shoulder pain.

The iPhone might boast relief from eyestrain but if you are experiencing chronic discomfort or eye health problems like dry eye or blurred vision, visit your eye care professional. The AOA recommends that adults visit the eye doctor every two years to monitor their vision.