Reaction to Office Ergonomics Training: A Dozen Things You Should Know about Eyestrain

One of the most common things I experience is eyestrain especially since I am a BS ComSci student. This is especially true after using the computer for several hours and looking at the monitor throughout this period of time. Sometimes, if I use the computer for more than 12hours straight, I feel dryness of the eyes as well headaches. My eyes become tired and reddish. However, whenever I start feeling that my eyes are becoming strained, I would close my eyes for a while to relax my eyes and to lubricate them as well. Sometimes I would force myself to stay awake even if I am already so sleepy and even if my eyes are already closing on their own. Due to this, I not only feel as if my head is floating, I also start having double vision. There are also times when I watch TV and I feel my eyes strained. Aside from straining my eyes, I also have to look up which can also strain my neck after a while. There are also times when I watch movies on my friend’s computer monitor. The computer monitor is placed near the window. Sometimes, when the sunlight is bright, it causes a direct glare which frustrates me and my eyes a lot because it gives me a headache while watching the movie. Sometimes the Venetian blinds can solve the problem. But there are also times when the direct glare comes from the ceiling light of the room itself which really bothers my eyes.

All the while, I knew that my eyes are not comfortable with those situations above. However, I haven’t really thought about why they happen to me. Now I know that watching TV which is not on an eye-level is really eye straining. I also realized that glares are not only frustrating, they are also unhealthy for the eyes. Lighting is important especially when reading something from the monitor. I have always been told by my mother to not stay too close to the monitor because it is bad for the eyes. However, I did not know what is the proper distance. I did not know that the best distance to read documents in the computer is to read it as far away as possible yet at the same time they can still be clearly read. I think I will also try applying the 20/20 principle which I have never tried before.

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Avatar: Mawie

Avatar Name: Mawie

HISTORY

One of my current and fondest nicknames is Mawie. It started when I was still in high school. I am fond of giving cute pet names or nicknames to my closest friends. Usually, I give animal names or animal-related names to them because I love animals and also because these animals resemble my friends’ characteristics in some ways. Example, I call one of my bestfriends Panda because he looks and acts like a panda. He likes to sleep and he likes the colors black and white. I call my other bestfriend Polar Bear because he a white, big and chubby guy like a polar bear. However, it was not really me who gave myself the nickname “Mawie”. I always give nicknames to my friends, however, I myself do not have any animal nickname at that time. I do not exactly recall how it happened. All I remember is that, somehow, I do want any animal nickname like wolf, fox or the like, but I wanted something that resembles me and at the same time sounds good to the ear. My friends tell me I resemble a cat because sometimes I look like one especially when my eyes become very round and shiny or when I smile or when I am bit sleepy my eyes become almond-shaped. I also say “Meow” when I do not know what to say anything anymore or if I have no specific answer to one of my friends’ questions. They say that my personality resembles that of a cat because I have a strong personality. Also, I am affectionate or “malambing”, and at times I am “makulit” and act like a kid who loves to play. Like a cat I love to sleep, but when I am awake, I can’t take it if there is nothing to do (di mapakali). For me, the best cat characteristic that I resemble having is the cat’s survival ability. Even if life is full of trials, hardships, and problems, I will be able to survive and make the most out of these things (of course I attribute this strength to God). However, at that time, I do not want to be called “Cat” so I ended up having the nickname “Meow”. Also at that time, I was the managing editor in the school paper. I needed a catchy name for my editorial column so I called it the “Cat’s Meow”. Eventually, during college, the word “Meow” evolved into “Maw” and “Mawie”. Somehow it does suit me better in the sense that in Chinese, “Maw” means cat. “Mawie” simply means little “Maw”.

DESIGN AND COLORS

This avatar is the embodiment of my “Mawie” character and personality. I have a light complexion so the cat is white. My favorite color is purple or lilac. This is why I added this color to some parts of the avatar such as the ears, stripes, and even on the eyes. There are also two purple circles on the eyes of the avatar not only to emphasize my favorite color, but also because I wear glasses in real life.

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