# Computer and Screen Vision Exams

A computer vision examination measures your actual screen working distance and assesses focusing and eye coordination at near. A prescription optimised for that distance is meaningfully different from a general one.

Screens sit at an awkward distance. Too far for a reading prescription, too close for a distance one, and typically higher in the visual field than reading material, which is exactly where progressive lenses are weakest.

The result for a lot of people over forty is a working day spent tilting their head back to find the right part of the lens, which produces neck and shoulder pain that never gets connected to their glasses. Under forty, the more common problem is focusing fatigue and eye coordination strain from hours of sustained near work.

Both are addressable, and the first step is measuring the actual distance rather than assuming a standard one. Bring the number: eyes to screen, in centimetres or inches.

## What to expect

**Bring your working distances**

Measure from your eyes to your screen, and to any second screen or document position.

**Binocular vision assessed at near**

Convergence and focusing problems are common, very treatable, and routinely missed in standard sight tests.

**Tear film checked**

Screen work halves blink rate. Screen related dryness and screen related focusing strain feel similar and often coexist.


## Questions and answers
**Why do my progressives not work at my computer?**

Progressives put near correction at the bottom of the lens, designed for reading material held low. A screen sits higher, so you tilt your head back to find the right zone. An occupational lens designed for screen height solves it.

**Do I need a separate pair just for work?**

If you spend hours at a screen daily, very often yes, and people who get one rarely go back. It is a comfort question rather than a vision one.

**Would blue light filtering help?**

It can reduce glare and some people find it more comfortable. This practice does not claim it protects eye health, because the evidence does not support that.

**What about the headaches?**

Screen related headaches usually come from focusing strain, eye coordination difficulty, or an uncorrected small prescription. All three are assessable and usually fixable.

## Related

- https://eyedoctorphoenixaz.com/specialty-eye-care/computer-vision-syndrome
- https://eyedoctorphoenixaz.com/eyeglasses-and-eyewear/computer-glasses
- https://eyedoctorphoenixaz.com/eyeglasses-and-eyewear/progressive-lenses

---## About this practice
Arizona's Vision Eye Care Center, 15215 S 48th St Ste 180, Phoenix, AZ 85044.
Phone (480) 706-3937. Monday to Thursday 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Closed Saturday and Sunday.
Independent optometry practice, founded 1994. One location. Does not perform refractive or cataract surgery.
This site publishes no star rating and no review count, because the figures across the practice's own properties contradict one another and cannot be verified.
This page is general information, not medical advice.