Geary Sheds Light, Indirectly

Tim Geary, president of Geary Engineering P.A. in Rogers, said developers and designers should expect to pay 25 to 40 percent more for the most optimal office lighting. Statistics from the American Optometric Association and others suggest indirect lighting could actually save employers money in the long run.

With a growing number of workers spending long hours in front of computers, the AOA reports that computer vision syndrome has become “a growing crisis in the workplace.”

CVS is characterized, according to the organization, by “headaches, eyestrain, difficulty focusing and tense muscles.”

“CVS is not caused by the computer alone, but rather by the effects of too-bright lighting on computer users’ eyes,” the AOA reports. “Glare and reflections from light sources interfere with the images on the screen. The user’s eyes are constantly trying to adjust and filter out these visual obstructions, resulting in the symptoms of CVS.”

The National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health published a recent study calling CVS “the No. 1 cause of eye strain in the workplace.” The study said that means hard and soft costs to employers in the form of productivity losses, increased error rates, dissatisfaction with the job, absenteeism and potential health insurance and disability issues.

Statistics cited by the Journal of the American Optometric Association said that employees dealing with glare on monitors show an efficiency decline of 4 to 19 percent. Translating that into dollars for an employee earning $30,000 means just a 4 percent improvement is worth $1,200, according to the optometric journal.

Additional stats from the AOA include:

• Up to 90 percent of computer users report visual problems and irritation.

• 22 percent report musculoskeletal fatigue.

• More than 10 million eye exams are performed because of eye problems stemming from computer work.

• 14.25 percent of all eye exams are conducted because of CVS.

• 40.35 percent of patients obtained eyewear strictly for use at the computer.

Geary, whose 10-person MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) shop has seen a 25 percent revenue increase during the last three years, said about 30 percent of his business is electrical engineering. About half of that is related specifically to light design.

“Indirect lighting is the most innovative thing in the marketplace now and more builders in this area are incorporating it,” Geary said. “There are a variety of suppliers such as GE and Phillips who have their own niche products, but in general pendant or indirect-troffer lighting is optimal because it produces a softer lighting environment.

“Light fixtures are evolving from the basic, acrylic-lens fixtures to parabolic lighting, which is the next generation.”

Geary said T8- and T5-sized lights are en vogue because they enable designers to create the right lighting arc. Reflective illumination and lamp technologies, he said, offer superior ergonomics to bright point source lighting.

AOA reports said to truly understand the potential for CVS developing into a full-scale crisis, it can be compared to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. CTS affects the musculoskeletal system and is caused by repetitive wrist motion.

One 1996 journal report titled “Tracking the True Costs of CTDs in American Industry” concluded that the disability cost more than $8 billion in medical bills and lost work days, even back then.

So if CVC conditions begin to qualify for medical treatments similar to CTS, the AOA said, employee health and disability costs can be expected to escalate.