EyeDoc - while the monitor is not blind

Good day, habrasoobschestvo! I would like to devote this article to the problem that each of us faces every day. The problem, which everyone is trying to resort to sooner or later. A problem that is often simply neglected. This problem - eye fatigue during prolonged work at the computer.

Of course, the topic was raised on Habré more than once and the authors of the articles really gave practical advice that could help protect the eyes of PC users. However, in most cases, they all boiled down to the fact that the main means of salvation - the island in the middle of the ocean - is an exercise for the eyes in different quantities and different types. But let's come to a friend / colleague / neighbor now and ask if he has started using these exercises and how regularly does he perform them? Personally, I am not sure of either a positive response or the systematic implementation of these exercises.
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I could not accept the fact that I will continue to lose my sight, so I decided to go another way. About what I have tried, what I have achieved and what I have decided for myself, I will tell below, putting everything on the shelves and in chronological order.

Until the moment when PC users begin to realize that their vision has deteriorated, it usually takes a lot of time (years 8-12). My own problem developed faster. I noticed something wrong after 5 years. In just 5 years of using a computer, my vision deteriorated from 100% to -3 . Well, how else? I learned to program, played, freelance, even in the breaks between work, I still sat at the computer. As a result, I often cannot identify a familiar face from afar and catch minibuses until they reach the minimum distance to me ... But despite the fact that you can live with this, I was worried about the fact of such a rapid deterioration of vision.

The first thing I did was surfing the Internet in search of the causes of my problem. It was then that I first learned about computer vision syndrome (CPS). Symptoms I will not paint here, everyone can get acquainted with them on other resources . With the development of technology, monitors are of course getting better, but nonetheless they are still dangerous for the eyes. Let's see why.



Our eye is by its nature more adapted to reflected light. Accordingly, the emitted light for the eye is not good. You must agree that it is not so easy to look at the Sun or watch the welding process (perhaps the reason for my problems is that in childhood I started the game “Who looks at the sun longer”, and won, but that's another story) . We must not forget that the monitor is also a source of light.

Another important reason for VHCs is non-compliance with the ergonomic rules of the workplace. A large role is played by the level of height of eyes in relation to the monitor, lighting around, the presence of glare. That is why it is so important to choose and organize your workplace.
Information technologies are already very tightly integrated into our lives, but not everyone knows how to use them wisely. Of course, it is impossible to completely eliminate the negative impact of the monitor, but it can be minimized.

After the problem was identified, I began to actively look for ways to deal with it. I have tried many methods of prevention / eye protection. As I pointed out earlier, they all boiled down to one thing - exercises, exercises and more exercises. No matter how much I looked for, the meaning was the same. Being subjected to the common illness of humanity called “laziness”, I did not have enough willpower to regularly engage in “charging” for the eyes: I constantly forgot about it, but when I remembered, I immediately convinced myself that I was so busy that I could and wait with this uncomplicated affair. And what is the result? I forgot again!

Then a rather trivial idea occurred to me - to visit an ophthalmologist! I spent the next day going to the doctor, hoping that I would get some clear instructions and medications that would help me not only protect my eyes, but also heal them in general. Unfortunately, my hopes were unjustified and, to a greater extent, again because of that very willpower. An optometrist has recommended the following to me:

1. Less sit at the computer;
2. Wear the glasses that he wrote out;
3. Apply eye drops;
4. Engage in gymnastics for the eyes.

The first week I adhered to everything that the doctor prescribed, but by the beginning of the second I had already thrown off the first point, because, a priori, I could not follow it (the work required). Then the gymnastics, which I forgot about or simply put it off, actually went away, just like in the past experience with exercises. I later used the glasses only while working at the computer, the rest of the time I tried to do without them.

If you read what was written above, then most likely they took me for a terrible, stupid bummer. There is certainly some truth in this. But, probably, being completely lazy, I would not set a further goal for myself with the ensuing consequences, including, I would not have written this article. The goal was to find a solution to which I would definitely resort to an automated system that would prevent eye fatigue.



Month. I spent the whole month trying to find and try a large number of programs that had to do everything so that my vision did not deteriorate. The most frequent decisions I have come across are various blockers. The best and most functional of them is the EyeLeo . But I was still not satisfied with something, the lack of personalization made me doubt the effectiveness of this application. Why should I rest right now? Why do I need to perform these exercises in such numbers? Unfortunately, I did not find these answers for myself. I am absolutely sure that many of you just deleted such programs. Why am I so sure? The reason is simple: intrusiveness, the manifestation of its actions at the most inopportune moment (and, as is known, the programmer has always). And despite all of the above, this is a really good automated option that provides the user with rest and fun exercises to restore tired eyes.

Another good option I can call f.lux is a program that monitors the time of day and changes the color temperature and brightness of the monitor, thereby allowing you not to tear your eyes. An interesting thing, if you do not need to work with flowers, of course ... However, it is specifically in it that I lacked the functionality as such. Yes, the utility removes a bit of tension from the eyes, the annoyance is completely absent, but is it enough just one color scheme, is it possible to take something else?

It was then that began what I called the above "flowing consequences." After consulting with our friend on this topic, we decided that software that could recognize and prevent VHCs would be useful to exist in nature. And in the end, who, if not we? Enthusiasm got the better of us, the task fascinated so much that we worked on it for days, and sometimes even all night long (which is not very useful). I was embraced by the idea to create software that would help people faced with the same problems as me.

Recently, by the way, we conducted a survey on the topic “Would you use software that helps to preserve vision?”
According to the survey results, it turned out that such a program has a chance to exist, only 22% of those who voted gave a negative answer, which means that we took up the useful work!



At the moment we want to provide you with a beta version of the program “EyeDoc” .
Now the program with the help of a webcam is able, with a small amount of error, to determine and issue alerts in case of such deviations:

1. The user is squinting;
2. Does not blink for a long time;
3. Located close to the monitor;
4. Works with poor lighting;
5. Wrong angle of the eyes relative to the monitor.



We invite you to visit the program site and try out the beta version of the product, we will be glad to constructive criticism. Leave your feedback and suggestions.

If this software is interesting for developers, then we are happy to write a technical article about how it works.

Thank you for your attention and see you soon!