The vertical monitor position for presbyopic computer users with progressive lenses: how to reach clear vision and comfortable head posture

Abstract

When presbyopic employees are wearing general-purpose progressive lenses, they have clear vision only with a lower gaze inclination to the computer monitor, given the head assumes a comfortable inclination. Therefore, in the present intervention field study the monitor position was lowered, also with the aim to reduce musculoskeletal symptoms. A comparison group comprised users of lenses that do not restrict the field of clear vision. The lower monitor positions led the participants to lower their head inclination, which was linearly associated with a significant reduction in musculoskeletal symptoms. However, for progressive lenses a lower head inclination means a lower zone of clear vision, so that clear vision of the complete monitor was not achieved, rather the monitor should have been placed even lower. The procedures of this study may be useful for optimising the individual monitor position depending on the comfortable head and gaze inclination and the vertical zone of clear vision of progressive lenses.

Abstract

Practitioner summary: For users of general-purpose progressive lenses, it is suggested that low monitor positions allow for clear vision at the monitor and for a physiologically favourable head inclination. Employees may improve their workplace using a flyer providing ergonomic-optometric information.

Keywords:

• computer work
• presbyopia
• progressive lenses
• musculoskeletal symptoms

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the management and the employees of the company Novus (Lingen, Germany) where the field study was conducted, the team including M. König, U. Lobisch and C. Reiffen for data collection, and Dr Marc Grosjean for language assistance.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.