Computer workstation glasses

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VDU workstation glasses are glasses with lenses for extended close, specifically to the VDU are tuned. Affected people need this, usually additional, visual aid for working in front of a monitor, if the privately used correction in the form of glasses or contact lenses does not allow clear vision at the workplace or if complaints arise. This is especially the case if the employee is dependent on the use of varifocal or bifocal glasses in his private environment .

Legal basis

Employees who usually use a display device for a not insignificant part of their normal work are subject to EC Directive 90/270 / EEC of May 29, 1990 on minimum requirements for safety and health protection when working with display devices. Several EC directives had to be implemented in Germany, including EC Directive 90/270 / EEC. On the basis of the authorization under Section 19 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act , the VDU Ordinance was issued, which was incorporated into the Workplace Ordinance in 2016 . The employer can request an ophthalmological report on the suitability for working on display devices, which documents whether display workstation glasses must be worn.

field of use

Fields of vision of different types of glasses

Ordinary varifocal glasses for everyday use have a variable strength (bifocal glasses have two defined strengths) so that the user can see clearly both close and at a distance, even with presbyopia . This is usually necessary because the lens of the eye noticeably loses its flexibility with advancing age (around 40 years of age) and as a result, sharp vision in the vicinity increasingly decreases. The fields of vision of varifocal glasses (or bifocal glasses) are made for these distances according to the individual requirements of the respective wearer.

For work in front of the monitor, the fields of vision of a progressive lens must be defined differently than for the private area. With standard varifocal glasses, the reading area is usually ground in at a distance of around 30 to 45 centimeters from the text (for example to the book or newspaper). At the computer workstation, however, the distance between the eyes and the monitor is usually 60 to 80 centimeters - private glasses are not adapted to this situation. The result: headache, neck and back pain, but also visual disturbances. These and other complaints are caused by the unnatural posture that employees with ordinary bifocal or varifocal glasses adopt in order to be able to see text, photos or graphics on the monitor through the lower field of vision of their glasses. They put their heads back and bend forward at the same time. According to the Kuratorium Gutessehen eV (KGS), complaints caused by this uncomfortable posture can in the long run lead to health problems and chronic damage; at the same time, they reduce the ability to concentrate and perform.

Posture in different types of glasses

For everyday work in front of the monitor, bifocal and normal varifocal glasses are therefore mostly not suitable. This is where the VDU workstation goggles come in: They are tailored to work on the computer screen, their viewing areas (with normal head and body posture) are tailored to the distance of 60 to 80 centimeters between the eye and the monitor and other parameters in the office. Because the work area in the office often does not only extend to the screen: keyboard and other input or reading devices, documents on the desk, colleagues and often a second screen are factors that are not taken into account by standard varifocal glasses. Progressive lenses specially designed for an extended near range are also known as near comfort lenses .

Function of the computer workstation glasses

The lenses of computer workstation glasses have a special structure in order to meet the requirements of daily office work. In addition to the intermediate and near vision areas that are specifically adapted to the respective workplace situation, the width of the entire field of vision is also tailored to the various parameters of the activity and its surroundings. This lens structure is decisive for the comfort, compatibility and functionality of computer workstation glasses: It decides which areas of the lens have to be ground at which distances. The transition between the individual areas of vision - just like with standard varifocal glasses - is fluid. However, the edge areas of the glass cause distortions due to production-related restrictions; high-quality and modern glass designs reduce these areas so that the remaining field of vision is as large as possible. A modern and balanced glass design is therefore particularly important for use on the office monitor in order to ensure the most extensive possible viewing area.

There are different types of glass for different computer workstations. All concepts have (compared to lenses for reading and varifocal glasses) a broadened average field of vision. This means that the employee can see well even if he frequently changes his gaze between the keyboard and the screen without inconvenient and unhealthy head and body posture. If one assumes that the eyes make this movement hundreds of times a day, this is a considerable relief for the employee. Depending on the workplace, the glass structure can take into account an adapted field of vision: There are glasses that are almost exclusively used on the monitor, for example for activities where little more than a screen and keyboard count in everyday work. For employees who have to see clearly from a distance of five meters, however, a type of glass with an extended field of vision is recommended.

With all glass designs for the workplace, multiple light sources such as lamps or monitors often interfere. Since these lead to massive reflections, opticians recommend so-called super anti-reflective glasses.

Assumption of costs

The employer bears the costs for the VDU workplace glasses if normal visual aids are not suitable. The Occupational Safety and Health Act also stipulates this, because computer workstation goggles are personal protective equipment at work. It is assumed, however, that this has been prescribed by an ophthalmologist specifically for work on the monitor. The trade association information BGI 650 names four requirements as prerequisites for prescribing display workstation glasses, of which at least three must be met:

  • A screen device is required to carry out the work, since no other work equipment is available to achieve this.
  • Special knowledge and skills are required to work with the display device.
  • The screen device is usually used every working day.
  • Working on the screen device requires a high level of attention and concentration, because errors can lead to significant consequences.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Workplace Ordinance
  2. ↑ Medical prevention and visual aids when working with computer screens. Ergo online. Retrieved June 12, 2020.
  3. ↑ DGUV Information 250-008 - Visual aids at VDU workstations Aids for prescribing special visual aids at VDU workstations
  4. ^ Kuratorium Gutessehen eV (KGS) (2006). Media service . Berlin: Kuratorium Gutessehen eV
  5. ^ Kuratorium Gutessehen eV (KGS) (2010). Computer workstation: eye strain . Retrieved October 4, 2010 Archived copy ( Memento of November 28, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ^ Gesundheit.de (2010). The right glasses at the computer workstation prevent tension . Retrieved October 5, 2010 [1]
  7. ↑ Part 4, Paragraph 2, No. 1 of the Annex to the Ordinance on Occupational Health Care (ArbMedVV)
  8. ^ Ergo Online (2010). Screen glasses . Archived copy ( memento of October 18, 2012 in the Internet Archive ). Retrieved June 12, 2020.