The Lincoln times., 1956-05-07
Avoiding Office
3 clock Drag "
Helpful To Eyes

helpful 10 Eyes
Office hang over" that how
can l ever get through =
the rest of the day" feeling
that hits many of us every after
noon is a familiar problem on the
white collar front and one that
still defies satisfactory solution.
Modern tensions, poor working
conditions, dissatisfaction with the
Job. excessive eating cat least at
-time) and a long list of
other probabilities have been cited
as causing this almost universal
three O'Clock drag"
But according to ia m IS B.
Braun, president of The Murine
Co., leading eye-drop producer, in
formation has recently been
brought to light which may open
up a whole new approach to the
problem. and, more Importantly,
its solution.
For example: the mere process
of seeing. can consume as much as
25 per cent of the energy our
bodies put out - evidence that a
major portion of Office WEAKNESS
may come as a result of eyes that
are temporarily fatigued.
Eye fatigue can be caused by
many factors and fortunately
there is something We can do
about most of them. The big
problem is to convince Office man
ayers and employees that proper
care of their eyes during working
hours can go a long way toward
maintaining high production levels
and high morale.
One of the prime causes behind
tired eyes in the office is lighting
not enough of it and its in
efficient use. Newer offices have
tended to overcome this handicap
by employing the latest scientific
lighting techniques. but many
older establishments continue to
limp along with illumination STAN
oards which were inadequate a
decade or more ago.
Lighting surveys which test
candlepower in working areas. will
show whether or not minimum
standards are being maintained
and d little common sense will tell
Ii the light in an office is being
used to its greatest efficiency. This
includes such considerations as
proper placement and the prob
lem of shadows. Bringing made
ouate and inefficient lighting up to
acceptable standards is a COM
paratively inexpensive operation
and one which soon pays for itself
in the higher work load office en-
ployees are able to carry effec-
lively.
Many persons employed in
offices find themselves doing ex-
ceptionally close work - h e a IVY
tvpine, bookkeeping. tabulating -
activities which, when overdone,
tend to push their eyes past their
normal ability to resist strain and
fatigue. There appears to be a very
quick and simple remedy for this
that many of us tend to overlook.
Simply rest them now and then by
closing them for a few seconds or
gaze out the window at some dis
tant point for a moment. The
bookkeeper who seems to be day
dreaming may very well have dis
covered this pleasant means of
resting his eyes and may finish
the day with a greater output and
in better condition than his con-
temporaries who have plodded
along for a full afternoon without
an ocular "breather' Some Office
workers have found the use OF eye
drops helpful in resting eyes that
have become overWorked.
Surprisingly. persons general
physical condition can have lot
to do with the ability of his eyes
to stand up to heavy work and
strain. If he's generally run down,
the chances are better than aver
age that his eyes will tire more
quickly. thus helping to compound
the problem of the mid-afternoon
letdown.
One fault common to all of us
is that we visit our eye consultant
much too infrequently. Since we
already know that there is a defl-
mite relationship between how we
feel and how our eyes are func-
tioning. it seems logical that we
visit qualified eye specialists as
frequently as we do our physician.
And the rules for taking care OF
our eyes in the office all apply to
the home as well. Adequate light
ing. properly placed: occasional
rest periods and keeping in good
physical condition will all combine
to help keep us at top efficiency "a
hours day.
If seeing alone can consume
quarter of all the energy we gen.
crate. we owe it to ourselves to
oxrapd tbic Si1aahle ratio as ludl-