Did you know ict equipments can be harmful for your health?
With the increase in computer use, a number of health problems arisen. Health and Safety is crucial to the effective operation of a computer. Stress is widely accepted as a common and possibly the most dangerous aspect of using a computer. Furthermore repetitive strain injury, back and eye problems, strategies for prevention will be discussed.

Repetitive strain injury
A repetitive strain injury (RSI), is any of a loose group of conditions resulting from overuse of a tool, e.g. computer, etc. or other activity that requires repeated movements. It is a syndrome that affects muscles, tendons and nerves in the hands, arms and upper back. The medically accepted condition in which it occurs is when muscles in these areas are kept tense for very long periods of time, due to poor posture and or repetitive motions. It is most common among assembly line and computer workers.
Symptoms:
• Tightness, discomfort, stiffness, soreness or burning in the hands, wrists, fingers, forearms, or elbows
• Tingling, coldness, or numbness in the hands
• Clumsiness or loss of strength and coordination in the hands
• Pain that wakes you up at night
• Feeling a need to massage your hands, wrists, and arms
• Pain in the upper back, shoulders, or neck associated with using the computer.
Eye strain
Computer work hasn't been proven to cause permanent eye damage, but the temporary discomfort that may occur can reduce productivity, cause lost work time and reduce job satisfaction. Eye problems are usually the result of visual fatigue or glare from bright windows or strong light sources, light reflecting off the display screen or poor display screen contrast. Computers are the number 1 cause of eyestrain in the United States
Symptoms:
• Eyestrain
• Blurred vision
• Dizziness or nausea
• Headaches
• Red, dry or burning eyes
• Increase in nearsightedness
• Change in color perception
• Slow refocusing
• Excessive fatigue
• Neck, shoulder and back pain
• Eye-teaming problems and/or occasional double vision
Backaches
Sitting on computer for a long period of time can cause backaches, which is felt in the back that may originate from the muscles, nerves, bones, joints or other structures in the spine. Not moving your muscles for a long period of time is the main cause of backache, pulled muscles) are commonly identified as the cause of back pain.

Prevention
Knees should be at a 90 angle with feet flat on the floor. Elbows should be at a 90 angle when using the keyboard and Keyboards should be adjustable. Users should be able to adjust the brightness of the screen. Users should not have to strain their neck to see the monitor; the top of the screen should be roughly at eye level. All computer workstations are equipped with an adjustable office chair and these must be used at all times. Treating back pain is to achieve maximal reduction in pain intensity as rapidly as possible. Exercises Massage therapy can be very effective. Avoid long hours of doing the same thing such as sitting on computer. Do eye exercises and acupressure massage points every hour on the computer. Set up your computer correctly. The proper viewing distance is 20-24 inches. The correct viewing angle is 10 to 20 degrees from the mid screen to the top of the screen. Use a good monitor. Make sure overall illumination of the room is no more than three times brighter than the screen. Use a desk lamp if possible instead of an overhead light. Keep your wrists relatively straight while typing to avoid carpel tunnel syndrome. Massage treatment, Soft Tissue Therapy works by decompressing the area around the repetitive stress injury thus enhancing circulation and promoting healing. Cold compression therapy circumvents occupational stress and may be one of the simplest ways to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. Strengthening exercises. Rest breaks and restricts user to a predefined daily limit. Biofeedback can be used to reduce stress-related muscle tension in the muscles of the neck and shoulders. When sitting - use a chair with firm low back support. Keep desk or table top elbow high, adjust the chair or use a footrest to keep pressure off the back of the legs, and keep your knees a little higher than your hips. Get up and stretch frequently--every hour if you sit for long periods of time. When working on a computer - take a one or two minute task break every 20 minutes when you work at a computer screen. Keep the screen 15 degrees below eye level. Place reference materials on a copy stand even with and close to the terminal.
To sum up using computers for a long period of time can cause tons of health illnesses and it can cause people to become addicted. To prevent this entire thing all you have to do is use the ict equipments only when you nee too, while using computer stand up every hour and do some exercise for at least five minutes.