i have optic nureritis which has got better but i work 0n a computer 30 hous a week for my job and find after my long day at work my eye aches like hell and vision is worse please can someone advise me the amount of hours i should use the computer as i dont have a very understanding boss so need a figure to present to her or in her words maybe i should quit work not somthing i want to do as i do love my job. thanks
Hi, sorry I dont know the rules, but there has to be a health & Safety guidline for this.
im sure youll get replies with the right info.
luv Pollx
Hi Littleone,
There will be no statement you can shove in front of your boss about how long someone with MS (and/or ON) is “allowed” to work on a computer, as the reality is this will be different for everyone. So you really have to negotiate what hours are reasonable for you, in your current state of health.
There are some general regulations, called the Display Screen Equipment Regulations. The main relevant parts are summarised here: http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/vdubreaks.htm
But note these are general provisions for ALL employees who use display screen equipment - they’re not specific to people who have MS, or any other kind of health problem or disability. Additionally, the regulations DON’T specify how long or frequent breaks should be - only that there must be some, and short, frequent breaks are to be favoured. Breaks have still to be counted as working time - i.e. the employee can’t be told they’ve got to make them up later, or that they’ve got to work harder, to make up for the time “wasted” by the breaks.
I can’t find any overall guideline on the maximum time anyone should work on a computer - even a healthy person. I don’t think there is any such law, so I’m afraid you’re not going to be able to go in and hit her with it. You could point out the regulations about breaks, IF you feel they’re not already being respected.
The only other thing I can think of is whether you might be able to get advice from a professional (doctor or opthalmologist) about the maximum time they feel is appropriate for you to spend at the screen. If you could actually get a medical opinion saying that it’s bad for you, it might carry more weight than trying to argue it yourself.
BUT, in my opinion, you do run the risk that if there isn’t suitable non-computer work available, and you say you can’t do the computer work, you might end up out of a job. Your employer does have to make “reasonable adjustments” to accommodate your MS, but if there simply isn’t any work that doesn’t involve the computer, there might not be very much they can do.
I haven’t tried hem myself, but many posters have suggested Access to Work can be useful in situations like this. They might be able to advise on an appropriate compromise. And there are, of course, things like screenreaders or voice recognition software, that might help a visually impaired person use the computer.
Tina
I’m sorry, I don’t know why the link to the summary of the regs has not formatted as a proper link.
I’m afraid you’ll have to copy & paste it into your browser.
T.