[originaltext]F: Hi, Rex. How’s your history paper going?M: It’s coming along.

F: Hi, Rex. How’s your history paper going?
M: It’s coming along. But I’ve been staring at this computer screen for hours and my eyes hurt.
F: Yeah, doing that can make your eyes feel really dry and tired. You should take a break.
M: I can’t I have to get this paper written. It’s due tomorrow.
F: You know, I read about computers and eye problems recently. The article says that they are usually caused by not blinking your eyes enough.
M: Blinking? I thought I just needed new glasses.
F: When you blink, the movement of closing and opening your eyes, even though it happens really fast, helps moisten your eyes. It’s the lack of moisture that causes the problem.
M: Oh, that makes sense. But what does it have to do with the computer?
F: People who use computers tend to stare at the monitor and blink less often than they normally would. That leads to dry irritated eyes.
M: Well, hope this news can help my eyes now. They really hurt.
F: The article I read about office workers found that the workers averaged 22 blinks a minute when relaxed, but just 7 a minute while looking at text on a computer screen.
M: Wow, that’s quite a difference.
F: They also kept their eyes open wider, which means that moisture evaporated more quickly.
M: I wonder if using some kind of eye drops would make them feel better.
F: That might help. But the best prescription is to take a break and rest your eyes.
M: Ok. Let’s go to get some coffee. I can finish this later tonight.