KIEV, 2 September 2003 — A rehabilitation clinic for persons with eyes damaged by computers began work in Ukraine, according to a report in the newspaper Fakty on Thursday. The state-managed facility in the Crimean regional capital Simferopol primarily uses stress-reduction techniques and special exercises to treat persons whose eyes have been hurt by too much time in front of a computer screen. A key feature of determining proper treatment recommendations is analysis of patients on a patented machine designed to determine the optimum situation for an individual computer user, taking into account factors such as posture, desk height, and screen brightness, the report said. The treatment process also includes a personal computer mouse fitting, training for leg strength, and lessons on eye relaxation. It is the first such clinic of its kind in Ukraine and badly needed as the country’s increasingly urban population uses computers more and more, said Dr. Boris Dembsky, spokesman for the Crimean Centre of Optical Injury Treatment (CCOIT). The CCOIT developed its multi-faceted approach to treatment of computer-related eye injures after medical personnel realized patients being treated had recurring optical problems, the report said.