It’s highly recommended by doctors and specialists everywhere that we limit our screen time. In this digital age, this grows increasingly difficult as we have iPads, smartphones, and laptops. Most of our work and leisure time is now all on a screen which is only worsening our eyesight and health. That’s why it’s important to look into ways we can get our work done and enjoy all of todays’ technology and smart devices without compromising our vision and overall condition. So, on that note, consider these 6 tips to eliminate eye strain from computer use.
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Adjust the Brightness
Eye strain from computer use or any screen use can be helped by adjusting the brightness setting of your monitor. Monitors set to low brightness can cause fatigue as you strain your eyes to focus. With a brighter setting, you will reduce the flicker rate and constrict your pupils so that it is easier to focus. That way if you must spend long hours looking at your screen, you can adjust the brightness accordingly for better vision.
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Don’t Sit Too Close to the Screen
What was seemingly an old wives’ tale is in fact quite accurate. With small devices, our screens are positioned far too close to our faces, which is not ideal for viewing purposes. It’s recommended to stick to a minimum distance of 20 inches between your face and the screen for optimal viewing. It is also important to position the middle of the screen at an appropriate height, about 5 inches below eye-level. This will ensure your comfort as well as reduce eye strain.
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Reduce Glare
The glare of the screen is one of the most common factors resulting in eye strain and computer vision syndrome (CVS). It’s also extremely distracting and an unnecessary issue. To avoid or reduce the impact of the glare, keep your screen clean at all times, close the drapes near your computer desk, or consider investing in anti-glare products such as anti-glare screens. One of the best ways to reduce the glare is to invest in blue light blocking tools.
Blue light from computer, phone, and iPad screens is known to induce poor sleep which has only worsened since the pandemic as screen time has increased in the UK by 76%. Therefore, people who do spend a lot of time on their screen can benefit from filtering blue light with glasses that block blue light. This will reduce the glare that is known to cause eyestrain, headaches, and migraines, thus significantly improving sleep and eye vision.
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Have Appropriate Lighting
Poor lighting can have detrimental effects on your vision which is why it is essential to ensure appropriate lighting when looking at your screen. High-intensity lamps are likely to increase dark shadows and don’t help with the glare, so instead consider dim lights on either side for equal brightness and to eliminate shadows. You can also look into special blue light blocking lamps to enhance your workspace and improve your vision.
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Blink
The purpose of blinking is to clean the surface of your eyes by washing it out with fresh tears. This also nourishes your eyes with nutrients to maintain eye health. That’s why it is so important to remember to blink! Staring at the screen for a long time can have you forgetting to blink periodically which harms your eyes as they begin to dry out and increase the chances of inflammation. Make sure your eyes don’t dry out or succumb to redness and irritation due to not blinking enough. It’s recommended to blink every 20 seconds for eye health.
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Take Frequent Breaks
When you have work to do, it’s tempting to want to complete it all in one go; however, no rest time for your eyes can worsen their condition. Make sure to take frequent breaks away from your screen, approximately every 20 minutes to give your eyes a break. Make sure your break lasts at least 20 minutes as well and don’t focus on any object closer than 20 feet to minimize strain and to increase your comfort when you head back to work.
It’s important to note that no matter what screen you are using, you limit your screen time. The aforementioned 6 tips will definitely improve your eye health and eliminate eye strain; however, you don’t want to overdo your screen time. There are many harmful effects of staring at a computer screen for too long. So give yourself a schedule to follow and include rest times. That way you’ll be able to work better without impairing your vision.
