Twenty years ago, most people didn’t even own a computer, let alone depend on one to complete most of their work on a daily basis. The biggest downfall to this is that we no longer get up from our workstations to do anything.
We stare at a screen all day and as a result, we are suffering from eye problems, headaches, sore necks, carpal tunnel syndrome and many other computer-related issues. Computer eye strain is a huge issue because it affects other aspects of your life. Following are some suggestions that can help reduce the effects of staring at a screen all day.
Use Proper Lighting
Really bright light either from natural or artificial light cause glare on your screen and will cause headaches and eye strain. Your ambient light (the light that you use to light the room) should be about half what is coming off of your screen. As much as you may love the sunlight, it’s not helping your vision. Draw the drapes or close the blinds and use fewer or lower-wattage light bulbs in your lamps. If possible, position your monitor so that it isn’t at an angle that will catch the glare from the light.
Reduce Glare
Glare from light on your screen as well as from walls and bright surfaces will cause eye strain. Use an anti-glare screen on your computer and if possible, paint the walls with flat or matte paint that is a little darker. Again, draw the drapes or close the blinds.
Adjust Brightness and Contrast on Your Monitor
If your computer screen is bright enough to be a source of light, it is too bright. If you have to squint to see it, it’s too dark. Adjust it to the point that it is similar to the page of a book. Also, make sure that the font size is large enough for you to read without squinting or straining to see it.
Exercise Your Eyes
When you look at your screen for a long time, you don’t blink as much as you normally do and your eyes are straining from staring at the same thing for an extended period of time. To help this, try to blink more and look away from your screen; lust randomly looking around. Another good exercise is to look at something that is 20 feet away for 20 seconds. It gives your eyes a chance for the inner muscles to relax and will reduce eye fatigue.
Take Frequent Breaks
Recent studies suggest that eye strain is significantly reduced when people take five-minute mini-breaks. Just get up from your computer to get a cup of coffee, walk around or go to the bathroom. Do this several times throughout the day and you will see a decrease in your computer eye strain.
Computer eye strain is one of the leading causes of headaches and blurry vision among people today but with just a few adjustments and also using some quality eye supplements, you can go home with eyes that are none the worse for wear even though you put in a long day in front of a computer screen. Follow these simple steps and you will feel better and be able to produce higher-quality work without the additional strain on your eyes.
