Tips for Reducing Eye Strain

If you’ve been following our blog, you are probably aware of the fact that our monitor mounts allow you to add multiple monitors to your workstation, and that this can lead to major increases in productivity. Today, we are going to look at tips for avoiding one of the negative side effects of staring at computer monitors all day: eye strain. Anyone who has worked on a computer for hours on end can attest: your eyes can take a major beating from staring at the computer screen. Here are our tips for avoiding that strain:

Adjust your monitor settings

Your computer monitor has a number of adjustable settings that can make a dramatic difference in how it affects your eyes. Many of these menus can be confusing, and don’t usually need adjustment. Here are the ones you should be most concerned about:

Brightness

Your computer monitor should not seem like an extremely light bright source in your room. You want it to be bright enough to work on, but not so bright that it is overwhelmingly dazzling compared to the rest of your room. Ideally, it will match the brightness of the ambient lighting in your room. There are specialized apps that can tailor your monitor’s tint to the time of day so looking at a monitor is not so much of a shock to your eyes. Of course even with these apps it still does affect your eyes and they should not be relied on exclusively.   

Color temperature

Your monitor should have an adjustment for color temperature, ranging from warm to cold. Cold light is much more harsh on your eyes, and is characterized by the blue glow it puts off. If you are working in a word processing program and the white of the sheet has a distinct bluish hue to it, your monitor is set pretty cold. If the white of the sheet gives off more of a yellow hue, you know that your monitor is set relatively warm. Warmer settings are much easier on your eyes, especially at night.

Follow the 20-20-20 rule

Have you heard of the 20-20-20 rule? It is a great way to ensure that you are resting your eyes throughout the day. Don’t worry; it is easy to do! Here is how to follow this simple rule: every 20 minutes, focus on something that is at least 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds. Doing this helps your eyes to relax. This is also a great time to get up and stretch out your muscles. Sitting in a chair and staring at multiple monitors all day long can be taxing on your body. Following this easy to remember rule will force you to break through the monotony and give your body a chance to refresh.

Don’t forget to blink

When you are working at a computer monitor for a long time without a break, you may notice that your eyes begin to feel dried out. This is because many people simply forget to blink when they are hyper-focused on their computer monitor. Make a concerted effort to remember to blink throughout your work session.

Remember to get regular eye exams

Finally, if you are suffering from severe eye strain, it may be a sign that you need glasses. Schedule an appointment with your optometrist for an eye exam to make sure that a lack of glasses is not the cause for your pain. Everyone who works on a computer regularly should get an annual eye exam to make sure that their eyes are healthy.

We hope that these tips will help you to enjoy your time at the computer without suffering from eye-strain.