Our need for the internet and technology has led us to stare at screens all day. We all use our mobile phones frequently to check social media, text, and read emails. This strains our eyes significantly, and the damage can be worse if our job requires us to work on computers. Staring at them for hours at a time can wreak havoc on our eyes, causing irritation and blurred vision. We can’t just quit a job because it involves looking at a computer screen, so we have to find other ways to protect ourselves. Listed below are some tips to help you save your eyes from deteriorating while still being able to work in the job that you need.
Position your Computer Screen Correctly
The first step towards protecting your eyes is by adjusting the position of the screen to reduce awkward posture. You should place it a comfortable distance away from you so that you can easily read the screen without bending your neck, shoulders, or back. It should also be at the right angle to minimize glare. Moreover, the top of the screen should be at or slightly below your eye level. The optimal monitor’s position is 17 to 18 degrees lower than your eyes.
Adjust the Lighting
The room’s lighting plays a role in causing your eyestrain. You should lower the brightness by using low-intensity bulbs and shutting the blinds if you are working in the morning. Another kind of lighting that you should avoid at all costs is the blue one coming out of your screen. You may suffer from computer vision syndrome and may even feel like you are gradually losing your sight. The developers at blockbluelight.co.uk recommend using blue-light-blocking sunglasses that allow only the harmless light to reach your retina. After using these glasses for a while, you will notice that your migraines will start to disappear without having to use any medication.
Furthermore, they reduce the likelihood of suffering from age-related macular degeneration that leads to blindness. Another harmful effect of blue light is that it induces insomnia which can drive you crazy if you are trying to sleep after a hard day at work. The high-frequency wavelengths cause you to be more alert at a time when you need to relax.
Change the Computer Screen Settings
Matching the brightness of your screen to the ambient light around you is crucial. You can adjust it by opening a white page and looking at it for a couple of minutes to determine whether it seems too dull or too bright. You can change this manually or save yourself the hassle and download an application that detects the surrounding light and does it automatically for you. Recently, some laptops have implemented retina screens that are manufactured to reduce the strain on your eyes by matching the brightness as well as the colors of your workspace.
You can also change other display settings such as text size, contrast, and keyboard lights. Making small changes may seem arbitrary, but, over a lengthy period of time, they make a big difference, so turn down the brightness by a couple of percent, make the text smaller or bigger, and fine-tune the contrast.
Look Away
Focusing too much on a certain object can cause eye fatigue and ruin your focusing ability, so much that you may find yourself feeling sleepy quite often. By performing a simple exercise called the 20-20-20 rule, you can avoid stressing your eyes. You should look at an object that is 20 feet away every 20 minutes for 20 seconds. If this is too hard for you, you can look at any distant object for ten seconds then look at a closer one for the same amount of time. In case you are forgetful, use an application that reminds you to do it, or set alarms.
Blink Often
Dehydration is a common side effect of staring at screens for consecutive hours daily. You may have the urge to rub your eyes because of how itchy they get especially when you wake up in the morning. It may get worse and it can be hard for you to completely open your eyes without using eye drops. To prevent this from happening, try to blink more often while working on your laptop and use hydrating eye drops as a part of your routine.
Take Breaks
You shouldn’t get carried away by your work and forget to take breaks. Even if you don’t have the time to take a rest, you should do it anyway to clear your head and let your eyes focus on something else. You should get up, move around, and change your posture to steer clear of pain in your neck and shoulders.
Your eyes are sensitive and we should learn how to protect them. Together, the above tips will contribute to your overall wellness and health. You should make sure that you are in a comfortable position at all times. Remember to use protective technologies to counteract the side effects of computer screens.