Eye Safety & Preventing Eye Strain At The Computer Screen
Given that my job is working with computers, you can imagine that I already spend at least 8-9 hours a day in front of the computer full-time. Imagine I do a job that I love, and therefore spend yet more hours in front of the computer, outside of the working day, not just evenings, but also on weekends. Couple time spent in front of the screen with the fact that I am long-sighted and haven’t worn glasses in over a decade.
Where is this going? Well ultimately, a point of destruction and potential visual impairment, which is why I am writing about my experience, in order to try and help others with making the right adjustments to the way they work and how they look after and use their eyes daily, because vision is most definitely one sense you can’t take for granted.
Sitting In Front of the Computer Screen & Symptoms of Eye Strain
Going blind at your computer screen is a cross-platform feature of computer use. No matter what, It just comes down to the length of time you spend at your screen. The longer you sit at the computer the progressively worse your eyes will feel, due to the need to focus and re-focus them all the time thus tiring your eye muscles.
The fact that you are straining your eyes daily might not bare itself out until you actually start finding it hard to focus on the small print at the computer screen, but there are signs and symptoms that will manifest themselves well before you find you are struggling to read the text on a high resolution screen. The following are a list of the commons signs and symptoms of eye strain:
- Sore, tired, burning or itching eyes
- Watery eyes
- Dry eyes
- Blurred or double vision
- Headache
- Difficulty shifting focus between monitor and paper documents in your work area
- Color fringes or afterimages when you look away from the monitor
- Increased sensitivity to light
Solutions and Taking Care of Your Eyes at The Computer
Take Eye Breaks - Obviously giving up the day job at the computer, in exchange for waiting tables at the nearby greasy spoon, I am sure isn’t quite the answer you are looking for, although some non-computer related jobs do sound quite appealing. That being said, making sure you take regular breaks whilst using the computer. During these breaks, help your eyes by focusing on things other than the computer. For breaks consider using timer software as a reminder, plenty exist for Mac OSX, Windows or Linux. You can find them over at Version Tracker.
Hourly Breaks & Different Tasks - Change the pace of your work at leats once every hour, stand up, move around, even consider closing your eyes for a sustained period, to give your eyes time to rehydrate and lubricate themselves and rest. Maybe try doing other things, do filing, take calls or even try passing time with a bunch of back-to-back meetings. I understand that there are benefits to “being in the zone”, but you also have to bear in mind your eye safety and also the fact that sometimes stepping away from the computer for 5 minutes can help resolve a thorny issue you were grappling with at the workstation.
Blink More Frequently - It is well known that humans, when spending long period looking at a bright screen, do not blink as often as they would otherwise. Blinking is an essential part fo keeping the eyeballs moist and working, and feeling good. Make the effort to blink more frequently, and if not then consider purchasing artificial tears to refresh the eyes.
Increase The Default - When view web pages and or office files, such as Word docs or Excel spreadsheets, you can increase the default zoom, or font size at which they open. The large the view or font, the less you have to strain your eyes to view them. Also, consider lowering the resolution f the screen itself so that items on the screen appear bigger. The less you can fit ont he screen the better!
Workstation Setup - You need to ensure that you have the optimal workstation setup. By law, any large company is obliged to ensure that its employees have the best working conditions, especially when they are stuck at a computer all day long. This ranges form the chair and positioning at the desk. From yoru perspective you need to ensure all reading material and screens are at the same level, that the screen is about an arms length in front and the top is at eye-level, Make sure that lighting is not too strong at the the glare of the screen is also reduced.
Get Eyewear - Last but not least consider getting spectacles that are designed for use with computers. If you are long or short sighted and not wearing glasses, you certainly should consider using glasses if nothing else, then to use at the computer. If your vision is good, but you wish to reduce the strain on your eyes, then consider glasses to. When being fitted for eye gear, ensure that the optician is aware you are buying them for computer use, as most lens are designed and fitted for reading print. Lens that reflect UV, i.e. plastic coated, would also be good.
Conclusion: Get Your Eyes Checked
Luckily for me, I live and work near the Moorfield Eye Hospital in London which is surrounded by opticians and so my eyes are never necessarily far from my mind, and it’s easy for me to get them checked out, and under health and safety laws I can expense this to my employer.
All I can say is that if you value your eye sight, and I certainly do, then get them checked out. If you are dealing with prolonged eye discomfort, a noticeable change in vision or even double vision then you MUST visit an eye doctor. Just remember, eyewear doesn’t need to be a prison sentence, especially if it means improved vision for the long term, then that has to be a good thing, right?
