It’s no news that bright screens have become a window to the world. Smartphones, tablets, PCs and TVs are our primary means of working and entertaining ourselves. However, all of this comes with a lot of stress on our eyes.
In a late January post on All About Vision, Gary Heiting and Larry Wan write that CVS (Computer Vision Syndrome) symptoms appear in 50-90 percent of people who work at computers. So here are 7 easy-to-implement tips to avoid hurting your eyes.
Takes one eye test per year
If you haven’t had an eye exam in the last 12 months, schedule one with your eye doctor. An eye exam is the most important thing you can do to prevent computer-related vision damage. During the exam, do not forget to tell your eye doctor or optician how much time you spend on the computer.
Adjust screen settings
One of the simplest yet important things you can do to reduce the stress on your eyes is to take action on your computer screen. First of all, make sure you’re using an LCD display. Almost no one uses cathode ray tube screens anymore, but if you do, replace it as soon as possible.
After making sure that you have an LCD monitor, change the settings in order to reduce the fatigue of your eyes. You need to check these three parameters:
Brightness. Adjust the brightness of your PC so that it is approximately the same as the environment in which you work. Open a white page, if it seems too bright, reduce the brightness, if the color is similar to gray you need to increase it.
Font size and contrast. Increase the size of the text so that it doesn’t strain your eyes too much to read. Make sure that the text to be read is always black on a white background. This is the best combination for comfortable reading. Avoid reading on multi-colored backgrounds.
Color Temperature.
This is a technical term used to describe the spectrum of visible light emitted by a color screen. Blue light has a short visible wavelength and is associated with greater eye fatigue than colors like red and orange. If you reduce the temperature of your screen, you decrease blue light, improving conditions for your eyesight.
Blink frequently
This is probably the easiest piece of advice to follow. When working on the computer, remember to close your eyes often. It helps to keep your eyeballs moist and therefore more lubricated. Proper lubrication will irritate and dry out your eyes. In offices, the environment is dry and the tears that cover the eyes evaporate faster, so increasing the frequency with which you blink is the ideal solution.
Use 20-20 rule
One cause of computer vision syndrome is constant concentration on the screen. If you look at a bright display for a long time your eyes will be tired. The 20-20 rule can be helpful in this case. It consists of looking away from the computer every 20 minutes maximum and looking at something else that is at least five or six feet away for 20 seconds.
Improve your workplace
If you have to go back and forth with your eyes (and head) between a printed page and a screen, you increase the risk of suffering from CVS. In this case, in addition to following all the other tips, try to make your workstation more efficient. Place the printed pages next to the screen and illuminate them with a lamp so that their reflected light is approximately the same as that produced by the monitor. Also try to use ergonomic equipment to make your workstation comfortable.
Use computer glasses
For better comfort while you work at your PC, you may benefit from wearing eyeglasses designed specifically for use in front of the computer. Particularly if you use contact lenses that risk drying out while you work. Progressive or bifocal lenses are also an excellent solution, since normal lenses are not optimal for the distance between your face and the display.