Sometimes stress simply can’t be avoided, especially at the workplace, and there’s some pretty frightening statistics on how costly and painful it can be sometimes. For example, it’s said that $300 billion a year is spent on stress-related health care and time missed from work in America every year. A whopping 77% of people report physical pain or other symptoms caused by stress and at times these can be related to headaches or eye strain.
Although it’s unlikely you’ll receive a serious vision condition from sitting behind a computer all day, but things like bright lights and screens can really take a toll on our eyes. No one has been able to prove it scientifically, but there are some that believe things like macular degeneration could be linked to excessive screen time.
Smaller Breaks – More Often
Often the problem lies when we’re faced with feeling like we’re almost chained to our desks at times with the blazing screens in our face all day. Similar to the fact that it’s actually healthier for us to eat many small meals a day instead of just a few large ones, the same is true when it comes to taking breaks. Rather than a one hour lunch and two fifteen minutes throughout a typical eight-hour workday, it would actually be much better to stretch these out into taking a ten to fifteen break every hour.
20 – 20 – 20
Perhaps you’ve heard of this simple rule, every twenty minutes, look at something twenty feet away for at least twenty seconds. This allows our eyes and brains to refocus briefly. If you’re aware of the practice, but not employing it, set a reminder on your computer by following these steps on How To Geek (dot com). Take advantage of this time to repeatedly blink your eyes that will help to moisten them as we often perform this involuntary function less often when working.
Exercise & Massage
Google the terms “computer eye exercises” and “computer eye massage” to find some rub downs, quick and easy activities for your temples and other areas around your eyes. Some of them may contain acupressure points that are designed to help with headaches and eye strain. When you find the routines you enjoy, bookmark them in your web browser to refer to them regularly.
Brightness Factor
Keep your monitor bright, but not so much that it overpowers the lighting in the room, the amount of brightness should be similar. A bright monitor helps reduce the flicker rate from the screen which prevents eye fatigue. A brighter monitor also causes your pupils to constrict, which gives your eyes a greater range of focus. This allows you to work longer with more comfort as it reduces the need for your eyes to accommodate for the lighting.
Make Adjustments
Often when people are advised to make adjustments to their computer monitor, they only think of changing the brightness setting as mentioned previously. But you should also check the contrast level and text size to make it the most comfortable. There’s also something called a color temperature that refers to the amount of blue light a screen is emitting. In Windows, go to the control panel, choose display and then calibrate color. You might need to look at “advanced settings” to get to this level.
Lighting and Glare
Reduce the use of stinging fluorescent lighting wherever possible which can cause glare from surfaces like the top of your desk or other nearby objects. Place incandescent lighting on either side of your workstation to create equal brightness without darker, shadowy areas. This will also ensure your eyes aren’t working as hard to adjust to glare and different light intensities.
Other Adjustments
Make sure your monitor is at eye level, you shouldn’t be looking up nor down at it and this will also help to prevent neck, shoulder and back pain. If you’re looking back and forth at a printed document and your computer screen, get a stand or other device to put the material next to the monitor to reduce eye strain and neck pain.
Take Vitamins
Along with eating a well-balanced diet to keep your vision strong, you may want to consider taking vitamins and minerals that aid with healthy eyesight. Obviously you’ll want to include vitamins A, C and E, along with B complex and Zinc. Fruits and vegetables that contain antioxidants will also improve the health of your eyes and reduce eyestrain.
Get A Checkup
Often vision problems can sneak up on us without our knowledge. We may think our eyesight is perfectly fine, but even a minor vision problem can cause unnecessary eyestrain and headaches. If you’re already wearing corrective lenses, you’re likely already having your vision checked regularly and those without glasses or contacts, it’s still recommended that you have a comprehensive eye examination every two years.
Be kinder to your eyes and your brain while you’re at work, school, home or any other place where you’re facing excessive screen time. You’ll reduce your overall stress, perhaps prevent some possible headaches and your eyes will also thank you in the long run.