Digital Day Discomforts

Like a lot of people, I spend the majority of my day staring at a computer monitor. For meetings, I take my iPad for notes. Occasionally, I’ll look down at my iPhone… see the trend? Digital devices are taking over! We depend on them to stay connected in our personal and professional lives.

I notice after a while of staring at a computer monitor that my eyes get tired, so I figured it probably happens to other people. I compiled a list of 5 Quick Tips for these digital days.

1. Customize the Environment for you. Make sure your chair is close to your computer and you have adequate back support. With both feet flat on the ground, your eyes will be level with the monitor and eye strain will be reduced.
2. Set the Lighting. Good lighting isn’t just for setting the mood. Avoid bright, overhead lights to avoid overexposing and irritating the eyes. Too little light can cause you to strain your eyes trying to see. Find the happy medium of lights to set the mood!
3. Adjust your Angles. You should be looking slightly down at the screen from 24-28 inches away. The center of the screen should be about 6 inches below your eye line.
4. Magnify the Text. Almost all devices now have an option to make text larger. Use this feature. It will avoid strain on your eyes.
5. Blink. Just because you are working on a machine, doesn’t make you one! Your eyes need to re-charge. Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away, for 20 seconds.

If you wear glasses regularly and spend hours on a computer, anti-reflective lenses will eliminate reflections of light that cause additional strain. If you still experience problems, Dr Tavel or one of his board certified associates are fully knowledgeable in Computer Vision Syndrome and eager to help. With these tips, hopefully your productivity won’t be slowed down by eye strains anymore!