Do you experience a dull headache or eye strain at the end of each working day? You are not alone. With the average office worker spending almost 1,700 hours in front of a screen, eye strain has become an increasingly common problem for most office workers. And this situation has only expanded during the pandemic. 

That said, there is so much we can do to avoid eye-related ailments by making simple tweaks in how we work. This article outlines a few techniques to follow if you need relief from too much screen time. 

Ways to Protect Your Eyes While Working

Check the Positioning of Your Screen

Contrary to what most people believe, our eyes must work much harder to see something close up than far away. Therefore, the best practice to follow is to place your monitor arm’s length away from you, aligning the top line of text to eye level. If you work with dual monitors, position them slightly farther than arm’s length to increase your field of view. You may need to adjust the font size slightly, but it is fine to do so. If your line of work involves you working with documents, use a document holder and place it at the same height and distance as your computer screen.

Reduce Glare

Glare is the reflection of light from a source like sunlight or a lamp, making it hard to see your computer screen. A problem commonly faced by office workers, glare occurs when there is a significant difference between an object and its background. To minimise glare from phones and computers, start by adjusting your environmental lighting and increasing the contrast on your monitor. You can also opt for anti-glare screen filters to minimise reflections. In addition to these tips, experts suggest setting your screen background to be light green instead of pre-programmed blue. 

Take Eye Breaks

Once you have adjusted the lighting and your office desk space, the next best thing for your eyes and overall health is taking an eye break. An eye break or a visual break is simply looking away from your screen to allow the ciliary muscles to relax and the eyes to rehydrate. Taking an eye break is easy and highly effective against eye strain. A tip that we love is the 20-20-20 technique. This technique involves taking a break every 20 minutes to look at an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds. This relaxes your eyes and is a much-needed micro-break for your mind. 

Stay Hydrated

Did you know that our blink rate naturally plummets when we look at a digital screen or read the tiny font on a sheet of paper? Blinking less frequently makes our eyes more susceptible to drying out. Keeping yourself hydrated benefits your eye health and is a nudge to get away from your desk more regularly. Use a humidifier in your home during the fall and winter to keep the air moist and blink fully. If your eyes get too dry, it is best to consult your doctor.  

Want to learn more about working safely? Read more about ergonomics, posture and the latest office equipment to incorporate into your office.