Our regular lives revolve around screens. TV screens, laptop screens, and workstation screens are the top three that dominate our time. While the majority of our time at work is spent sitting in front of a computer screen, one of the things we must be reminded of is how to keep our eyes healthy when constantly starting at the computer screen.
Some of the key things we need to take into account are the glare from our computer screens, font size, and the visual distance we need to keep away from the computer. Common symptoms that you may experience while at work are dry eyes, headaches, fatigue, and difficulty focusing. Surfing on the web or editing a Word or Excel document for long periods of time can take a toll on your eye muscles.
In some cases eye muscles become so consistently fatigued that it can lead to blurry distance vision. Here are some tips to ensure eye health while at work:
1) Exercise and Rest your Eyes – After 20 minutes of computer work, make sure to rest your eyes by scanning your office and looking at different objects at different vantage points around your room. This exercises the muscle in your eyes and gives them a break from being focused at such a close distance for a long period of time.
2) Artificial Tears and Blinking – We tend to blink less when staring at fixed objects for long periods of time. As a result, our eyes become dry and irritated. If you have ever experienced a sandy, irritated feeling in your eyes after spending so much time in front of the computer, you need to use artificial tears. Using these drops before the symptoms start will help you make better use of your computer time.
3) Adjust lighting – Glare from overhead fluorescent lighting or other competing light sources can cause a lot of strain on your eyes. Make sure your screen does not conflict with other lighting in your office. Close the blinds or shades on your office window if this helps. Remember, the more your eyes strain to see the computer, the less healthy this is in the long run.