Do you spend most of the time staring at your laptop screens? Yes, you do! It might sound overstated to you, but it was through a survey that present age adults spend most time of the day on their screens.
Be it work, studying or catching up with the friends on social media, this all keeps us glued to the screens most of the time of our day. And with that, eye strain has become a significant problem for this generation.
Around 59% of people who use digital devices around 9 hours a day experience eye strain and computer vision syndrome.
In this post, we will discuss the symptoms of eye strain as well as everything you need to do to reduce it while using your computer or laptops.
Table of Contents
Computer Vision Syndrome & Its Symptoms
You might have already got the idea about what a computer vision syndrome is, but if you don’t, let us explain. It is a set of symptoms that appear when you put too much strain on your eyes while looking at the computer screens. This syndrome affects both men and women along with the children as well.
The symptoms of this syndrome include:
- Blurred Vision
- Sore Eyes
- Eye Fatigue
- Discomfort in eyes
- Dry eyes
- Headaches
- Redness in the eyes
- Backaches
- Neck Pain
- Difficulty in focusing
- Itchy and irritated eyes
- Difficulty in shifting focus from computer screen to another object
You can’t ditch your work or stop studying. So what you can do about the computer-related eye strain? These tips will help minimize the eye strain while you are using the screens.
Minimize the Eye Strain While Using Laptop with These Tips
Follow the tips mentioned below to minimize the eye strain while using a laptop.
Maintain Distance from the Laptop Screen
Rearranging your desk and maintaining a distance from the laptop screen is vital to minimize eye strain. The best position for your laptop screen is just below the eye level. It should also be around 20 to 28 inches away from your face.
Moreover, we advise that your screen should be at a distance where you don’t have to put a strain on your eyes, to see or read. Also, if you have to shift your eyes from the screen to your documents, it should be placed at the same level as that of the monitor, or just beside it. This way, you don’t have to look up and down while you work.
Optimize the Work Area Light Intensity
One of the primary reason for the eye strain is the bright light either from the background or from the laptop screen itself. Thus, it is crucial to optimize the lighting intensity of both the screen and the background.
The first thing you need to make sure to reduce eye strain is to avoid sunlight while you are working on the laptop. Don’t sit in front of a window from where direct light is coming. Also, eliminate exterior lights by closing drapes and blinds. Moreover, it is also recommended to have ambient lighting half bright as typically found in the offices.
Related articles: Our guide to finding the right desk lamp.
Give Your Eyes Some Rest
Your eyes need a much-deserved break after hours of working and multi-tasking. Right? You cannot see at a closer distance for hours. So it is really important to give your eyes some rest so that they can repair themselves for the next long staring sessions.
We recommend taking small, yet frequent breaks. Resting your eyes will affect your productivity as well as your vision in a most positive way. You can stand up and move in your mini-breaks. You might want to stretch yourself as well, to jerk away all the tension on your muscles and body. You can also drink water to get yourself hydrated for enhanced productivity.
Adjust Laptop Screen Settings
As mentioned earlier, you can put a lot of strain on your eyes when the lighting is not optimal – on the screen or in the surroundings. So, it is also important for you to adjust your computer display settings that will also help to reduce strain and fatigue on the eyes. The following adjustments are beneficial for your eyes:
Brightness – You need to adjust the intensity of the screen as compared to your work area. Adjust the brightness of your laptop screen in a way that the white background on the screen doesn’t seem like its a bright source of light. It shouldn’t also seem dull or gray. Adjust the screen’s brightness in between the two and see how that works.
Text Size & Contrast – When you are reading or composing long documents, adjusting the text size and contrast is important. Usually, a black print on a white background is the perfect combination for your eyes. You can work on other combinations too, that doesn’t seem harsh to your eyes while reading or writing.
Color Temperature – Color Temperature is a technical term that is important when it comes to reducing strain and fatigue on eyes. The more the color temperature, the greater the stress on eyes. So it is important to reduce the color temperature of your screen, that will give you viewing comfort, effortlessly.
Try Some Eye Exercises
Exercising your eyes is another critical thing to do to reduce eye stress. Focusing too much and for too long can make your eyes tired. This will reduce the blood flow towards the eye muscles and nerves, causing blurred and unfocused vision.
To reduce risk, exercising is a great way. This will help enhance the blood flow while keeping the eye strain at minimal. For this, you can follow a 20-20-20 rule. Take a break every 20 minutes and look at any object that is placed at least 20 feet away from you and that too, for 20 seconds. While you do that, move your eyes and see different objects at various distances.
Another exercise for your eyes is to gaze at an object placed far from you for around 10 to 25 seconds. And then look at something up close for 10 to 15 seconds. Repeat this exercise for a few times. It will reduce eye fatigue and strain after prolonged computer work. Also, blinking frequently will help you to reduce the risk of computer-related dry eyes.
Wear Computer Glasses
For additional comfort, you might want to get prescription computer glasses. Computer glasses are the special glasses designed to help you focus on the screen while minimizing the strain on the eyes.
If you are used to using contact lenses while working on the screen, you would love to have these glasses. These glasses provide eye comfort while keeping your eyes moist and fatigue-free. Since the contact lenses are not tailored for computer work, you will eventually feel uncomfortable and your eyes will get dry from constant usage. So talking to your doctor will help you get customized computer glasses for your long working sessions on computer and screens.
Take Routine Eye Examination
An eye examination is another important thing that will help you prevent or treat computer-related eye problems. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned above, get your eyes checked out. For those who work on computers, getting eye examination once a year is crucial.
Tell your doctor how frequent you use the screens and how your eyes feel during the use of screen-time and perhaps how often you’re on your laptop. Your doctor will give you the best recommendations, so don’t forget to give every single detail about your issues.
Conclusion
Using a laptop is a part of our everyday lives, especially for college students constantly on their laptops. It is imperative to take proper care of your eyes. Try to make an appointment with your eye doctor for regular checkups, every six months.
If you have any changes in vision or you experience any symptoms, let your doctor know. In addition, add the tips mentioned above into your lifestyle so you can lessen eye strain while using your laptop or devices.