Digital eye strain is easily preventable. The obvious answer is to limit digital media use, but for the vast majority of americans who can’t – or won’t – there are multiple ways to lessen the impact of screen time.
An important point is to pay attention to your body. sudden eye, neck, head or shoulder pains are a warning sign of strain. If your eyes feel irritated, take a couple moments to look away from the screen, relax and make minor adjustments.
Adjust external factors, such as these:
Reduce glare.
Adjust the brightness of your screen by checking the control settings on your digital device. Consider changing your background color from bright white to a cooler gray. Glare reduction filters are also available and can easily attach to computer screens.
Clean your screen.
Frequently dust and wipe digital screens to help reduce glare.
Dim your surrounding lighting.
Lessen the amount of overhead and surrounding light that is competing with your device’s screen. Dim inside lights and try to avoid outside areas of intense brightness. This can help to reduce glare and strain.
Keep your distance.
Position your device so there is sufficient distance between your eyes and the screen.
- For computers, try sitting in your chair and extending your arm. Your palm should be able to rest comfortably on the monitor (as if you’re high-fiving the screen).
- For hand-held devices, try to keep the device a safe distance from your eyes and hold it just below eye level.
Adjust your screen.
Digital screens should always be directly in front of your face and slightly below eye level. Do not tilt a computer monitor.
Increase text size.
Bump up text size to help better define the content on your screen. Use the settings control to make adjustments that feel comfortable to your eyes.
For more information, visit The Vision Council.
