Key Takeaways:
- Eye strain related to digital screens can be a frustrating and uncomfortable issue for many consumers.
- To help, try adjusting the settings on your monitor, including brightness, contrast, color temperature, and more. Also, try and reduce monitor glare by swiveling the display.
- You can also buy a dedicated blue light filter, which can also take the form of a pair of glasses.
Staring at a computer screen, even high-quality models, all day can have some adverse health effects, including headaches and overall fatigue. Some of us, however, cannot cut down on screen time for professional reasons.
Computer Monitor Eye Strain
If you have been finding yourself getting more headaches recently or you just feel fatigued after looking at a computer monitor, you may need to take some steps to alleviate the symptoms and find relief. In fact, even adjusting the monitor brightness and contrast can help your eyes.
Tips to Find Relief From Eye Strain
There are a number of simple steps you can take to help alleviate some of the eye strain you regularly experience due to staring at digital screens throughout the day.
Adjust Your Screen
Something simple to try for reducing eye strain is to adjust the computer monitor or display itself. Try making the text larger and raising the contrast. Change the brightness setting, keeping in mind that a display’s overall brightness should not be significantly lighter or darker than your surroundings. If you are on a computer monitor, try raising the refresh rate. A high refresh rate will reduce flicker, which could reduce eye strain. You can also lower the color temperature of your screen, which will reduce the level of blue light it emits. Blue light is typically blamed for causing most bouts of eye fatigue or strain.
Tip: Try making the text larger and raising the contrast
Warning: Blue light is typically blamed for causing most bouts of eye fatigue or strain
Purchase a Filter or Dedicated Glasses
There are a number of third-party accessories you can try out that can reduce eye strain in certain situations. You can buy a matte filter, which is a flat blue light filter that is built to fit around a computer monitor, phone screen, and other types of displays. We have a guide on the top blue light screen protector you can buy for your display. You can also purchase a pair of glasses that includes blue-light blocking technology. These glasses work in a similar fashion to the filter, but they rest in front of your eyes instead of on the display itself. Do some research to find the best filter or glasses.
Tip: There are a number of third-party accessories you can try out that can reduce eye strain in certain situations
Warning: Do some research to find the best filter or glasses
Take Breaks
One of the most important ways to reduce eye strain due to digital displays is simply to take breaks. We recommend stopping to take a quick break every 15 to 20 minutes. Take a step away from your monitor and perform some stretches or drink a glass of water. These breaks add up over time. Additionally, you may want to be aware of the 20-20-20 rule, which says that every 20 minutes, you should look at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
Tip: may want to be aware of the 20-20-20 rule, which says that every 20 minutes, you should look at an object at least 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds
STAT:
Recent research sponsored by The Vision Council has shown that 59 percent of people who routinely use computers and digital devices experience symptoms of digital eye strain (also called computer eye strain or computer vision syndrome). (Source)
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_strain
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_vision_syndrome
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_effects_of_high-energy_visible_light
https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Blue-light_exposure
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/07420528.2015.1119158
