It used to be that people who had been at their 9 to 5 desk jobs for years were the ones plagued with eye strain but today even young eyes are turning old. With the advent of technology, it’s very likely that you spend most of the day eye-locked with some type of screen whether it be a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. When we use such devices to play games or intently scan through our emails and work documents, our minds become so intensely focused on the screen that we often forget to blink. It’s so easy to get lost in that crumb-sized text, that before you know it you’ve had a 10-hour-long staring contest with your device. Let it be known, the device always wins (unless it dies, which in case, at least something arises to thankfully snap you out of your trance) at your vision’s disposal. To lessen the long-term damage electronic screens could cause your eyes, here are 7 tricks for reducing computer-related eye strain.
1. Dim Down That Monitor!
With just a few simple tweaks, you can adjust your computer brightness, contrast, and color to keep those eyes from bugging out. Don’t know how? Ask Google. Google always knows 🙂
2. Get Yourself a Sexy Pair of Computer Readers
The hipster look is in so now’s the time to spring for a second set of eyes. Computer screens tend to emit some very harsh whites that can be pretty painful to look at for long periods of time. The protective lenses in these specialized glasses are designed to minimize this effect as well as provide a bit of magnification, thereby making computer readers a great candidate for reducing computer-related eye strain.
3. Increase Your Browser Display Size
When it comes to viewing your computer you don’t have to opt for the standard wide-screen format. In fact, we don’t suggest it as it doesn’t tend to work well with documents and often leaves wide, empty margins on the sides of your website browser. Increase your viewing pleasure by increasing the browser display size. Just hold down Control and scroll up until the page fits your monitor like a picture frame. To adjust the browser display size on a Mac, simply press Command and + until you reach the desired size.
4. Use the Power of Those Magnifiers
When it comes to text, size does matter; it makes all the difference when it comes to legibility. However, computer text is a tad bit different as it can be hard to read no matter what size it is. Instead of opening your eyes so wide that you like a freak with a headache, use your magnifiers to enlarge certain parts of the screen. Note: Magnifiers are included in almost all versions of Windows and a similar software called Zoom is available to Mac users.
5. Settle for a Lower Desktop Resolution
The higher the resolution, the smaller images and text will appear so do your eyes a favor and make an adjustment. At a lower resolution, images and text blocks pop out more on the screen, making the computer work less strenuous on the eyes.
6. Bring that Text Size Up a Notch
They make calculators with huge buttons, books with enormous type set, signs twice the size of a human head, all so that people can see them. It only make sense that Windows 7, tablets, and many other devices, live up to the same standards by giving you the option to change the text and other on-screen aesthetics. Right-click on your desktop and find the Display option under the Personalize menu. Smaller, medium, and larger will be your options as far as manipulating text to reduce computer-related eye strain.
7. Take a Break!
I know, I know, “it’s not a good time”, you’re “in the middle of something important.” What you’re really in the middle of is a trance. Snap out of it! Staring at a screen for too long is not only boring but it’s unhealthy and can cause computer vision syndrome. Direct your attention elsewhere for a few minutes…maybe go look at something live like a face? That’s right, go catch up with a friend or coworker for a few. Focusing your vision elsewhere will keep your eyes from fatiguing fast. Better yet, shed some daylight upon those lids of yours! Being inside all day can mess with your eyes and your sleeping rhythms. Exposing your eyes to different levels of light helps in reducing computer-related eye strain. Besides, like your parents used to say “Honey, get some fresh air. It’s good for you!”