Computer eye strain

Regular eye examinations can help you with clear, comfortable vision. But they also offer a broader health assessment – the optometrist checks the health of your eyes and looks for signs of other medical conditions.

When you have your test, let the optometrist know you use computers often.

Regularly look away from your computer screen and focus on distant objects. For example, take a minute to stare out of the window.

Looking far away relaxes the focusing muscle inside the eye, which in turn reduces eye fatigue.

Eye strain is often caused by excessive sunlight coming in through the window or by bright room lighting.

Use curtains or blinds to reduce the brightness of the sun, reduce the lighting in your room and avoid sitting under big overhead fluorescent lights.

Glare reflected from light-coloured painted walls and shiny surfaces, as well as reflections on your computer screen, can cause eye strain.

• An anti-glare screen attached to your monitor can help (and is a less drastic measure than painting the walls in a darker, matt-finish paint).
• Reduce the external light by covering windows or using a computer hood over the monitor.
• If you’re a glasses wearer, use lenses with an anti-reflective coating to reduce glare. At Specsavers, lenses are available with UltraClear SuperClean - an anti-reflection and a scratch resistant coating in one.

Upgrade your display

Changing from an old-style cathode ray tube (or CRT) monitor to a modern LCD screen can help avoid eye strain.

• CRTs can flicker, which contributes significantly to eye strain, while LCD screens are easier on the eye and usually have an anti-reflective surface.
• When choosing a new LCD screen, pick one with the highest resolution possible.

Adjust your monitor’s settings

Adjusting your computer’s display settings can help reduce eye strain and fatigue.

• Make sure the brightness is the same as the surroundings and adjust the text size and contrast so that it is comfortable to read. Black print on a white background is the best combination for comfort.
• Adjust the monitor’s colour temperature to reduce the amount of blue colours on your screen. Blue light is short-wavelength visible light there are thoughts that this may be associated with more eye strain than longer-wavelength hues, such as orange and red.

Modify your workstation

The way you sit at your desk and arrange your equipment can affect your vision.

• Make sure the brightness is the same as the surroundings and adjust the text size and contrast so that it is comfortable to read. Black print on a white background is the best combination for comfort.
• Adjust the monitor’s colour temperature to reduce the amount of blue colours on your screen. Blue light is short-wavelength visible light there are thoughts that this may be associated with more eye strain than longer-wavelength hues, such as orange and red.