October 12, 2023

This World Sight Day, our focus is on helping people understand the importance of protecting their vision in the workplace, including your home office.

As more and more people work remotely, it is essential to ensure that your home office is designed to provide adequate care and protection for your eyes while you work. Digital eye strain has become a common problem in modern workplaces, but it is avoidable by taking simple precautions. Our guide aims to educate readers on eye care and safety, and we have provided easy-to-follow steps to help you maintain healthy and comfortable eyesight while you work.

Use The correct light

To prevent eye strain, it is important to eliminate any glare on your computer screen. The most common causes of glare are harsh overhead lighting or excessive bright light from windows. You can position your computer in a way that avoids unwanted glare, or adjust the lighting in your home office by dimming the lights or lowering the blinds as necessary. This will create an optimal lighting environment for your eyes, helping them stay relaxed and comfortable.

DIY your workspace

It's essential to ensure that your workspace at home is comfortable for your eyes, and we're here to provide some helpful distance guidelines. The best distance between your eyes and your computer screen is 20 to 24 inches or roughly arm's length. Additionally, to reduce discomfort, the center of your screen should be about 10 to 15 degrees below eye level. You can picture this by imagining your eyes looking slightly downwards. This work position is widely acknowledged to be the most comfortable for your eyes, back, and neck.

DYI your computer setting, and customize it for your eyes.

Adjusting your computer's display settings is crucial for your eye's health. You can experiment with different settings to find the one that works best for you, but we have some general guidelines that can help you achieve optimal eye comfort.

  • Brightness: A good practice is to adjust your computer screen's brightness to match the brightness of your surrounding environment.
  • Text size: Small text can strain your eyes and cause discomfort. Enlarging the text can help you relax your eyes, reduce the strain, and allow you to focus better on your work.
  • Color temperature: Computer screens emit blue light that is known to cause eye strain. To minimize the strain, you can reduce the color temperature on your computer's display. This will decrease the amount of blue light emitted and make your screen more eye-friendly, reducing the risk of eye strain and fatigue in the long run.

Give your eyes a break

It is important to adopt an effective work-break plan to prevent or relieve eye strain. One such plan is the 20/20/20 rule. According to this rule, for every 20 minutes of screen time, you should look away from your computer and shift your focus to something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This will help give your eyes a break and reduce the risk of eye strain.

It's wise to get your eyes checked.

If you have been experiencing digital eye strain or are currently suffering from it, we recommend scheduling an appointment with us for a comprehensive eye exam. Dr. Weber and her team are here to take care of you and give you peace of mind regarding your eye health.