Daily Cup of Tech

I have been noticing lately that my eyes feel like they are burning coals simmering inside my skull.  I’m sure the 18 hours a day behind a computer screen has something to do with it!  So, I started experimenting with some different tools and techniques to at least reduce, if not eliminate, the issue.

Change Your Work Area

Sometimes, the biggest problem is our work area.  Here are a few things that you can tweak in your work area to make your eyes happier:

• Set the screen at an angle that allows you to work without bending your neck
• Make sure there is as little glare on the screen as possible
• Increase the font size that you are using on the screen
• Make sure your work area is well lit
• Get a bigger screen
• Make sure the air is moist enough in your work area
• If using a laptop, use an external monitor, keyboard and mouse whenever possible
• Switch to a desktop, if possible, as they cause less eye strain than laptops
• Keep the screen dust free
• Do not put the computer in a position where the light behind the monitor or screen is brighter than the screen itself
• Turn on ClearType if your are using Windows
• Use an appropriate refresh rate.  Some refresh rates create “harmonic” waves with fluorescent lights.  Generally, the faster the refresh rate, the better
• Work in full screen mode

Give Your Eyes A Break

Here are some ideas for an “eye break”:

• Take a break every 20 minutes for 2-3 minutes
• Frequently look at something that is more than 20 feet away
• Blink!  It is amazing how often we forget to blink, especially when we are under stress, regardless of whether it is real (panicking while trying to get that crashed server back up) or created (you are so close to breaking your record on Ms. PacMan)
• Don’t use your computer for more than two hours at any sitting

Get Your Computer to Help

Here is some software that I have found which will help you to relieve eye strain and make you feel better:

F.lux

I distinctly remember once firing up my laptop on a road trip.  It was about 11 at night and we were in the middle of nowhere.  The sky was cloudy and there was no other traffic on the road.  As I flipped open my laptop in the back of the van, I felt like the Nazis at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark!  The screen was so bright it took nearly ten minutes for my vision to return.

Essentially, the brighter the surrounding light, the brighter and cooler your screen should.  So bright and cool at noon, darker and warm at midnight.

I found a great little program called F.lux that will do this automatically for you.  Based on the time of day and your physical location on the planet, it will slowly change the color and brightness of your monitor.  They even claim that it will help you to sleep better!

EyeDefender

When you are busy debugging that code or killing zombies, it is hard to remember to stop and give your eyes a break.  EyeDefender will gently remind you to put down the gun, give the zombies a breather, and let your eyes rest.  It can perform a number of actions including:

• Displays pictures in a predefined folder;
• Runs the visual training to relax the eyes;
• Runs a default screensaver;
• Displays a popup timed reminder in the system tray

Related articles:

• Prevent Eye Strain With Computer Breaks

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