Introduction

As the trend for many workplaces move towards remote work, more and more time will be spent in front of the computer screen. We need to shift our thinking about safety to consider less than obvious safety risks like eye strain. The average person spends 6-9 hours of screen time a day, the tips we will discuss this week will help reduce the effects of eye strain despite the many hours of screen time often required for remote work.

Monday – Common Symptoms of Digital Eye Strain

Most of us have experienced the symptoms we are going to cover today. The key to reducing the harmful effects start with recognizing the common symptoms of eye strain. 

• Sore, tired, burning or itching eyes.
• Watery or dry eyes
• Blurred or double vision
• Headache
• Sore neck, shoulders or back
• Increased sensitivity to light
• Difficulty concentrating
• Feeling that you cannot keep your eyes open

Tuesday – Common Causes of Eye Strain

Step 2 of reducing eye strain is identifying the correct cause. We often hear screen time is the main culprit of eye strain but there are other causes that can contribute as well. We will cover those today.

• Reading without pausing to rest your eyes
• Driving long distances and doing other activities involving extended focus
• Being exposed to bright light or glare
• Straining to see in very dim light
• Having an underlying eye problem, such as dry eyes or uncorrected vision
• Being stressed or fatigued
• Being exposed to dry moving air from a fan, heating or air-conditioning system

Wednesday 10 Tips for Reducing Digital Eye Strain

Now that we’ve covered to common symptoms and causes of eye strain, let’s cover some tips for reducing the effects.

1. Getting a comprehensive eye exam annually will help determine any deterioration in eyesight and your doctor can work with you to determine next steps to prevent further degradation.
2. Use proper lighting. When you use a computer, your ambient lighting should be about half as bright as that typically found in most offices.
3. Minimize glare. Consider installing an anti-glare screen on your display to reduce eye strain.
4. Upgrade your display. If you have not already done so, replace your old tube-style monitor (called a cathode ray tube or CRT) with a flat-panel LED (light-emitting diode) screen with an anti-reflective surface.
5. Adjust your computer display settings. Adjusting the display settings of your computer can help reduce eye strain and fatigue. Generally, these adjustments are beneficial:
   1. Brightness
   2. Text Size and Contrast
   3. Color Temperature

Thursday – 10 Tips for Reducing Digital Eye Strain Cont.