How To Be Nicer To Your Eyes When Your Job Requires A Lot Of Screen Time

It's no secret that staring at a screen all day isn't great for your eyes. It can leave them feeling fatigued, dry, itchy and sore. But what can you do when your job requires that you look at a computer screen for much of the day? Telling your boss you want to revert back to a paper-and-pencil-only system is not going to fly in the 21^st century, so luckily, there are some steps you can take to make all of that screen time easier on your eyes.

Remind yourself to blink.

Many of the negative effects of screen time can be traced back to the fact them when you look at a screen, you don't blink as often as you normally would. As a result, your eyes grow dry and tired. So, if you can increase the number of times you blink, you can prevent a lot of the negative effects of staring at a screen. Try placing a sticky note on your desktop that says "remember to blink." You can also tell yourself that you're going to blink three times each time you open a new tab on your browser, each time you read an email, etc. Eventually these actions will become habits, and they'll keep you blinking more often.

Turn down the lights and screen brightness.

If your office is really bright, your screen has to be bright in order for you to see it. A bright screen is more fatiguing to your eyes than a dimmer one. So, turn down the lights in your office and then turn down your screen brightness, too. If you work in a set of cubicles and don't have direct control over your lights, talk with maintenance or your supervisor to see if switching out the bulbs for dimmer ones is an option. Explain that doing so is better for everyone's eyes. If they realize you want to reduce the brightness for health reasons, they may be more likely to comply.

Ask your eye doctor about computer glasses.

If turning down your lights – and therefore your screen brightness – is not really an option, then talk to your eye doctor about computer glasses. Similar to sunglasses, these glasses are designed to block the most irritating wavelengths of light while still allowing you to see your computer screen clearly. They come in non-prescription versions, too, so you can utilize them even if you don't regularly wear glasses for vision correction.

Your office job does not have to claim your eye health. Talk to your eye doctor like Charles Richards A OD for more tips to keep your eyes healthy when working behind a computer.

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