Do you stare at a computer screen for hours upon hours during your job??
Not surprisingly, it isn’t very good for your eyes. No, it won’t make you blind, but it puts a whole bunch of stress on them that could cause other issues, like eye pain and massive headaches.
Here are some things to cut down on those evil side effects:
There are a few things you can do to help your eyes out. Look away from your computer screen every 20 minutes or so to give your eyes a break. Just glance outside or down the hall for about 20 seconds; repeat that move throughout the day.
To minimize eye and neck pain, position your computer screen so it’s slightly below eye level; the ideal distance between you and the screen is 20 to 28 inches. At that position, you shouldn’t have to lean forward or strain your neck to see the screen. Adjust the location or angle of your computer screen so that there isn’t any glare, or get an anti-glare filter. Glare on a screen makes your eyes have to work even harder.
Of course, it’s important to see your eye doctor once a year to check for changes in your eyesight and update your glasses and contacts accordingly. Depending on your needs, he might even prescribe some reading glasses to use, particularly when you’re working on the computer.
We know that work can get away from you too, so our suggestion is to set an alarm for the 20 minute eye-breaks! Use your cell phone or a program on your computer. It seriously works.
Your eyes are important. Take care of them while you take care of business!
[Image via AP Images.]
