It’s 3 pm on a Monday. You’re hunched over your desk, staring the same screen you’ve been staring at for the last six hours straight.
Your head is buzzing, vision is blurring, and you’re starting to see double. If you were at home, you’d give yourself a break, but you’re not home-you’re at the office, and, unfortunately for you, there’s a mountain of tasks that still need to be done on the computer.
This situation is all too familiar for those who work the classic 9 to 5 in the office. And, as inconvenient and annoying as this situation can be, it may actually indicate a more serious condition. Symptoms such as blurred, double vision, dry and/or red eyes, headaches, or neck and back pain could be your body’s way of telling you that you’re straining your eyes. And while there’s no evidence yet to suggest that working at a computer has long-term affects on one’s vision, if the eye-strain continues, it could cause some serious discomfort.
Fortunately, there are ways you can minimize this strain, or at least provide your eyes with some relief, by following these four simple tricks.
- The 20-20-20 Rule
As you switch windows, read text, and look up and down from your paperwork to your monitor, your eyes are constantly focusing and refocusing. This repetitive focus/refocus motion can cause damage to your eye muscles similar to the way a writer develops carpal tunnel. To avoid this, look away from your computer every 20 minutes, and for 20 seconds, stare at something 20 feet away. This breaks the repetition and gives your eyes a rest.
- Palming
A technique originally invented by Tibetan Yogis, “palming” is an exercise that envelopes your eyes in total darkness which soothes the optic nerve. To begin, rub your hands together to create heat in your palms. Then, close your eyes and place your hands over them, with your fingers brushing your hairline and your palms touching your cheekbones. Block out all light, but do not press directly on your eyes. Relax, visualize total blackness, and hold this position for as long as is comfortable.
- Re-arrange Your Workstation
Eye strain is often caused by improper lighting. At your desk, your computer screen should be 18-30 inches from your eyes. Your monitor should never be directly in front of or facing a window; the former causes a silhouette that makes it difficult to see your screen and the latter creates a glare. Avoid working under overhead fluorescent lights, as this could cause you to suffer from fluorescent light headaches. So, when it comes to avoiding light sensitivity headaches, you may want to think about getting and installing fluorescent light filters that can help to block all of the harmful glare shown by your computer. This could definitely work in your favor. Don’t forget that any lamps should be placed to the side of your computer, never above. If you’re struggling with deskspace for your reorganization, you might want to head to office monster and see their offerings in the way of office furniture.
- Blink!
The importance of blinking cannot be overstated-blinking naturally lubricates the eyes, and studies show that avid computer users blink about one-third as often as they would otherwise, and when they do blink, it’s usually only a partial lid-closure. Throughout the day, this can cause dry, irritated eyes. To remedy this, every 30 minutes, take a break to blink ten times, slowly and fully.