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Closed How to Protect Your Eyes when Using a Computer

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Harmione

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  • Sit far enough away from the screen. This is usually considered at least an arm's length away from the screen. To make sure your computer is positioned right, try the high-five test: if you can properly high-five your computer screen with a full arm extension, you're sitting too close.
  • Locate the computer screen 4 or 5 inches below your eye level. Ideally, you should look down at the computer screen at about a 15 to 20 degree angle. This ensures that more of your eyeball is covered by your eyelid, keeping your eyes moisturized and healthy
  • Position reference material properly. If you're using any books or papers while working, you can strain your eyes if you don't position them properly. If they're too low, your eyes will have to refocus every time you glance at them, leading to eye fatigue. You can also strain your neck by moving it to look down too often. Reference materials should be located above the keyboard and below the computer's monitor. To help do this, use a document holder or a book to prop up materials a few inches and help rest your eyes.
  • Blink often. We naturally blink about 20 times every minute, but when focusing on a screen this can drop by as much as half. This means your eyes are at much greater risk of drying out when working on the computer. Since your body won't blink as much naturally, you'll have to be conscious of this and force yourself to blink.
  • Adjust your screen lighting. Your screen should be illuminated in relation to your environment. If you're working in a brightly lit room, you can increase your brightness settings; if the room is dim, lower the settings. While the screen should be brightest object in the room, it shouldn't be on the brightest setting in a dark room.
  • Reduce glare from your screen. Surrounding lights can reflect off your screen and strain your eyes. There are several ways you can reduce glare and keep your eyes healthy.
  • Take regular breaks. The American Optometric Association recommends that for every two hours of looking at the computer screen, you should take a 15 minute break. During this time you should blink, close your eyes, and allow them to rest and re-lubricate.
  • Ask your eye doctor about specialized glasses. Some glasses are specifically tinted to reduce glare from computer screens. You eye doctor can recommend a good pair of these that will help properly protect your eyes from computer glare. These are available in prescription and OTC versions.
 
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