How to Prevent Eye Strain When Working in the Office

Eye strain is common among office workers. If you work in an office, you'll probably sit in front of a computer for multiple consecutive hours each day. While essential for many office-related tasks, computers are an underlying risk factor for eye strain. The longer you stare at a monitor, the greater your risk of experience eye strain. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to prevent eye strain when working in the office.

Adjust Monitor Brightness

To lower your risk of eye strain, try adjusting the brightness of your monitor to an appropriate level. You don't want it too bright, nor do you want it too dim. Your monitor should have a moderate brightness level that blends into your surrounding workspace. You can typically increase or decrease the brightness level by pressing a tangible button or knob on your monitor.

Remember to Blink

Blinking is important when using a computer. Research shows that most office workers, as well as other computer users, blink about one-third less frequently than their counterparts. If you rarely blink, though, your eyes will lose their natural lubrication.

Blinking is essential to your eye health. Each time you blink, a layer of lubrication will be applied to your eyes. Failure to blink means that your eyes won't have this protective and hydrating layer of lubrication, thus increasing the risk of eye strain. If you're going to use a computer for a prolonged period, remember to blink so that your eyes are better protected.

Look Away Periodically

Another way to prevent eye strain when working in the office is to look away periodically. In other words, don't focus your vision entirely on your monitor for a prolonged period. Instead, take breaks to look away.

You can use the 20-20-20 rule to protect against eye strain. The 20-20-20 rule states that you should look away from your computer every 20 minutes for a period of 20 seconds, and the object that you look at should be 20 feet away.

Wear Prescription Lenses

If you've been prescribed glasses or contacts, remember to wear them when working in the office. Failure to wear prescription lenses will place an additional strain on your eyes. Some people even develop headaches when they don't wear their prescription lenses. Problems such as these are amplified when staring at a computer monitor.