Rules for taking proper care of the eyesight in the office - 4 guidelines

Office work often means eight busy hours spent in front of the computer. In order to rest after an intensive mental effort we sit in front of a television or look into our smartphone, not taking into consideration the physical strain our eyes are exposed to. Spending additional hours staring into a smaller or larger screen will definitely not bring them the desirable relief. A feeling of dryness in the eyes, blurred vision and ever more frequent headaches are typical symptoms of eye fatigue. How can we take proper care of our eyes and let them rest a little? Below in this article you will find four helpful guidelines.

First of all, make sure the computer monitor in your workplace is placed in the right position and at the right distance from your eyes. Work health and safety regulations do not come out of nowhere – if you adhere to them, you can minimise the negative effect computer screens have on your eyesight. Put the monitor in such a place that it is at 50-70 cm distance from your eyes (the bigger the monitor the longer the viewing distance should be). It is the healthiest for your eyes if the monitor is large and curved since such a structure reduces eye fatigue.

Secondly, you need to remember about proper lighting in the office. A computer or laptop screen should not the only source of light. In ideal working conditions the eyes should have access to natural daylight. However, the reality is often far from being perfect. If there is no natural light in the office, you should choose a source of light which will be as similar to the natural one as possible, preferably warm light, which is much better tolerated by the eyes than the blue light of screens or fluorescent lamps. When it comes to the blue light, you should also pay attention to proper adjustment of screen brightness and contrast, the least harmful to the eyes. It is recommendable to lower the colour temperature of the monitor to 5000–6000 K and decrease luminance to 150–120 cd/m2. Such monitor settings reduce the negative impact of blue light radiation on our eyes by approximately 70-80%. Another way of limiting the adverse effect of blue light radiation is to use glasses with special lenses, e.g. with Blue Control protective coating (even zero dioptre ones if you do not have a refraction error).

Another tip is not to forget about the beneficial impact of having breaks from looking at the screen, which bring significant relief to your tired eyes. Try taking a 10 or 15-minute long break every hour. Gaze out of the window, go out to the balcony, look into the distance and move your eyes in every direction. If you do not remember about the breaks, after a long time of staring into the screen your eyes will not be able to instantly accommodate to focus on distant objects. You may experience a so-called accommodative spasm which means that for some time after looking at the screen you will have difficulty focusing your eyes on distant objects and as a result the image will be blurred. On the internet you can find a lot of eye relaxation exercises which can activate the natural accommodation and thus are really worth trying.

Last but not least, you should always have eye drops at hand. In natural circumstances our eyes blink about 12 times a minute. However, when we work on the computer they blink far less frequently, which in turn prevents the cornea and the conjunctiva from being properly lubricated. In such a situation it is necessary to restore the right level of hydration by using eye drops. Apply the drops a few times a day. Before you buy them, make sure that they do not contain any preservatives. It is important to check because preservatives, instead of providing desirable relief, may irritate the eyes and trigger allergic reactions.

Apparently over 80% of information reaches us through the optic canal. This knowledge alone should already make us think more seriously about our eyes’ health.

Your eyes are one of the most important organs in your body. Learn to take proper care of them and enjoy sharpness of contours and depth of colours in the world around you all your life. There is still so much beauty to see!

In case of any vision deterioration or any discomfort in your eyes make an appointment for a specialist ophthalmologic examination in our Centre. If you have any questions for a doctor, submit them through the questionnaire under the ASK A DOCTOR tab. All the questions will be answered by the doctors of the ArtLife Ophtalmologic Centre.

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