1. Maintain a good posture
Keep your back straight, shoulders back, hips far back in the chair, feet flat on the floor and knees more or less in line with hips.
2. Position your chair at the correct angle and distance
Recline your chair at an angle of 100 to 110° (slightly more than perfectly straight).
Place your chair at a comfortable viewing distance and make sure that you feel properly supported at this range.
3. Position your mouse and keyboard
Keep the mouse at a comfortable distance close to the front of your desk. Your keyboard should lie flat on the desk, not angled.
4. Choose monitors that are kind to your eyes
The ideal solution is to upgrade to a high resolution LED screen with an anti-reflective surface. You should, however, be able to adjust the settings on most monitors to reduce eye strain and fatigue. Set the brightness at the same level as your surrounding work area. When doing a lot of on-screen reading, remember that black print on a white background gives the best contrast and comfort.
5. Control the light in your environment
Good lighting is always very important, but be aware that excessive lighting can also cause eye strain. Excessive outdoor light or harsh interior lighting are common causes of eye strain. Position your desk and monitor so that windows are next to you, allowing light to enter from the side, instead from directly in front or behind you.
6. Be mindful of your working distance
Position your monitor 40 to 60 cm from your eyes. Having the screen too close or too far away will both cause eye strain. The centre of your screen should be 10 to 15° below your eyes for comfortable viewing.
7. Don’t neglect eye examinations
A comprehensive annual eye examination is the most important thing you can do to prevent eye strain and fatigue. Some people have refractive errors that generally do not hinder sight, but might strain eyes when working on computers. Your optometrist will determine the ability of your eyes to function at screen distance and spectacles with a low prescription may provide huge relief of symptoms.
8. Wear your prescribed corrective eyewear
Digital devices emit high energy short wave frequency blue light that cause symptoms like burning and red eyes, fatigue, headaches and sleeplessness. Lenses are available that have been developed specifically for computer work and these increase your depth of focus and the field of view. The right prescription lens with a coating that blocks blue light will reduce the harmful effects of prolonged screen time.
9. Remember to blink
When we stare at a screen and concentrate, we blink less, resulting in less tears being secreted. This leads to dry eyes that can become red, burning, itchy and/or irritated. Speak to your optometrist about the variety of possible solutions to these symptoms that will make life much more enjoyable.
10. Take regular breaks
Constant focussing on a screen can cause computer vision syndrome, an accommodative spasm that results in blurry vision. To prevent this, as well as reduce back and shoulder pain, plan frequent breaks from your screen throughout the day. During these breaks you should get up and move around, focus at farther distances and stretch to reduce tension and muscle fatigue.