Avoid Eye Strain with Simple Adjustments

Sitting is the new epidemic, or so the news has been saying for the last few years. In some ways, the reports aren’t wrong: sitting for hours without moving around is bad our backs and our overall health. But it’s not new information. Several parts of an office environment can be incredibly straining. An ergonomic chair, a standing desk, and a looser corporate culture that allows for some walking breaks help. Make sure your screen is also optimized for your health.

What’s the big deal with your monitor or laptop screen?

Staring into a light is bad for everyone’s eyes, especially if you’re trying to concentrate. So take the time to personalize your monitor settings, and encourage your employees to do the same. Try changing:

The font size

If you have to lean in to read text, your font is too small. Sometimes it’s poor web design, and sometimes it’s the default zoom settings in your spreadsheets. Either way, set the font size for your comfort level across (i) your computer, (ii) your browser, and (iii) your word processor and spreadsheet programs.

The color contrast

Newer computers have more and more settings programmed for different visual preferences. Try out the settings that mute colors, adjust greens and purples, or invert the colors. This can help with some websites’ trend of a gray font on gray backgrounds.

The brightness

Your screen should never be the brightest thing in your vision. That puts a lot of strain on your eyes and, if you’re working from home, it also adds to your energy bill over time. Dim the screen a bit and soon you won’t consciously notice the difference even as your eyes feel a lot more relaxed.

Even if your screen is adjusted to be at the right height for your back, the text size doesn’t make you squint, and the color combinations don’t make your eyes ache, too much screen time is still bad. It can cause eye strain over time, no matter how well you optimize the settings. This is when the rest of healthy office settings come into play. Make sure you and your employees walk away from the screen often enough that your eyes have a chance to rest.

If you and your employees don’t have time to walk away from your computers, find third-party support services that can take part of the workload off your shoulders. Go to Tangram for more office design and workplace health tips.