Fight eye fatigue in front of a monitor

If you work with different monitors, you may notice that the desire to rest your eyes occurs with unequal frequency when using different screens. This is probably due to different screen settings.

How the monitor harms your health

In addition to the banal fatigue from constant strain, the eyes suffer because of the blue-violet spectrum rays, which are emitted by the monitor. These rays are characterized by small wavelengths and high energy and are easily scattered in the eye, penetrating deep into the retina. Visible short wavelength light can cause macular degeneration, which is a common cause of blindness.

Resolution

It is important to select the recommended resolution for your particular monitor. If this setting is not set by default, the user will see a distorted image on the screen. Check the settings in the Display Options / Screen Properties menu by right-clicking in an empty space on the desktop. In the new window, go to the «Advanced Screen Settings» menu. Here you will see a list of resolutions your monitor can work with. Select the item with the word «recommended» next to it.

Don’t select a lower resolution knowingly to increase the size of icons and text on the screen. To work more comfortably with your monitor, choose the correct resolution, adjust the font size and icons separately on the system, and scale in the programs you are working with.

We guarantee that you will notice a significant difference, and the icons will not only be large, but also clear. With the correct screen resolution, you don't have to strain your eyes to see a fuzzy image.

Brightness

There is no universal brightness setting that can be recommended to all users, but it is an aspect that is very important to relieve eye strain. The brightness is set according to the brightness of the room in which you are sitting at your computer.

The lower the brightness, the lower the brightness (and contrast) of the monitor should be. So adjust this setting yourself during the day. You can do this with hotkeys or power plan settings if you have a laptop. PC users can adjust the brightness with the keys on the monitor.

If the monitor is operated in high brightness mode in a poorly lit room, your eyes will tire very quickly.

Update rate

This parameter indicates how many times per second the screen is refreshed. The higher the screen refresh rate, the smoother and more realistic the recording looks. The optimal setting is 85 Hz or higher. On some monitors, you can set such a frequency only by reducing the resolution. In such cases, a higher refresh rate is of higher priority than a high resolution.

Setting the refresh rate will be useful for people who like to spend time for particularly dynamic games (shooters, racing simulators, etc.).

View mode

Owners of modern monitors are lucky: most models allow you to switch between viewing modes with a special key. Usually there are several modes for reading and working with documents, viewing photos and movies. Each mode has its own color and brightness of the screen. The maximum «soft» for the eyes — a reading mode. At first it is unusual to work with it, the image reduces the brightness and becomes slightly reddish. But when you work a whole day in this mode you will notice that your eyes are much less tired. This is mainly due to «raising the temperature of the picture», in other words, moving away from cool colors.

Modes for movies and photos are bright, with specific color rendering and high contrast. It is desirable to work with them for a short time, and in the case of movies — do not sit close to the monitor.

How else to help your eyes

Getting the settings right is less than half the battle against vision loss and eye fatigue. The most important thing is to take breaks from the computer. Take a 3-5 minute break every 50 minutes. Look out the window or just close your eyes to give them a rest. Try to set the monitor so that it is at a distance of about 50-60 cm, and its upper part is at the level of your eyes. This will give you an optimal viewing angle, and your neck will not get tired at the end of the day.

Try to place the monitor so that it is not exposed to direct sunlight: the image will be dim, and you will have to strain your eyes to see the information on it. It is highly undesirable to work with the light off.

Proper monitor settings and workstation organization can help avoid eye and spine health problems. It will be much more difficult to fight vision loss and joint pain than to start following simple rules right now.