I'm betting more than a few of you guys work with computers all day so I pose a question to you. The story goes like this, i've started a new job as a tech support agent and I am in front of two 19inch monitors most of the day, then I come home game/surf on my computer. The problem is my eyes are starting to kill me at the end of the day So the question is, what should I do to help em out? Eye drops, new glasses, quit job or will I just get used to it?
Well, do you wear glasses when you work? If not, or if your perscription isn't perfect, then you might have something like me where one eye is seeing better than the other so has to work more, might be worth checking out. It might also be a glare problem so maybe see if you can turn down the monitor brightness if that might be the problem or make your environment better lit. If you really can't see why you're getting sore eyes then maybe every 30 minutes or so, just close your eyes for a minute or two, it relaxes the iris, looking at something bright will tighten the iris muscles which can lead to them straining.
It would be fairly obvious, but you should take a 10 to 15min break every hour, stops your eyes from going funny, and stops monitor related head aches. Yes, you will get used to it, but i find its best to have regualar breaks, even if its just to go to the loo, or have a sip of water. Hope this helps Sam
Turn down your monitors brightness, and every so often focus on something far away for a minute or two.
Try changing your refresh rate (is this only relevant to CRTs?). I found that if I don't have a refresh rate of exactly 75Hz I get a headache after 8 hours of monitor use.
Stand up every hour and walk around briefly. This prevents your eyes from getting used to the same focus distance for an extended duration. I never really suffered from eye strain before, but I've been having symptoms similar to carpel tunnel syndrome lately--better get that checked out.
My mate has something similar to that, he can't play FPSes on his monitor, because of the refresh rate if made him feel ill. Make sure you've got a good seating position too, might sound a bit stupid, but if you are having to constantly look up or down then it can strain the muscles that move your eye. Those are the three main causes of eye strain really Iris muscle Lens muscles as sam said Eye directiony muscles (technical term) Closing your eyes should help fix those problems, it's dark so your iris relaxes, and you have nothing to focus on so your lens muscles and EDMs relax. A headache can be just a result of eye strain, or it could be down to fatigue. My gf is an expert on headaches since just about everything gives her one (no joke, eating something or a certain drink can give her one). If you can't be assed to take breaks all the time at work, it might be a good idea when you get home to just lie down on your bed in the dark and have a rest for an hour or so (or even a nap). Also a good idea to make sure you get enough water during the day, keep a bottle by your desk, it can be quite easy to forget to drink for a few hours if you're sitting down at a PC, and you only really notice it when you get thirsty enough to go and get one, which by then is really too late. If you have a bottle of drink by your desk you'll absent-mindedly keep taking sips from it every now and again when you get the slightest sensation of thirst (or even out of boredom), at least I find I do, I usually gulp down a litre of squash within a hour. Going well to the extreme here, make sure your diet isn't **** either, if you're lacking in minerals and vitamins you might find you get eye strain and headaches a lot easier than normal.
thats what I loved about my old crt. The refresh rate could go higher than my new lcd monitor. I miss the crt, sure it was big and bulky and ugly but IMHO it was superior to the LCD. My new monitor only goes up to 75 which is ok but I would like it to be just a little bit higher. I can really tell when it is on 65 which is the default setting. It really hurts my eyes quickly.
Turn the brightness down as low as you can manage with (my 24" beast is still brighter than I'd like at the lowest it goes). Take a short break every half hour or so. Don't stare at the screen - make sure to look up and focus on something else frequently. Also, try to arrange things so your home screen is at a different distance from your head than your work screens. Again with the focusing distance.
Errr... no... When you get used to 85Hz, 75Hz is awful. At 75Hz I really see my screen flicker like crazy and gives me a headache (like you if you look at at a CRT screen set to 60Hz or even 50Hz). 85Hz is the best, 150Hz is truly the best you can do for your eyes, but I can only reach this refresh rate if I set it to 800x600.
at work, behind my dual 17's, i have a fluorescent strip light built into the bottom of the cabinet. turning that on greatly reduces the eyestrain. at home, i have another fluorescent lamp behind my tv. that is always on whenever the tv is on. lights the room without creating glare (which looks awful on my tv, my nephew made some nasty scratches on it right after i got it)
I agree with screen breaks and staring out the window. If you're staring at a screen for 8 hours straight (or two periods of four hours straight) you really need to reconsider your working style.
You are allowed to take breaks every so often if your cosntantly on the computer to prevent damage to you, there was something about it that came out. Prevented my class from being on computers all day in a computer course. Was stupid but very helpful.
