Whether you work in an office or from home, you may be spending a lot more time at a desk and in front of a computer. You’ll see a difference in your social life and fitness levels, but your eye health and everything it’s connected to are especially at risk. Staying active and not losing touch with friends and family can solve the former problems. But when it comes to protecting your eyes, things are more complicated.
Firstly, there are so many reasons that your vision may feel strained. Secondly, if computers are your main source of income, you can’t just stop using them. The answer is to develop a mindful routine to relieve your eyes and mind, while investing in equipment like glasses and humidifiers. Take a look at our rundown of key problems and some reliable solutions.
Common Office Struggles
Depending on how much space, natural lighting and ventilation you have in the office, you’ll probably experience a range of issues. Stuffy and dusty air. High or low temperatures. Screen glare from several sources. And a lot of these issues culminate in one sensitive area: your eyes. They in turn affect many brain functions like its ability to focus, remember and, most importantly, rest. If these two essential body parts are weakened because of your work environment, you need to make big changes to keep your performance and health in good shape.
Blue Light Glasses
Today’s impressive technology isn’t just limited to cars and AI. Eyecare often benefits from new inventions. So if you’re going to be glued to a PC monitor, a wise first step is to consider computer glasses. Their main feature are lenses with a special coating designed to block blue light from LED screens. This includes mobiles as well. Wearing these kinds of glasses should reduce dry and strained eyes, as well as headaches and sleeping problems.
While they really can make computer work more bearable, there are other things you can do to give your eyes a rest. Windows 10, for example, has a blue light filter among its display settings, where you can adjust the light’s strength, disable it completely or schedule when it should turn on and off. Macs have the same ability as do most smartphones. If not, there are plenty of apps to make the screens in your environment friendlier.
Blue light glasses are designed to block blue lights caused by screens to reduce any headaches and sleeping problems.
Multifocal Glasses
If work demands that you split your attention between close and far away objects, look into another type of advanced eyewear that boosts your ability to do just that. As the next stage up from bifocals, progressive lenses do the same job, only better and more stylishly. Different points of the glasses help with near and distance vision with the various prescriptions transitioning and blending smoothly with each other. Whatever your needs, specialized glasses should be your priority as an office worker.
In addition to changing the brightness of monitors, the most practical solutions to tired eyes are quite simple. To begin with, the monitor should be at least an arm’s length away from your face – further for bigger screens. The top should also be at or just below eye level. Then look away from the screen every 20 minutes for 20 seconds and at something 20 feet away or more. This both gives your eyes a break and exercises them.
Extra Tricks for Eye Comfort
It’s not just computer and smartphone screens that cause eye strain. As already mentioned, a number of factors in your work environment are known irritants, from humidity and pollution to allergies and even your own nutrition. Since breaks are one of the most important habits to get into, make the most of them. Get up and leave the room for 30 minutes. Take a walk around the block and breathe some fresh air. In terms of healthy foods, go for things like fish, leafy greens, blueberries and nuts as great sources of the nutrients your eyes depend on.
If you want to feel extra comfortable, you could look into what other scientific solutions are open to you. Cool mist humidifiers are very effective against dry eyes, keeping the air fresh and your body less prone to irritation. These devices are typically light and affordable, a perfect companion to your progressive glasses. Another measure for instant relief from dryness are eye drops or artificial tears. They clear away bad particles and add much-needed moisture. While only a temporary fix, combining this product with the above technologies can completely change how your environment feels and affects your vision and productivity.
Poor eye health is frustrating, especially when it impacts your work. Fortunately, there are many ways to reduce strain and even improve your vision. It all comes down to taking care of your body and upgrading your life with progressive eyewear and other handy tools.
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