When telecommuting, our eyes are constantly exposed to screens for many hours, which leads more and more people to experience eye strain. It is therefore important to know a few anti-eye strain tips and tricks in order to set up a good telecommuting routine and avoid the unpleasant symptoms of eye strain.
What is Eye Strain?
Eye strain results of excessive use of our eyes. It is a temporary alteration in the functioning of the eyes, often associated with too much effort. Our hyper-connected lifestyle and the omnipresence of screens at work are therefore not good news for our eyes.
What are the Main Symptoms of Eye Strain?
There are many symptoms, and they can vary depending on the severity of the eye strain. Here is a list of the most common symptoms:
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7 Tips to Reduce Eye Strain
In order to avoid eye strain we recommend these 7 simple and effective tips:
- Keep screens an arm’s length away.
- Keep the room bright.
- Reduce glare by facing a window.
- Clean screen fingerprints.
- Wear glasses with anti-glare coating and blue light filter.
- The 20-20-20 rule: take a 20-second break every 20 minutes to look at something 20 feet away.
- Practice blinking exercises (blinks are lost when staring at a screen).
Increasingly experienced since the pandemic and the rise of telecommuting, eye strain is, in most cases, underestimated by workers who suffer from it. Fortunately, the simple tips mentioned above can reduce, if not completely avoid, the unpleasant symptoms of this relatively recent plague. If the application of this routine is not enough to reduce your eye strain symptoms, it is recommended that you consult an optometrist to ensure that these symptoms are not a sign of dry eye or another more serious problem.
Don’t hesitate to book an appointment for an eye exam or a consultation at our dry eye clinic.