How to relieve visual fatigue? As you probably know I spend all my days (or almost) in front of a computer screen or other types of screens to work on 10-trucs.com! So having sore eyes because of screens comes to me!
Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to relieve this visual fatigue. Here are my best tips and tricks to stop having sore eyes.
Before moving on to tips and tricks to relieve eyes and eye strain caused mainly by the computer at work, here are some tips to avoid it.
Practical advice to prevent eyestrain at work:
- Distance between the screen and the eyes: for optimal visual comfort when working at the computer, the screen should be at a distance between 50 and 70 cm from your eyes.
- Screen height: it is important to work at a good height so that the gaze arrives right in the center of the computer screen.
- A sufficiently large font: Whether on computer, phone or tablet, it is important to adjust the font size so as not to strain and hurt your eyes.
- Good lighting at work: Without being dazzling, it is important to have good lighting in the office. A floor lamp with a warm-white bulb is ideal for working at the computer.
A simple little trick to find out if the computer screen is a good distance away is to stretch out your arm and if you touch the screen with your fingertips, great!
2. Take breaks to relieve eye strain
When working all day in front of the computer and other screens, it is very important to take breaks to get up and move, but also to rest your eyes.
Have you ever heard of the 20-20-20 rule?
- Take a screen break every 20 minutes at work or at home.
- Then stare at an object that is about 20 meters away for 20 seconds.
The 20-20-20 is a good trick to help keep your eyes and head ache from the computer screen.
3. Rest your eyes in total darkness
As the eyes are always working when we are in front of a phone or computer screen, it is important to give them breaks.
Make the black in front of the eyes for 2 minutes:
- Gently place your hands (in a closed position) over your eyes.
- Be sure to cover the light well and remain so for 2 minutes.
- Breathe slowly and repeat as needed several times daily.
It’s a great trick to quickly and effectively relieve visual fatigue caused by screens.
4. Blink more often at the computer
I don’t know if you’ve ever noticed, but we blink a lot less when working on the computer than we normally do when doing other things.
We blink on average 2 times less often when we are in front of the computer screen than in normal times.
Blink your eyes more often!
As we blink less often when working on the computer, dry eyes can be felt, hence the importance of voluntarily blinking our eyes more often!
Blinking helps moisten the eyes to prevent dry eyes.
5. Massage your temples
Personally, my eyes and head hurt sometimes, especially if I spend too much time in front of the computer without taking breaks.
A temple massage:
- Massage your temples on either side of your head.
- Just do circular movements and it will help a lot.
I do it for 1 to 2 minutes and sincerely, it does me a lot of good!
6. Lay down a cold water towel
If you are looking for a good trick to quickly relieve visual fatigue, whether it is related to the computer screen or not, the cold water towel is an excellent solution.
- Wet a small towel with cold water.
- Lay the towel directly over the eyes and forehead.
- Leave in place for a few minutes on the eyes and breathe calmly.
It will do you good while waking you up a bit.
7. Do an eye exam
Of course, if you often have headaches and eyeaches, regardless of the tips tested to relieve visual fatigue, it is important to meet with an eye specialist.
Make an appointment with a specialist!
So if you feel great eye fatigue, eye irritation, redness in the white of the eye, a headache or even a problem concentrating, you should make an appointment with an optometrist.
Only the optometrist will be able to better understand where this eye pain comes from. Hence the importance of having a regular eye exam.