3 Eye Care Tips To Follow If You Work From Home

The COVID-19 pandemic caused an unprecedented change in how the world’s working professionals do their jobs.

In their efforts to help prevent the spread of COVID-19, many companies around the world have allowed most, if not all of their employees to work remotely starting in 2020. As a result, millions of people across the globe are now working from home.

Working from home has several benefits. By working from home, you greatly minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection. Working from home is also more convenient and less stressful because you don’t need to commute or spend time driving to work.

The question is: is there a downside to working from home? Yes, there is.

Working from home makes you more prone to digital eye strain, dry eyes, and other eye problems caused by working in front of digital devices.

Now, this isn’t to say that office workers can’t get digital eye strain. You can get digital eye strain whether you work in an office or at home. However, working from home often worsens the symptoms of digital eye strain because you are exposed to more devices such as your TV, smartphone, and tablet for longer periods.

There’s no need to worry, though. Digital eye strain is rarely serious and its symptoms can be easily treated and even prevented. If you work from home and spend hours in front of your desktop or laptop, here are four eye care tips you need to follow.

#1. Create an eye-friendly workspace

Creating an eye-friendly workspace is one of the first and most important things you should do. With an eye-friendly workspace, you can work in front of your computer without having to worry about eye strain.

Here are some easy yet effective ways to make your workspace more eye-friendly.

a) Adjust your screen’s brightness

A screen that is too bright can cause dry eyes, which is one of the main symptoms of digital eye strain. To avoid eye dryness, your screen should have just the right level of brightness.

What’s the right level of brightness, you ask?

Adjusting your screen’s brightness isn’t an exact science. It all depends on your comfort level and what you can see on your screen. If your screen looks like a light source when you look at it from far away, then that means your screen is too bright. On the other hand, if you can make out what’s on your screen, then your screen is too dim.

Your screen should just be bright enough that you can clearly make out every detail on the screen without the harsh blue light from the screen drying out your eyes.

Colour temperature also plays a role in eye strain. The color temperature of your screen should be warm, which means decreasing the level of blue and increasing the levels of green and red. If your screen has automatic settings for “warm”, “cool”, or “normal” temperatures, simply choose “warm”.

b) Adjust your screen’s color temperature

Your screen’s color temperature also affects your eyes. To prevent eye strain, your screen should have a warm color temperature. Make your screen’s color temperature warmer by increasing the levels of green and red colors and decreasing the level of blue color.

Some computer monitors also have color temperature options that allow you to select from settings such as “warm”, “cool”, or “normal” without having to manually calibrate the color levels yourself. If your monitor has this feature, take advantage of it.

c) Fix the position of your screen

Avoid working with your computer or laptop screen too close to your face. For maximum ergonomics, your computer screen should be between 20 and 30 inches away from your face.

The height of the screen also matters. Your screen will be at the correct height if the top edge of the screen is at your eye level when sitting down. This height will allow you to see every part of your screen without tilting your head up and down too often.

#2. Keep your eyes hydrated

Drinking water throughout the day while working in front of your computer is one of the easiest ways to prevent eye strain and dry eyes. Apart from flushing out toxins, drinking water hydrates your entire body including your eyes.