How to protect your eyes when using a computer

When using a computer for prolonged periods of time, whether for work or pleasure, it's important to protect your eyes from long-term damage. There are a number of things you can do to help protect your eyes. Some of those ways are:

• Clean your computer screen periodically to remove any dust, dirt or fingerprints. This can make it easier on your eyes, so they are not having to focus harder to see what is on the screen, especially if there is text to read.
• Keep the monitor about 20 to 30 inches away from your face. This range has been found to be the best distance for proper viewing and for reducing eye strain.
• Use fonts and icon sizes that are easy for you to view and read. Avoid using small fonts and icon sizes as it can cause eye strain.
• Adjust the height of the monitor so that the top of the monitor is just below your eye level so that you are looking down slightly when viewing the screen.
• Make sure there is proper lighting in the room. Overly dim lighting or overly bright lighting can cause strain to your eyes.
• Use an anti-glare filter on your monitor, to help prevent glare and reflection from lights in the room.
• Use a document holder for placing documents that you look at regularly, and place it at the same distance as the monitor.

One of the most important things you can do to protect your eyes is to take regular breaks. Taking several minutes to get up and not look at the monitor can greatly help in protecting your eyes and reducing any strain.

Another recommendation is to use an LCD Monitor aka flat penal display. The older CRT monitors are harder on the eyes, due to the lower refresh rates and general design of the monitor. LCD monitors feature higher refresh rates, high enough that most people are unable to see the refreshing of the screen. LCD monitors in general are easier to view for longer periods of time and cause less strain on the eyes.