Since technical writing is connected with staring into a computer screen a lot, I decided to share with you the useful tips I found on how to relieve eye strain. Following even just a couple of them can make a difference. I noticed this myself how you become more productive when nothing is bothering you and the work environment is comfortable.
Get a Better Monitor
Modern monitors are created with technologies aimed at preserving eyesight and making working with text on screen for long hours less impactful. You can check out a list of top eye care monitors for 2020 here.
These are the things you should pay attention to when buying a monitor to prevent your eyes from getting tired:
- High resolution — it is still a valid point even in 2020. I would not recommend getting a cheaper monitor with lower resolution. Resolution is a very basic thing that you should always consider first.
- View angle — it is the angle at which things are displayed on a monitor without a significant quality loss. The view angle parameter can be especially important when you have two or more monitors on your work desk.
- Ergonomic design — this one can help you handle not only eye strain, but also things like neck stiffness. Ergonomic monitors should allow adjusting and rotating the monitor for more comfort.
- Flicker — the best deal now is to buy a flicker-free monitor. It has to do with the refresh rate. The higher it is, the better your eyes feel. No flickering!
- Blue light filters — warmer light goes easy on your eyes, so this technology that filters out blue light is one more thing to search for in a monitor.
Get an Eye Care App
You can rely on technology to keep your eyes safe. I found a couple of apps to keep your eyes healthy when help authoring:
- Eye Saver — a desktop software that decreases the amount of blue light on your monitor. You can add different rules, like, for example, exclude certain apps from changing colors — like an image editor where you edit screenshots for user manuals. And, vice versa, you can set it up to switch on when, for example, you are opening a PDF reader. Also, Eye Saver can remind you to take breaks and provide eye care tips.
- Screen Shader | Smart Screen Tinting — a lightweight solution for a Chrome browser. It adds a soothing orange filter on top of browser windows only — works great for those of us using online help authoring tools that can be accessed via a browser. Screen Shader also tracks day/night cycles and leverages its filters according to the geolocation you set up.
- Eyes recovery workout — an app you can install on your phone to exercise your eyes. The reviews are very positive for this one. Users experience better focus, clearer vision and less eye muscle fatigue.
Set Up The Lighting Right
It is not always possible to control your working environment when you are working in an office, but everything is in your hands when working from home. And, as for the office, try controlling what you can.
There are certain things connected to setting up the lighting that directly influence your eyes, check them out to make the environment more comfortable to work in:
- Position you monitor so that there’s no flare from the windows. This can be tricky in some cases, since the Earth goes round the Sun and the flare angle changes 🙂 The general rule setting up a monitor at a 90 degree angle of a window.
- Simply get the right shades and adjust them so that the bright day light does not get to you.
- Try reducing the amount of bright fluorescent light in your workspace. Day-light bulbs are more preferable. You can also get a lamp for your desk to soften the light.
- Reduce brightness of your screen. When a screen is too bright it leads straight to eye strain. Especially at night. Make sure to reduce the brightness.
I hope this will be helpful to you. Staying healthy in every way possible is something 2020 is making us think about a lot. I am committed to taking little steps to achieve this.
WRITTEN BY
Kesi ParkerJob position: Freelance Technical Writer. I use ClickHelp for technical writing.
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