Managing Workstation Light To Prevent Computer Vision Syndrome
Bright light or glare is one of the causes of computer vision syndrome. Therefore, it's important to manage your room's lighting whenever you are working on your computer. This means that you need to manage not only the light from your computer but also all other sources of light in the room. Here are four things you can do to achieve this:
Eliminate Exterior Light
Your working area should be free of exterior light, such as glares streaming in through the windows. This means closing the shades, drapes, or blinds. This is especially necessary if your workstation is stationed on the sun-facing side of the building. If you have a skylight, and you wish to leave it open, then position your computer away from it. If there is still some light streaming through the windows, then position your screen to the side of the windows so that it doesn't hit your eyes directly.
Reduce Interior Light Sources
You can't work completely in the dark, but you should reduce the intensity of your interior light sources. Use fewer fluorescent tube or light bulbs, or replace high-intensity ones with low-intensity bulbs. Again, ensure that the remaining light does not fall directly on your screen or eyes since that would create too much glare.
Adjust Your Screen's Brightness
Once you adjust all the light sources, you also need to adjust the brightness of your computer screen. This is because looking at an extremely bright picture in a relatively darker environment strains your eyes. It forces your eyes to refocus a lot more when moving to and from the screen to other objects, such as the keyboard. Therefore, you need to lower your screen's brightness to a level comparable to your work environment's light.
Minimize Glare
Lastly, you should be aware that even the remaining light sources may create some glare. Bright walls, eye glasses, and even the glossiness of your screen can cause glare. It's best if you can work in a room with dark-colored walls. Get anti-reflective lenses for your glasses and antiglare cover for your screen to reduce glare.
Along with regular eye exercises, these measures should help you reduce eyestrain associated with computer vision syndrome. If your situation doesn't improve, and you still feel eye discomfort or other vision-related issues, then it's time to make an appointment with an eye doctor. It may be that you have an existing eye condition that is better managed by other methods other than light management around your workstation. Consider contacting Blue Ridge Ophthalmology for more information.
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