Ask HN: Tricks to Avoid Eye Problems?
As a software engineer, I have the need to stay many hours in front of a screen.
I work 8 hours a day in an office with a computer. At home I usually spend about 3 hours a day at the computer (social network, programming, side projects, HN, ...).
I usually have slightly red eyes. Lately the problem has gotten worse. I began to have some pains in the right eye and difficulty focusing on the computer screen.
Because of that, I'm currently at home on vacation. I have a scheduled appointment with a vision specialist next week.
This is the first time I have complications with vision. I'm 26 years old, so far I've never had any problems or need glasses.
Someone has some tips to avoid eye problems?
46 comments
[ 3.3 ms ] story [ 115 ms ] threadI started to have similar issues, and my optometrist set me up with some reading glasses optimized for how far away I usually sit from my monitor. They have eliminated a lot of the eyestrain issues I'd been dealing with.
* Think about your workspace. A lot has been written about this. Read it.
* Every now and then look up and gaze into the distant, roll your eyes and try to feel which muscles of the eyes seem tense. Try to loosen them.
* If you read a lot on screens get an e-reader and implement a way to get away from the screen (can also help with focus)
Your eyes are muscles. And like for every muscle the best thing you can do is move it instead of keeping the same position unchanged for ages.
My only wish now is for a way to invert PDF colors on Mac - I haven't found a good way to do that short of inverting all screen colors, which messes up all the other apps that do have a dark/night mode.
this seems promising: https://github.com/zegervdv/homebrew-zathura
If you are unfortunate enough to need glasses, consider getting a pair that has blue-light filtering (in addition to the regular AR coating).
I also use a monitor that comes with blue light reduction built-in (The Lenovo p24h, if anyone's wondering), and there's a definite difference when I work in the office (with the monitor) and at home (without).
Before I got my glasses, I was getting headaches after a couple hours in front of the computer as well. Not anymore, but taking breaks (as others suggest) is important too!!
Additionally, make sure the contrast on the screen matches your surriundings! There's no reason to have your brightness very high at all, and brightness is different from contrast.
They have an amber tint but I don't mind it. The filtering is a part of the lens and not a coating, so it won't wear off.
GP indicates they don't wear glasses but this may be an option for those who do.
[0] https://blutechlenses.com
[1] https://justgetflux.com
But really take breaks, lower the brightness, use the color change function if you work at night, keep the monitor further away from you (check your ergonomics).
I was having eye strain towards the end of the day, and getting some "occupational lenses" pretty much fixed the issue. I think visiting an Optometrist is the way to go.
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You might check if the lights in your home office flicker with the slow-motion camera mode on your phone. I haven't researched whether it actually causes eye strain, but it's so easy to fix I went ahead and purchased some Phillips LED bulbs like the ones talked about here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19098678
Some random things I do:
- Lower brightness on your monitor (mine is at 75% currently, I think most people go lower)
- Use night shift/flux to make the monitor colors warmer at night
FYI getting used to the lower brightness and glasses will take a day or two. My glasses made my eyes hurt at first.
Have a comprehensive dilated eye exam. You might think your vision is fine or that your eyes are healthy, but visiting your eye care professional for a comprehensive dilated eye exam is the only way to really be sure. When it comes to common vision problems, some people don’t realize they could see better with glasses or contact lenses. In addition, many common eye diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic eye disease and age-related macular degeneration often have no warning signs. A dilated eye exam is the only way to detect these diseases in their early stages.
During a comprehensive dilated eye exam, your eye care professional places drops in your eyes to dilate, or widen, the pupil to allow more light to enter the eye the same way an open door lets more light into a dark room. This enables your eye care professional to get a good look at the back of the eyes and examine them for any signs of damage or disease. Your eye care professional is the only one who can determine if your eyes are healthy and if you’re seeing your best.
Know your family’s eye health history. Talk to your family members about their eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with a disease or condition since many are hereditary. This will help to determine if you are at higher risk for developing an eye disease or condition.
Eat right to protect your sight. You’ve heard carrots are good for your eyes. But eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, particularly dark leafy greens such as spinach, kale, or collard greens is important for keeping your eyes healthy, too.
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Research has also shown there are eye health benefits from eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut.
Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing diabetes and other systemic conditions, which can lead to vision loss, such as diabetic eye disease or glaucoma. If you are having trouble maintaining a healthy weight, talk to your doctor.
Wear protective eyewear. Wear protective eyewear when playing sports or doing activities around the home. Protective eyewear includes safety glasses and goggles, safety shields, and eye guards specially designed to provide the correct protection for a certain activity. Most protective eyewear lenses are made of polycarbonate, which is 10 times stronger than other plastics. Many eye care providers sell protective eyewear, as do some sporting goods stores.
Quit smoking or never start. Smoking is as bad for your eyes as it is for the rest of your body. Research has linked smoking to an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and optic nerve damage, all of which can lead to blindness.
Be cool and wear your shades. Sunglasses are a great fashion accessory, but their most important job is to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. When purchasing sunglasses, look for ones that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.
Give your eyes a rest. If you spend a lot of time at the computer or focusing on any one thing, you sometimes forget to blink and your eyes can get fatigued. Try the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look away about 20 feet in front of you for 20 seconds. This can help reduce eyestrain.
Clean your hands and your contact lensesproperly. To avoid the risk of infection, always wash your hands thoroughly before putting in or taking out your contact lenses. Make sure to disinfect contact lenses as instructed and replace them as appropriate.
Practice workplace eye safety. Employers are required to provide a safe work environment. When protective eyewear is required as a part of your job, make a habit of wearing the appropriate type at all times and encourage your coworkers to do the same.
She had a 25 minute session to get her glasses corrected. My time, 20 seconds into mine.
"Ermmm.. there's nothing wrong with his eyes"
My wife was visibly annoyed.
I have this 'terrible' habit of watching people walk by, sometimes stare out in the distance, looking at objects close and far all the time!
Did two things: 1. purposely blinked more often 2. warmed up eyelids and massaged them from bottom up to stimulate oil glands and get them unstuck twice a day
Solved all problems in two weeks.
Hope it helps, good luck!
- pick a LARGE, high-quality monitor, both at work and at home, and use retina/hidpi modes. I use a 43" LG 4K monitor, and it was one of the best investments of my life. Sometimes my co-workers laugh about the size of the fonts on my screen, but that usually means I have ZERO STRAIN on my eyes, since everything is extra large (basically, FullHD on a 43" monitor)
- Tune your colors towards red. Blue imposes more strain to your eyes. That's especially true when working indoors and/or by night.
- Tune down your brightness, and use "dark mode" whenever possible.
- Pick a pair of blue-filtering glasses with LARGE lenses, to use while at your PC.
Today, I am 42 and my vision is still changing for the worse. I get 2 eye exams each year and I always get an "everyday" pair and an "occupational" pair used for screen, reading, writing, etc.
I am going to a specialist next week to look at why prism adjustments aren't helping. I am skipping lines in test, not seeing text, having difficulty typing without looking.
Good luck. Whatever you do, don't cancel your appointment. Go. You owe it to yourself to get answers.
Also look at monitors by moving your eyes & not your entire head, just like pilots.
Finally drink lots of water every hour. The pee breaks will help with sedentary lifestyle problems, improve circulation, give your eyelids a break & act as a breather between work bouts.
But I'd just echo others advice and say look out the window frequently.
Worked very well for me for dry eyes due to pollution.