Computers and eyestrain go together like lasagna and reflux. If you work at a computer — and I know you do — then you struggle with eyestrain all the time. This has made you cranky and frankly unbearable to live with. Get out.
And while you're packing, consider this: I have the solution. You won't find it anywhere else, because I discovered it myself. In exchange for sharing my secret, all I ask is that you forward The Apologist to ten people, no more, no less. And remember: if you break the chain, bad luck could befall you!
Why do your eyes hurt? Glare.
Right now you're staring at a light source that is likely brighter than the rest of the room. Glare is exhausting. The iris, which is essentially a sphincter muscle, is constantly opening and closing to adjust either to the room or the screen. This muscle gets tired. If you've ever watched an automatic camera try to decide on an exposure when it's pointed toward a window, this is pretty much what your eye is doing.
One day I got the nesting bug and started hanging pictures on the wall behind my computer. Then I found a clip light, clamped it to the back of my desk and splashed the wall with light from below. The light source was completely hidden behind the monitor.
I liked my new set-up immediately. The pictures gave my eyes something else to look at, while providing a much-needed distraction from more important things. It was clear from the start that my eyes felt better.
People began to comment. Hey, what happened to those ugly dark circles around your eyes? Hey, they put you on Viagra or something, maybe MiracleGro? Hey, you look nine pounds younger! Botox?
It's not botox! God, I'm so sick of saying that all the time!
All I did was balance the brightness of the monitor to everything else in my view. Keep in mind, though, your monitor emits light. Overcoming its direct rays can't be achieved by simply turning up the existing lights. The reason the wall-washer works is because it's an even, but very bright, reflected light, and most important: the source is completely hidden. Forget about fluorescents: they make it worse. Fluorescent light flickers and so does your screen. All that strobing flicks you up.
Article comments
1 - Dirtgrain
I have been toying around with the idea of becoming an inventor for the last few years as I have come up with a viable solution to the agony of backlit screens. Think back to your childhood. What un-powered, unlighted screen did you use to create visual images and text? Etch-a-Sketch. Could we merge Etch-a-Sketch technology with a robotic assembly that could speedily write text on a metallic-dust covered screen?
Until then, I will try your advice. Thanks.
2 - CW Fisher
Ordinary duct tape, which matches the color of the Etch-a-Sketch perfectly, can be used to attach it to your wrist. Be sure to use lots of tape. This way it makes a great daily reminder board and a quick way to jot down a note (with a little help from a co-worker because you've only got one hand and can only go north or south). Excellent ideas. I think we're making real progress here, I really do.
3 - Paul James
The other day I walked into the office of a friend and when she turned around to face me, I thought I had set a new world record for putting people to sleep (wake up there's more). Her eyes were so squinched up (Southern term) that she looked like Rocky heading into the fifth round. She told me she had been having eye strain headaches ever since she moved out of her cube and into her new office (4' X 6', with a real door and everything). Since my recent discoveries about work conditions are in agreement with Dr. Fisher's, I decided to clue her in (for a nominal fee of course).
Firstly, (another Southern term) she had her monitor pushed up against the small pane of glass they passed off as a window. She was so excited about having a view that she didn't think about her eyes needing to constantly adjust to the blinding rays of light coming in the window and the over-contrasted light coming from her monitor.
Then, I reached over and flicked off the florescent death ray tubes that were buzzing in the ceiling and her eyes instantly opened up. As Dr. Fisher explained, florescent lights flicker. Problem is they flicker at a "rate" that is different from the flicker inherent in all CRT computer monitors. Have you ever seen a videotape of a computer screen where the computer screen seems to be "rolling"? This "out-of-synch" effect is the about the same as the effect the florescent lights have on your eyes! I told her to get one of those "torchiere" lights that points the light back up at the ceiling (halogen is good if you are careful about the heat). Once you turn on good indirect light, you will never want to turn on another overhead light!
Her boss was nice enough to give her an "L-shaped" desk. Only problem was, she couldn't put her keyboard in front of her monitor because of the different levels of the desk. So, she spent the entire day turning the other check just to look at her monitor (her flickering monitor). I told her to make the boss spend $20 and get a keyboard holder that could be pulled "out and up" to different lengths and levels. She could then rotate it around to sit in front of her keyboard and monitor.
Lastly, (uh huh) I rudely reminded her that she was on the shortish side. Other than pissing her off, I succeeded in pointing out that her feet could not touch the floor. Her chair was raised because her keyboard was too high, but this made her feet come off the floor which either cut off her circulation or caused her to constantly hold her feet up on the bottom of her chair. I suggested that if the keyboard holder didn't solve that problem, she should get a footstool or footrest.
By the way, as a computer programmer, I have spent 72 hours straight working on my computer before, and I can say that a trackball puts far less stress on your entire arm, shoulder, and neck than a standard mouse. Think about how many muscles it takes to move a mouse around compared with rolling a stationary ball. God knows I am into moving just a few muscles as I possibly can. I am thinking about studying the effects of muscle atrophy due to office jobs, but it just sounds like too much work.