14 - Safety and comfort
Taking care of your vision
Long viewing hours, wearing incorrect glasses or contact lenses, glare, excessive room
lighting, poorly focused screens, very small typefaces and low-contrast displays could
stress your eyes. The following sections provide suggestions on how to reduce eyestrain.
Eyes
- Rest your eyes frequently.
- Give your eyes regular breaks by looking away from the monitor and focusing on a
distant point.
- Blink frequently to keep your eyes from drying out.
Display
- Keep your display clean.
- Keep your head at a higher level than the top edge of the display so your eyes point
downward when looking at the middle of the display.
- Adjust the display brightness and/or contrast to a comfortable level for enhanced text
readability and graphics clarity.
- Eliminate glare and reflections by:
placing your display in such a way that the side faces the window or any light source,
minimizing room light by using drapes, shades or blinds,
using a task light,
changing the display's viewing angle,
using a glare-reduction filter,
using a display visor, such as a piece of cardboard extended from the display's top
front edge.
- Avoid adjusting your display to an awkward viewing angle.
- Avoid looking at bright light sources for extended periods of time.
Developing good work habits
The following work habits make computer use more relaxing and productive:
- Take short breaks regularly and often.
