Eye Strain

You've had a long day at the office, you are at your desk in front of your computer. You're exhausted, tired, aching all over, you have a headache and your eyes feel like they are dry and on fire. Focusing on your monitor is getting difficult. You may feel that you are just overworked, but it may actually be the result of eye strain.

Most people think eye safety at work involves protecting your eyes with those big thick plastic goggles with the tight elastic that stop flying metal fragments or acids from causing major eye injury.

However, common eye injury can occur to the average office worker who uses a computer regularly.

Symptoms of eye strain can include:
dry eyesblurred visionitchy eyeswatery eyestired eyesburning eyes (even when closed)headachesfatiguemuscle tensiondouble visionNauseareading problemslack of concentration

If you start to experience any of the above symptoms, one solution is to take "eye breaks".

While focussing on your task, you will blink less and forget to rest. Every 20 minutes or so, have a break and look away from the monitor for at least 20 seconds. Blink a few times to lubricate and then gaze out in the distance without focussing on anything. By doing this throughout the day, you will feel more refreshed and focused.

Computer monitors should be adjusted so that they are at or just below eye level, if your monitor is fixed your seating position may have to be adjusted to compensate. Having an incorrectly adjusted monitor will not only aid eye strain, it will also strain your neck. Adjust the brightness of your screen and text size to avoid having to squint at the screen.

Employees are not the only ones who should be mindful of eye strain, research has shown that eye strain results in decreased proficiency and diminished accuracy due to fatigue.

The reduction of glare is another thing that businesses can do to reduce the strain on employees eyes. Harsh light results in employees straining their eyes while trying to perform their duties. Having exterior windows tinted will significantly reduce the glare. Numerous commercial window tinting companies specialise in applying tint to commercial buildings.

Another way employers can reduce eye strain is to ensure that all electrical lighting is neither too bright nor too dimm.

By following a few simple steps, workers and their employers can maintain productivity and workplace safety.