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Tag: computer eye strain

What’s missing from your screen?

Most of us will know about increasing the font size if needed.

A few might know about reducing the brightness on a standard, very high contrast white screen.

But how many of us are aware of addressing the user operator’s (as in you) “personal, custom and reasonable adjustments for accessibility”?

For example, the WCAG Website guidelines offer us and suggest Colour Contrast Validation.

But what does this mean in real life and in relation to your screen?

How does it affect you?

 

The WCAG describe it as reducing the discomfort of e-learning material or any material presented on-screen using colour contrast as a tool.

Colour contrast is essential, as poorly contrasting colours can cause us physical pain. This is why some people will screw up their eyes and even look away if they find a colour causes discomfort.

Plus, those with preexisting visual impairments, Neurodiverse and Dyslexic suffer a 4-to-7-fold increased risk of eyestrain and early onset binocular vision stress when using a screen, or “the near or close-up”, before they even get to thinking about colours.

 

So, add some colour contrast that’s painful for them, and there’s no way they will engage on screen.

This stark comparison has been found in as little as an average 20-minute task on any standard, unmitigated for best or optimal Colour Contrast Calibrated screen.

But it’s not just the WCAG that is mentioning this.

“Brightness and contrast” are mentioned in Working From Home Guidance along with fostering user operators to adjust “My Computer My Way”, but, interestingly, carefully avoiding the “why”.

It appears they are simply suggesting this small action is “Removing Visual Barriers” to digital exclusion in the workplace.

They are not looking at the possible long-term harms that an unadjusted computer screen can cause.

 

Screen fatigue is simply one consequence.

There are more.

Looking at the “chain of causation” (joining the dots), 30% of teenagers are still leaving education pre or post ’16’ to enter the UK adult population with reading rates of an 11-year-old. There is evidence that this is partly due to difficulty reading, and often when traced back, is due to early-onset binocular vision stress, caused by too much time on the near and close up and not being diagnosed early enough.

Take that to the next level: The economic cost of functional illiteracy is estimated to be not far short of a £1 bn.

The cost of presenteeism (20% lost productivity) is also in the billions, with 58% of DSE Operators experiencing CVS or Screen Fatigue.

Myopic and asthenopic (eye strain) disease is predicted/projected to affect 50% of the population by 2050.

Effectively we will all be one-eyed with the loss of 3D vision.

This all sounds more doom and gloom, yet the solutions are simple and easy.

 

What’s missing from your screen are the adjustments and additions that can mitigate visual stress and screen fatigue/computer vision syndrome.

Reduce visual stress by reducing the brightness, adjusting the screen, and correcting the colour contrast.

And yes, we can help with that.

Presenteeism; is the pc its silent ally?

 

 

In 2010  the presenteeism rate was at 26%. By 2018 it had rocketed up to 86%.

And for an issue that costs the UK economy at least £15.1 billion a year, only 25% of companies are doing anything proactive to reduce it.

It costs companies about £4000.00 per employee, per annum in wages alone.

It’s a big problem.

And not as simple as someone coming in sick, barely working and then infecting the rest of the team.

Presenteeism: Understood by many as people showing up to work when they are sick, but it also applies to work stress and carry on regardless, resulting in fatigue and risk of burnout.

It’s being present in the room but not doing the work to the standard required.  Also, not being optimally fit for work,  due to deficits in your wellbeing and health – mental or physical.

It leads to poor performance, increased error rates, poor decision making, reduces safety and can and does affect others.

Presenteeism is a severe drag on productivity and overall contribution.  It is related to poor health literacy, both by the employee and omissions by the employer to ensure some of the very basics to ensure optimal working conditions.

 

Most employees will spend an average of 2.5 weeks at work when they should be home, recuperating.

We can be optimistic that post-COVID, this will change, and we’ll have an instinctual aversion to someone coughing and sneezing in the office, but ingrained work and cultural habits are not always easy or fast to change.

We have a current paradigm where employees feel they always need to be available.

In the US, if TV shows like Suits are anything to go by, workers are expected to be in the office upwards of 12 hours a day.

This is crazy when research shows that 3-4 hours a day of sustained, deep work is as much as most of us can cope with if we are to be productive.

With smartphones and laptops, even if we are not physically in the office, we are there in virtual reality.

We don’t switch off.

“Advances in technology are generally seen to have more of a positive than negative impact on employee well-being. However, almost nine in ten respondents call out employees’ inability to switch off out of work hours as the most common negative effect of technology on well-being.”

 

Perhaps we are all suffering from presenteeism at some point during the day or week?

But ignoring presenteeism won’t make it go away, and it’s not as simple as sending someone home.

There are four types and two measurements of presenteeism, according to The Leader’s Council

Functional: Where the employee is unwell, but the illness doesn’t impact their basic levels of work.

Dysfunctional: No positive impact on the employee or productivity, and can impair the future of both.

Therapeutic: Assists the mental health of the employee, but not the performance or long term recovery.

Overachieving: Great performance by the employee, but at considerable cost to their health.

The above can be measured by:

Absolute presenteeism,  where performance is related to possible performance.

Relative presenteeism is where performance is related to other workers in the same role.

 

So, to that silent, unassuming ally.

It’s your digital display screen.

The following may resonate:

There you are, it’s 1 pm, you’ve had back to back zoom calls, and you noticed on the last one that your eyes were burning, Doris from accounts began to look a bit blurred, and then frighteningly, there were two of her, and you left the meeting feeling exhausted.

You lean back on your chair, rub your eyes and neck, and noticed a mild headache.

This isn’t the first time you’ve felt this way. You’re noticing the longer you spend working on your screen, the more tired you feel, your eyes feel drier, and the feelings of exhaustion are creeping in earlier in the day.

You also know that the rest of the day is shot because your eyesight will prevent you from doing any serious work on your pc, as will the headache, and all you want to do is get out of the office, but you can’t, because it’s only 1 pm.

 

It’s not just sickness that causes presenteeism; it’s also your work environment and your screen as they contribute to fatigue.

We have a raft of research and legislation that tells us exactly this.

Your screen should come with a safety warning.

Seriously.

Working on a  digital display screen for too long induces the symptoms of screen fatigue, which cause fatigue of your visual system and musculoskeletal system, which means you are unable to work to the level required.

Presenteeism in a nutshell.

 

Covid has taught us many things: working from home is possible, and many thrive by doing it.

It’s also shown us that presenteeism levels are a problem, whether WFH or not.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has put a huge strain on employers and individuals. Employers should take a strategic and preventative approach to well-being to tackle work-related stress and unhealthy behaviour like presenteeism and leaveism, and this must be role modelled by those in senior positions.”

Presenteeism is a multifaceted issue, but one thing you can do, and very quickly, is reduce your screen fatigue, take that out of the equation, and then hone in on other factors.

The DSO is designed to mitigate screen fatigue, and it’s straightforward to use. It could improve your productivity by up to 20%,  preventing those afternoons from being shot to hell because your eyes can’t focus and you feel physically exhausted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Do you need an eye test, or is it your computer screen?

Did you know that 13.4 million eye tests took place in 2019?

‘74% of people in the UK either wear corrective eyewear or have had laser eye surgery to help them see better.’

But, in a recent study  to find out why many were not having eye tests, the reasons given were:

My vision hasn’t changed – 31%

COVID – 19%

Too expensive – 18%

Not having the time – 13%

Eye tests UK
Survey results eye exam UK

 

COVID – I think we can all understand that one!

Cost – Another understandable one.

The price can be eyewatering. Without the glass, frames can be £80-£90 if not in the designer range. And that’s before the test, before the lenses and the upsells of scratch proofing, glare resistance etc.!

Probably not much change from £200 once it’s all added up?

Specsavers (we are not affiliated) have a great page with all the pricing and frames available so you can budget before you step instore.  (We have some advice regarding the cost later in the post).

Plus, a quick Google of cheap glasses brings up plenty of websites – however, caveat emptor! Buyer beware!

But back to you.

Are you experiencing changes or difficulty with your vision?

Are you noticing you can’t see the food on your plate so well, or your eyes are burning and sore at the end of the day?

If so, now is the time to channel your inner Sherlock and get on the case of:

 

Do you need an eye test, or do you need to mitigate against screen fatigue, also known as computer vision syndrome and computer eye strain?

 

And how can you tell the difference?

 

If you need an eye test, these are the general symptoms – and you will notice them most of the time:

  • Headaches when reading or looking at your computer screen.
  • Having trouble reading or seeing the computer screen or television
  • Getting double vision
  • Difficulty with colour discrimination
  • Difficulty when driving
  • Difficulty with glare
  • Difficulty with night vision
  • Mobility problems especially bumping into or tripping over objects, particularly those on one side.
  • Changes in your vision.

 

Now, here’s something you probably didn’t know regarding the cost:

“If you must spend some of your working days using a display screen (or are due to start using a screen), then you are entitled to an eye test paid for by your employer”. Unison

Yup – straight away, that’s roughly £25 you won’t have to fork out.

Then, if you do need glasses for your job – you might be eligible to have those paid for you as required PPE– again, Unison have the details:

“If an eye test shows that you need to wear glasses when using a visual display, then your employer is obliged to pay for your glasses.

Even if you need glasses for other work activities, your UNISON rep may be able to help you get financial support towards the cost of glasses.”

Not bad, eh?  Certainly, worth investigating.

 

 

Is it computer eye strain, computer vision syndrome or screen fatigue?

Sore eyes
Sore dry eyes due to computer eye strain

(Remember it’s all the same thing – it’s just so bad they named it three times)

 

Screen fatigue is the name given to a cluster of symptoms that arise from looking at a digital screen for prolonged periods.

The symptoms are generally:

  • Eyestrain
  • Dry eyes
  • Headaches
  • Overall tiredness with reduced productivity
  • Blurred vision
  • Sore, stiff neck and shoulders
  • Struggling to see

There is a difference between needing an eye test and suffering from screen fatigue and you will need to decide, but generally, when requiring an eye examination for disease, the visual problems will be progressive and constant.

Bear in mind :

There is a difference is between age-related disease and induced repetitive stress injuries causing dis-ease and stress-related adaptations from visual suppression to asthenopia

With screen fatigue, if you give yourself a break for the screen and follow the tips we have laid out on the website, the risk of visual repetitive stress injuries and symptoms will be mitigated or significantly reduced. Often the symptoms will disappear while you are away from your screen, only to re-appear like an evil genie once you are back on.

And of course, we have some advice for this as well.

Having an individualised Display Screen Optimiser is another option to consider.

The ‘optimiser’ creates the optimal coloured background for your digital display screen. It’s 100% geared towards your needs. It reduces screen fatigue/ computer eye strain/ computer vision syndrome (Why can’t there be one name for it??) and increase productivity.

Well, it would, because suddenly you’re not hampered with the symptoms mentioned above.

Plus, spending £1 on the individualised optimiser is an excellent investment for your eyesight.

 

We would strongly suggest that you look after your eyesight, have regular check-ups with an optician, and use the tips and Display Screen Optimiser.

This way, you will reduce the harms of working all day on a screen, and perhaps when you go along for your wellbeing eye test, you won’t need a new prescription?

 

 

Tired of productivity hacks that don’t work? Try this instead.

Only this isn’t really a ‘hack’.  it’s probably more a preventative, a screen enhancement that behaves like a hack, because after a 15-minute screen reading/scanning test, a download of some software, the hack is installed and up goes your productivity.

Sometimes by as much as 20%.

58% of display screen equipment operators, on average, recover a day a week of productivity.

This hack doesn’t rely upon shortcuts, self-discipline, motivational speeches – nope, the ‘hack’ does it all for you.

Plus this hack is one way of managing your energy, and not your time.

 

But first, what is productivity?

Is it a formula?

Certainly, many have been written and trashed.

Is it input/output?

Possibly, but the best description we can find, one that doesn’t make us feel like a cog in a machine comes from James Clear, author of atomic habits. He writes –  Productivity is getting important things done consistently.

A goal many of us aspire to.

 

So, what are we talking about? And isn’t a 20% increase a tad optimistic?

According to the science no, but this is why we have written ‘up to’ and ‘average’, because we are all different and have our own quirks, and that’s important to bear in mind.

Plus, not all screens are the same.

 

Still curious about the hack?

It’s simply finding the best/ optimal colour contrast, for text, for you.

A unique, individualised coloured background for your laptop/pc/tablet.

 

We know it doesn’t sound like much – a change in the background colour, and whoop! Up goes your productivity, but colours and sound waves have an impact on our brain, emotions and psychology.

Why else do designers agonise over the colour of branding? Because colour impacts us on many levels.

Having the correct coloured background for you, quietly working away while you pound the keyboard or surf the net, impacts you in ways we are only just starting to understand.

 

We are humans living in the 21st Century, yet our bodies are still designed to be hunter-gatherers out on the tundra.  Our eyes are made for scanning the horizon, often. They are for looking at our hands as they make flint tools – basket weaving, catching fish – whatever it was that stone age people did. That’s where our eyes are still languishing.

Shoving them in front of a screen for hours at a time, day after day was not in the design brief. Staring at a screen means looking at and importantly focusing and refocusing, repeatedly – at sharp colour contrast, black text on white background, garish neon, flashing images, vertical and horizontal stripes.

Nothing like scanning the horizon of the tundra.

 

Did you know that text is created from a string of stripes?

M N H I W – as an example.

Sir Ken Robinson beautifully explains it in this video. It’s a TED talk, so not long and well worth a watch.

 

Our eyes are magnificently rising to the challenge when it comes to screen use, but it’s exhausting for them as they constantly have to refocus. You look at the screen and all that’s on there, then back down to the keyboard, then back to the screen – for hours – or you’re scrolling.  Just think how hard that is on your eyes? This is why many of us now know the intimate symptoms of screen fatigue, computer vision syndrome, or computer eye strain.

We know what screen fatigue feels like – the burning, dry eyes, the headaches, the blurred vision…

 

Here’s a quick 4-minute video that explains more about screen fatigue and how it affects your eyes and eyesight.

 

So, what does the correct coloured background do?

It calms the eyes and the excitation that all the sharp contrast cause in your brain.  It’s the excitation and the constant refocusing that tires us out.

There’s a reason they named the tiredness and aching you feel after being on a screen all day screen fatigue – It’s because of the effect the screen has on you!

We wrote another post about why your screen should come with a safety warning – check it out if health and safety and looking after yourself is important to you.

You can also read more about the science in our White Paper.

Essentially having the correct coloured background calms the brain and makes it easier for the eyes to focus and refocus while you are working on screen.

 

If you really want to have a higher chance of that productivity hack working, then try the Display Screen Optimiser.

 

Why this one? Because of several things:

  • It provides more than a generic choice of 10-12 colours.
  • It’s objective – it doesn’t care if you hate/love orange – what it cares about is making it much easier on your eyes to read and work online – and if that means orange is your colour – then orange is your colour.
  • It’s a simple theme that can be downloaded and easily uninstalled if you don’t get on with it.
  • There is customer service and tech support – (you don’t get that with a chrome extension!)

 

If your eyes don’t get as tired, it means you don’t get as tired, which means you make better decisions, think clearer, and are more productive as a result.

Fatigue is slowly killing us – but thankfully we are waking up to this fact. You don’t have to make your eyes tired; you can mitigate this.

Dare we say this could even be part of your business strategy?  By having the individualised colour across all your devices, for all of your staff, (if you have staff) you can continue moving forwards, safe in the knowledge that not only are you reducing the risks of screen fatigue – you’re also increasing your productivity.

 

 

 

Why your digital display screen should come with a safety warning.

The current understanding is that screen fatigue/computer vision syndrome is temporary. You give your eyes a rest, pop in a few drops, they recover, you carry on.

However, we know millions throughout the ages have ruined their eyesight due to what we call ‘working with the near and close up’, which can be interpreted as reading a book, writing, or working on a digital display screen, hour after hour, day after day.

Dante, the Italian poet, writer and philosopher, who lived from 1256 to 1321 suffered from Myopia (short-sightedness), which he put down to working with the near and close up.

Probably in a dark room lit by candlelight.

Well, too much brightness we believe can do the same damage, and we are also of the opinion that screen fatigue will have an accumulative effect, much like the near and close up work, and could result in worsening eyesight.

(We have a White Paper all about this )

We firmly believe that digital display screens should come with a product warning for your eyesight.

A quick Google search for safety requirements for digital screens comes back, rather interestingly, with a list of articles about digital signage… with titles such as – How can digital signage improve Health and Safety in the workplace?

Not what we were looking for.

So, another search term and another try, and we hit the Health and Safety blurb, this time about laptops and as they have digital screens, we took a look.

And yes, here we go –Unison, a UK Union have created documentation for safe laptop use:

They found:

  • 89% of those who suffered headaches also suffered eyestrain
  • 81% of those who suffered back pain also suffered eyestrain
  • 80% of those who suffered back pain also suffered headaches
  • 79% of those who suffered back pain also suffered neck pain
  • 69% of those who suffered back pain also suffered pain in arms and hands.

Working with a digital display screen is not too healthy it would seem.

The hazards are discussed, there is advice against theft and violence, plenty about work-related stress, with a  checklist.  Tucked in there is this:

“Are users provided with eye tests and glasses where needed? This is important because of working directives: The law says employers must arrange an eye test for display screen equipment (DSE) users if they ask for one and provide glasses if an employee needs them only for DSE use.”

A tacit admission that DSE work is hard on the eyes?

The Health and Safety Executive UK  state :

DSE work does not cause permanent damage to the eyes. But long spells of DSE work can lead to:

  • tired eyes
  • discomfort
  • temporary short-sightedness
  • headaches

Yet we know overworking muscles can lead to long term and persistent damage. RSI of the wrists/carpal tunnel syndrome is a case in point.

We can find nothing about adjusting the laptop for the individuals eyes apart from the odd blog post. And this is something that drives us a little bit insane, because it is one of the easiest and efficient things to do when it comes to eye care, and everyone should know that they need to do it.

We suggest this is actually a safety issue.

Product safety “is the ability of a product to be safe for intended use, as determined when evaluated against a set of established rules.

“The legislation sets out clear test and documentary requirements that manufacturers and distributors placing equipment on the European market, must follow to demonstrate that their products meet defined safety criteria and are safe for the intended use. “

How does this relate to the laptop/digital display screen user?

If you use a digital device and you are NOT made aware of the possible harms that could arise from long term use, this will become a problem for you, your employer and the manufacturer. But the onus will probably land on you.

Admittedly this is a grey area.  In the USA where suing is the ‘thing,’ there are now thousands of court cases against websites for not being accessible enough. Employees are taking employers to court for lack of care in this area because they are noticing the harms of working long hours with DSE.

Post-COVID digital eye strain is becoming a genuine issue.

Next stop – Microsoft and their product safety warnings online.

And  almost at the bottom of a very long page is this:

“Good binocular vision is required to view stereoscopic 3D content. Consider consulting an eye doctor if you are not able to view the 3D effect clearly and comfortably. HoloLens can be worn over most glasses and used with contact lenses. If you have a pre-existing vision disorder, please consult a doctor before using HoloLens. A small percentage of people have a pre-existing vision disorder that may be aggravated when using HoloLens.”

However, HoloLens are mixed reality smartglasses – so not screens then.

Nothing about computer vision syndrome/screen fatigue that we can find in the safety literature.

If you can find it, please do let us know, as we would be delighted to see it.  

We have found nothing in the safety requirements about adjusting the brightness of the screen, nothing about taking breaks, nothing about looking after your vision when working/using a digital display screen.

Should this advice be included?

Knowing what we know now, we believe very much that it should.

It should be one of the first things that you do when you get a new phone, tablet, laptop or PC. You go in and adjust the screen and settings to accommodate your eyesight because if you don’t, you could be open to harm.

Regulations set out to try and mitigate the harms of screen fatigue/computer vision syndrome, but how many know about them?

Compliance with WCAG, particularly ISO 30071.1 DSE Accessibility Regulations, Colour Contrast Validation & Calibration respectively, is required as a reasonable adjustment to prevent and/or mitigate to some degree, the highly predictable risk of Computer Vision Syndrome and/or Screen Fatigue, that results in “visual repetitive stress injuries” (WHO ICD-10), as a direct result of DSE operators under pressure to carry on regardless, which can and does result in presenteeism.

Our founder, Nigel Dupree has said, regarding this very issue:

“So, unless I am clearly deluded, this is a predictable and known “DSE Product Safety issue” and, expediently ignoring occupational health regulations and omitting to be compliant with enabling employees to make reasonable adjustments is negligence.”

There is little to nothing about eyesight care in the safety instructions that we can find. Plenty about overheating, locking it away and musculoskeletal issues – but hardly anything about eyesight.

Yet it is our eyes that do the majority of the work when using a digital display screen.

Here’s what you need to do:

Adjust the screen brightness.

Change the size of the font.

Modify the browser setting so that you can read websites with ease.

Use our colour contrast validation tool that optimises your screen and decreases the excitation in your brain, and thereby helps to restore good binocular vision.

We give a very detailed explanation about this in our White Paper – here’s a brief excerpt:

Binocular Vision disorders arise when the eyes target and focus on different places, the brain is then left to process or interpret conflicting images. If it is unable to fuse them together as a single stereoscopic image when faced with these two separate images, the brain compensates by suppressing one image, fully or partially. This is known as suppression or binocular rivalry driving monocular adaptation.

When reading, these issues present as word displacement, reversal of letters and words, shadowing in the spaces between words, or just alphabet soup.

Binocular vision(BV) disorder can be a condition present from birth but can also be caused by injury or trauma to the head, brain damage or stroke and is also well documented as being caused by headaches, anxiety, and other stressors.

Issues related to BV disorder, as with myopia, are amblyopia and strabismus: all are caused by muscle fatigue, an imbalance between eye muscles, or weakness and potential habitual eye-turns designed to reduce the stress of sustaining 3D vision.

Basically, our eyes are not meant to look at screens that are full of stripes, vertical and horizontal lines, harsh colour contrast and flashing images. These excite, possibly too much the areas of the brain to do with vision.

Research has shown that having an individualised colour contrast background soothes the excitation, is easier on the eyes and makes the entire experience of working with a digital screen more pleasant.  People find it easier to read and presenteeism is reduced or banished.

Taking the steps outlined above will reduce your risks of computer vision syndrome and will save your eyesight as time marches on.

We believe all digital display screens should arrive, as standard with a manual on how to mitigate the effects of computer vision syndrome and have an individual colour contrast option as standard.

14 Quick and easy steps to prevent computer eye strain.

 

 

  • Blink more often!

Yes, you need to consciously think about blinking when you’re working with a digital display screen. Why? Because studies are showing we blink 50% less than we should when online, which means our eyes become drier, and dare we say it – a little grungier than they should? No one is really sure why we blink less, some put it down to intense concentration, but more research is definitely required in this area.

 

  • Adjust the light.

You should not have any light (artificial or sunlight) reflecting off your screen, because it will make it harder for your eyes to focus. Plus, if you are in a really bright environment, you may be screwing up your eyes, which increases muscle usage, which tires them out quicker. Overuse of the eye muscles is the main cause of computer eye strain.

 

  • Take breaks.

The culture of busy, busy, busy! well and truly needs to go, if only for the sake of your eyes. Give them a break, get away from the screen. (We sound like your Mother, we know – but mother knows best!)

 

  • Limit screen time

Still firmly sounding as if in parenting mode, but limit the time. Get off the screen/phone/laptop and give your eyes and your body a break. When looking at a screen, your eyes are constantly having to refocus due to colour contrast, moving images, pop-ups, and so on. Our eyes were not designed for this, so like any workout – you need to include the rest time.

 

  • Fresh air and natural surroundings.

Being in nature is an absolute balm for your eyes. They have evolved to be in nature – to scan the horizon for grizzly bears or a yummy buffalo to eat, to look down at the fire, pick up the flint – you get the idea. We have not evolved to look at screens all day – well not yet anyway.

 

  • Glasses

Do you need them? When was the last time you had your eyes checked? You may need a visit to the optician, and glasses are sexy.

 

  • Check the brightness of your screen

    Many of us are unaware that the factory settings on the pc/laptop/phone are not always optimal for you. Yes, this is an individual thing, so have a play – dim the screen and see if it helps – if not, brighten it a tad. You can always do the White Paper trick.

 

  • Position your screen

Place it an arm’s length away from you and have it about 10-15 degrees below your eye line – this has been found to be the optimal position ergonomically.

 

 

  • Supplements?

Why not – Omega 3 and Bilberry are said to help and here’s why –The Omega 3 helps to slow down the ageing of the retina, while the Bilberry is said to reduce retinal inflammation. There’s a really lovely story about Bilberry Jam and night flights by the RAF in WW2, but that’s for another time!

 

  • Adjust the screen settings

Do you need to increase the font size of the text? Do you need to adjust the browser settings because you are squinting to read? Don’t be shy, increase the font size if you need to.

 

  • Wear contacts?

Show your eyes some love and wear glasses a few days a week.

 

  • Pimp up your screen

With a customised colour contrast background – yes, this works, it’s not just for those with dyslexia, it’s for all of us. We each have a unique colour palette that our eyes love, and having this as your background colour, to contrast against images and text helps with reading/watching and soothes your eyes. It might even be a colour you don’t instinctively like, but it will be much easier on your eyes than the regular black and white contrast that comes as standard.

 

  • Put paper documents alongside the screen.

Don’t have them down in front of you – get one of those cookbook stands, and have the paper alongside the screen.  Reducing looking up and down will reduce the effort of refocusing your eyes.

 

  • Do the 20-20-20 Cha Cha Cha.

Look away after 20 minutes, at something that’s 20 feet away (6 meters) for at least 20 seconds.