• Sore, tired, burning or itching eyes
• Watery eyes
• Dry Eyes
• Blurred or double vision
• Difficulty shifting focus between monitor and paper documents
• Color fringes or afterimages when you look away from the monitor
• Increased sensitivity to light

Eye Break Exercise

It’s important to take a break and focus your eyes on something else for a while. Do this exercise three times in a row to help relieve eyestrain. Hold your finger a few inches in front of your face and focus on it. Slowly move your finger away while still focusing on it. Leave your finger at a distance and switch to focusing on something far away for a few seconds. Focus on your extended finger again and slowly move it toward your face. Next shift to focusing on something at least eight feet away. Do this exercise several times a day.

Blinking the Dry Away

As we focus on the monitor we tend to blink less than normal, thus drying out our eyes. Make an effort to blink, which will produce tears and lubricate the eyes.

Adjust Your Work Space

The monitor should be directly in front of you with your eyes level or slightly above the top of the screen. It should be 18 to 30 inches away from your eyes; some people find that arms length is a good distance. Carefully position the monitor because if it’s too high or too low it will cause neck strain and headaches.

If you wear bifocals or trifocals the tendency is to tilt your head back to see the monitor better. Instead of adjusting the position of your head, adjust the height your monitor.

Make sure that your keyboard is positioned directly in front of your screen and turn off offending lights. If you need to write or read use a desk lamp.