How to Protect Your Eyes when Using a Computer

Medically reviewed by Theodore Leng, MD

Last Updated: July 29, 2022 References Approved

Experts agree that spending time in front of a computer may cause eye strain.^{[1]
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Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} While eye strain typically isn't harmful, it can cause bothersome symptoms like dry, watery eyes, sensitivity to light, headache, and neck or shoulder pain. Fortunately, it's fairly easy to protect your eyes so computer use is less likely to bother them. Research suggests that making simple changes like re-positioning your screen, blinking, taking breaks, and adjusting your lighting may help prevent eyestrain.^{[2]
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Trustworthy Source
American Optometric Association
Professional medical organization dedicated to supporting optometrists and improving public eye and vision health
Go to source} Additionally, you might incorporate other diet and lifestyle changes to protect your eyes.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Protecting Your Eyes during Computer Use

1
Sit far enough away from the screen. This is usually considered at least an arm's length away from the screen. To make sure your computer is positioned right, try the high-five test: if you can properly high-five your computer screen with a full arm extension, you're sitting too close.^{[3]
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Cedars Sinai Hospital
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2
Locate the computer screen 4 or 5 inches below your eye level. Ideally, you should look down at the computer screen at about a 15 to 20 degree angle. This ensures that more of your eyeball is covered by your eyelid, keeping your eyes moisturized and healthy.^{[4]
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American Optometric Association
Professional medical organization dedicated to supporting optometrists and improving public eye and vision health
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3
Position reference material properly. If you're using any books or papers while working, you can strain your eyes if you don't position them properly. If they're too low, your eyes will have to refocus every time you glance at them, leading to eye fatigue. You can also strain your neck by moving it to look down too often. Reference materials should be located above the keyboard and below the computer's monitor. To help do this, use a document holder or a book to prop up materials a few inches and help rest your eyes.^{[5]
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University of Rochester Medical Center
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4
Blink often. We naturally blink about 20 times every minute, but when focusing on a screen this can drop by as much as half. This means your eyes are at much greater risk of drying out when working on the computer. Since your body won't blink as much naturally, you'll have to be conscious of this and force yourself to blink.^{[6]
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Research source}
- Deliberately blink every five seconds or so.
- If you find this too distracting, try taking breaks. Every 20 minutes, look away from the screen for 20 seconds. This allows you to blink naturally and re-moisturize your eyes.
5
Adjust your screen lighting. Your screen should be illuminated in relation to your environment. If you're working in a brightly lit room, you can increase your brightness settings; if the room is dim, lower the settings. While the screen should be brightest object in the room, it shouldn't be on the brightest setting in a dark room.
- Your eyes will often tell you if your screen isn't lighted properly. If your eyes are feeling strained, try adjusting your brightness settings in relation to your work environment.
6
Reduce glare from your screen. Surrounding lights can reflect off your screen and strain your eyes. There are several ways you can reduce glare and keep your eyes healthy.^{[7]
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Research source}
- Keep your computer screen clean. Dust on your screen can further reflect light into your eyes. Dust your screen on a regular basis with either a specialized cleaning cloth or spray.
- Avoid sitting with a window behind you. The sun's rays will reflect off the screen and back into your eyes. If this is unavoidable, cover the window with a drape or sheet to help reduce the glare.
- Use lower wattage light bulbs. Very bright bulbs from desk lamps and overhead lights will reflect off the screen. If your work space is very bright, try switching to less powerful bulbs.
7
Take regular breaks. The American Optometric Association recommends that for every two hours of looking at the computer screen, you should take a 15 minute break. During this time you should blink, close your eyes, and allow them to rest and re-lubricate.^{[8]
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Cedars Sinai Hospital
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- This isn't only good advice to protect your eyes, but your health in general. Sitting for long periods of time can be bad for your back, joints, posture, and weight. Use these breaks to stretch and walk around to prevent the adverse effects of prolonged sitting.
8
Ask your eye doctor about specialized glasses. Some glasses are specifically tinted to reduce glare from computer screens. You eye doctor can recommend a good pair of these that will help properly protect your eyes from computer glare. These are available in prescription and OTC versions.^{[9]
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American Optometric Association
Professional medical organization dedicated to supporting optometrists and improving public eye and vision health
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- Make sure you only use lenses specifically designed to reduce computer glare. Reading glasses won't help in this situation.
9
Stop working if you experience symptoms of digital eye strain/computer vision syndrome. Eye doctors use this term to describe the adverse effects of prolonged computer use. These symptoms are not permanent and should subside when you step away from the computer for a few hours. They can cause significant discomfort, however, and if ignored can lead to permanent eye problems.^{[10]
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Cleveland Clinic
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- Symptoms include headaches, eyestrain, blurred vision, dark or discolored eyes, and neck and shoulder pain.
- By using the steps in this section when using the computer, you can significantly decrease your risk of developing digital eye strain. Sometimes, however, the best answer is taking a long break to let your eyes rest.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Protecting Your Eyes Away From the Computer

1
Visit the eye doctor annually. Your visual abilities in everyday life influence how little or how much prolonged computer use will affect you. Conditions like farsightedness, astigmatism, and poor eye focusing can make computer eyestrain much worse.^{[11]
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Trustworthy Source
University of Rochester Medical Center
Leading academic medical center in the U.S. focused on clinical care and research
Go to source} The eye doctor can prescribe corrective lenses to remedy your eyesight and reduce how badly the computer affects your vision. He can also recommend different methods of protecting your eyes while you use the computer.
2
Follow the same rules from computer usage when looking at a smartphone, tablet, or television. With the proliferation of portable electronic devices, many people are experiencing digital eye strain from looking at smartphones.^{[12]
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Trustworthy Source
Cedars Sinai Hospital
Website of one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source} You should apply the same rules you would follow when using a computer to anything with a screen: clean the screen, adjust the brightness, take breaks, and minimize glare. In addition, there are a few more things you can do when viewing portable devices.
- Hold your phone or tablet 16 – 18 inches from your face. Holding it closer puts significant strain on your eyes.
- Although many people look at their phones while in bed, this is a bad habit. Remember, if the screen is significantly lighter than the environment, it puts strain on your eyes. Try to keep this habit to a minimum. If you continue doing this, at least put the brightness settings all the way down to minimize eyestrain as much as possible.
3
Wear sunglasses. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun can do serious damage to your eyes if they aren't protected. Conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration can be caused and exacerbated by sunlight. Buy a good pair of sunglasses and wear them whenever you're in the sun. Look for an "ANSI" sticker on sunglasses to ensure that they meet American National Standards Institute guidelines and screen out the required amount of UV rays.
4
Take care of your contacts. Dirty or old contact lenses can damage your eyes and even lead to vision-threatening infections. By properly caring for your lenses you can protect your eyes from damage.^{[13]
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MedlinePlus
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- Wash your lenses after every use with the cleaning solution your eye care professional recommended.
- Wash your hands before handling your contacts. This ensures that you won't transfer any bacteria from your hands to your lenses. Also wash with a mild, fragrance-free soap. You could also transfer chemicals and fragrances onto your lenses and cause eye irritation.
- Apply makeup after your lenses are already in, and remove your makeup after your contacts are out.
- Never sleep with your contacts in, unless they are specially designed for extended use.
5
Wear goggles or safety glasses whenever you're working with tools or chemicals. Small objects can do a lot of damage if lodged in the eye. Whether you're working with power tools, cutting the grass, or cleaning the kitchen with chemicals, you should always wear appropriate eye protection. This will ensure that your eyes stay safe and healthy.^{[14]
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MedlinePlus
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Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Protecting Your Eyes with Diet

1
Get plenty of vitamin C. Vitamin C not only helps prevent you from getting sick, but it is also great for eye health. Evidence suggests that it can prevent the formation of cataracts and slow macular degeneration.^{[15]
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American Optometric Association
Professional medical organization dedicated to supporting optometrists and improving public eye and vision health
Go to source} While most fruits and vegetables contain some vitamin C, the following foods are some of the best sources for the nutrient:
- Oranges. One orange will provide you with a whole day's worth of vitamin C. It is better to get your vitamin C from a whole orange rather than orange juice. That way, you can avoid the added sugar that comes from orange juice.
- Yellow peppers. Just one large pepper will give you 500% the necessary daily intake of vitamin C. These are easy to cut up and snack on throughout the day.
- Dark green vegetables. Kale and broccoli specifically are high in vitamin C. With a cup of either kale or broccoli, you can get an entire day's worth of vitamin C.
- Berries. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries, and raspberries are all great choices for vitamin C.
2
Eat foods high in vitamin A. This vitamin helps improve your vision in the dark. Orange and yellow foods tend to be high in vitamin A, so make sure you get plenty of them in your diet.^{[16]
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Research source}
- Carrots. For decades carrots have been hailed as the food for good vision. While they are by no means the only food that will help your eyes, they're packed with vitamin A and are a great food for maintaining eyesight.
- Sweet potato. This is another food filled with vitamin A. It makes a tasty side dish to many meals.
3
Add zinc to your diet. Zinc aids in the production of melanin, a pigment which helps protect the eyes.^{[17]
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Trustworthy Source
American Optometric Association
Professional medical organization dedicated to supporting optometrists and improving public eye and vision health
Go to source} There are a number of foods that will add a good amount of zinc into your diet.
- Shellfish. Lobster, crab, and oysters all provide high doses of zinc.
- Spinach and other green leafy vegetables. In addition to vitamin C, these vegetables will give your body the zinc it needs to protect your eyes.
- Nuts. Cashews, peanuts, almonds, and walnuts are all high in zinc. They are easy to snack on throughout the day.
4
Include omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. These are good for your overall health. They improve nerve function, and therefore help improve the performance of the nerves related to vision. The best sources of omega-3's are oily fish like salmon, sardines, and herring.^{[18]
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Research source}
5
Drink plenty of water. One of the most common eye problems is excessive dryness. While there are certain conditions that can lead to dry eyes, you may just be dehydrated. Dehydration manifests itself in several ways, including decreased tear production. Try increasing your water intake to see if this helps your eyes feel less dry.