Obviously we can’t get away from screens because we need them to work and basically for us to function as a human being. But what we can do is improve lighting around us.
Have you ever worked late at night in the office and you look up to from staring at the screen into the darkness? This can cause your eyes to become strained and is really bad for them. The solution is to make the room around you, the same light as your computer screen. The ideal ambient light is plain old natural sunlight, so if possible, position your monitor or laptop beside a window. For the optimal setup, place your display perpendicular to the window rather than in front of it. Though positioning your display this way to capitalize on the view may be tempting, the light outdoors is usually brighter than your screen, which causes your eyes to work harder to adjust.
At night, use ambient lighting such as table lamps, floor lights or desk lamps. Softer than overhead office lighting, these light sources provide gentle illumination to brighten the room and help reduce eye strain. Look for table or desk lamps with shades made from frosted glass or fabric. These shades cast soft, diffused light, which is gentler on the eyes.
Outsmart the Glare
An improperly positioned task light can also cause glare. Look for desk lamps with adjustable arms that can be angled to cast slanting light, as opposed to light that falls directly over shiny surfaces. This position helps to diffuse and soften the light and, as a result, provides bright illumination that isn’t cast directly on your face.
These changes to your current office lighting can start to pay off immediately, creating a comfortable environment and helping to reduce office fatigue. Don’t forget to adjust your monitor’s brightness rating, which is often set high for display purposes. The brightness should match the room’s ambient lighting, with brighter levels during the day and dimmer levels at night.
Even workstations with the most thoughtful lighting system can tire your eyes after a marathon session, so give your eyeballs a break by following the 20-20-20 rule. Take a 20-second break every 20 minutes by focusing on something 20 feet away. This encourages normal blinking and gives your eyes a chance to rest before you return to work.
Task Lighting for Deep Focus
Lighting works best when layered. Now that your room is just right, add task lighting to illuminate your work surface. The perfect desk lamp provides enough light to focus on small details, but isn’t so bright that it hurts your eyes while you’re working on your tasks.
For young professionals, a 60-watt bulb or equivalent 14-watt compact fluorescent light provides just the right amount, while older workers need closer to 100 watts, according to the New York Times.
Choose a desk lamp that illuminates your entire work surface. USB LED lights that plug into computers can provide light onto a desk or on a keyboard. Tiny desk lamps may be adequate for reading a paperback, but they don’t provide a wide enough pool of light for computer work or writing.
