Health: How can screen work be done without damaging the eyes?

Around 17 million people in Germany spend their working day in the office, and the trend is rising. The hours of screen work that take place have many negative consequences - although the long-term effects on vision have been little researched to date. Nevertheless, it is clear that staring at screens for hours on end cannot be healthy! We have compiled tips for you on how you can relieve the strain on your eyes and prevent complaints.

List of content:

1. The problems of several hours of screen work
2. Scientific perspective: How harmful is screen work really?
3. Our tips: How to take the strain off your eyes!
4. Want to do more for yourself?
   

1. The problems of several hours of screen work

Working at the PC is very strenuous for the eye. The consequences range from dry, red and tired eyes to headaches and inflammation. 
In many cases, the main cause behind this is infrequent blinking: when working at a computer screen, we blink significantly less, even though we normally have to blink ten to fifteen times per minute to ensure that the eye is sufficiently moistened with tear fluid.
In addition, the eye is a muscle that needs to be moved. However, when working at a computer screen, people stare monotonously at the screen for hours on end, which puts a lot of strain on the eyes. Added to this are small laptop screens or overexertion due to permanent eye movements - for example when typing and correcting a text. The constant change of gaze between keyboard, paper and screen leads to irritation of the eyes and, in many cases, to headaches. 

2. Scientific perspective: How harmful is screen work really?

In addition to obvious consequences such as irritated eyes, it is also often suspected that screen work has a long-term negative effect on vision. But is this really the case? 
In fact, no scientific evidence has yet been produced to prove that computer work leads to direct damage to the eyes. However, research agrees that screen work further deteriorates the quality of vision in people with uncorrected or insufficiently corrected nearsightedness or farsightedness - and according to expert estimates, this probably affects more than ⅓ of the population! 

Recommendation: In order to maintain the full functionality of the eyes into old age, an annual visit to an ophthalmologist should be made if there is daily VDU work. But don't worry about costs: Eye examinations for office jobs count as occupational health care and must be offered by the employer on a mandatory basis by law.

Our tips: How to take the strain off your eyes!

It is now common knowledge that working at a computer screen for long periods can strain the eyes and lead to discomfort, dryness and fatigue. But what can be done preventively to avoid discomfort?  

1. The right screen setting: 
   To be easy on the eyes, the top edge of the screen should be placed at eye level and the screen itself about an arm's length away from the eyes.
   
   
2. The right lighting: 
   Make sure the workstation is well lit and avoid glare or reflections on the screen. Curtains, blinds or soft backlighting are helpful in this regard.
   
   
3. Screen setting: 
   In addition to spatial lighting, adjust the computer's screen brightness, contrasts and font size to fit.
   
   
4. Regular breaks: 
   Have you heard of the 20-20-20 rule? It is excellent for screen work and effectively helps against monotonous staring at screens. To do this, take a break every 20 minutes during which you look at something one meter away for at least 20 seconds. Closing and consciously relaxing your eyes for a minute also provides relief.
   
   
5. Conscious blinking: 
   Blinking moistens the eyes and prevents dryness. Be sure to blink regularly to keep your eyes moist.
   
   
6. Wear the right glasses: 
   Wearing glasses or contact lenses? Then make sure they are up to date, checked regularly and prescribed correctly. Blue light filter glasses are also becoming increasingly popular in this context - But what good are they really? Feel free to read our blog post "Blue light filter glasses - Just a trend or actually useful?"
   
   
7. Upright posture: 
   The correct posture relieves the eyes, neck and back and prevents back pain and headaches.

Want to do more for yourself?

The problems associated with working at a computer screen for hours on end are part and parcel of the modern, mechanized workday, but can be reduced and prevented by following these tips. To maintain the quality of vision in the long term, the eyes should therefore be protected when working at the computer and overexertion, discomfort and fatigue should be avoided. The extent to which screen work has actual long-term consequences cannot be answered at present. 

Would you like to do more for yourself? 
Then feel free to browse our blog archives and discover many more helpful posts to maintain your health at work. How about "Why is exercise so important and how do you manage to bring more movement into your office routine?".

Still have questions? Then feel free to schedule a free expert consultation!