(school-related) Staring at the screens all day

[Mockingbird]

I am a student and it seems that I spend way too much time staring at the screens. By 5 PM I am getting headache from looking at the screen.

 

And it's not that I am slacking off, but that most of the things I am expected to do for each class involve looking at screens. Do professors not give out papers anymore? 

 

Here's just a small list of things I do looking at the screen:

1. read lecture notes professors posted online

2. do homework online (MasteringPhysics, etc.)

3. read homework solutions professors posted online

4. read e-book (textbook) that I checkout from out library

5. do just about everything else for school

 

I am sorry that this post is sloppily written, but my eyes are so sore.

 

I don't know what to do, but everyday after 5:00 PM, I feel like my eyes want to pop from their sockets.

[GotBored]

Try these tips:

 

http://www.allaboutvision.com/cvs/irritated.htm

[Mockingbird]

Well, I was thinking of getting an internet capable e-ink tablet.

 

Does anyone have experience with one and does it help with eyestrain?

 

I know that looking at the screen is bad for my eyes, but I don't have much of a choice.

[T3X4S]

Maybe you need glasses ....

I look @ screens nearly 8 hours a day - no problem here.

[TAZMINATOR]

get special glasses or contacts

 

I have no problems by looking at it all day and night.

[daorbed9]

Take a 2m break ever 20m or so.  This will do wonders.

[Ryoken]

Taking a break for your eyes is key. Many people can't just sit in front of a screen for hrs on end, it can cause headaches and eye irritation. Additionally, it's not healthy to sit for such long periods anyway. Every half hr or so get up, walk around, get a drink of water, then get back too it. It'll do wonders.

[compl3x]

Every half anf hour or 45 mins focus on a different area across the room. The further the better. I find this relevies the strain or stress my eye sometimes feel.

[Ian S.]

Whenever I am typing an essay, between paragraphs, I'll get up at walk to get a drink of water, then come back. I also am constantly adjusting the brightness of my SP3 in class as it is really bright, which is nice in certain situations, but strains the eyes in another, since you are essentially staring at a lightbulb all day.

 

Also, try and toggle dark mode whenever possible (like on Neown's homepage) or with Office 2013 there is a dark theme, same with Chrome themes and your Windows themes and backgrounds.

[T3X4S]

Anyone ever use these?  I tried them on @ Fry's and they do make it easier to read a screen, but I didnt know about long sessions

Gunnars

 

 

[Dick Montage]

Firstly I tell all my staff to take a short walk every hour or so. Staring at a screen all day is not good not just for eyes but posture etc.

Unfortunately I do not follow my own advice and stare at the screen all day. Never had any issues.

Within a workplace where you have to use a screen you are entitled to qualified eye tests. Look into that.

[compl3x]

Anyone ever use these?  I tried them on @ Fry's and they do make it easier to read a screen, but I didnt know about long sessions

Gunnars

 

 

Capture.JPG

 

 

I'm skeptical (damn, I started spelling sceptical the American way )

 

Here are a few things about Gunnar Optiks:

 

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/09/high-performance-eyewear-guess-again/?_r=0 

http://commons.pacificu.edu/verg/3/

 

 

I'd think using a piece of software like f.lux, which is free, would be more effective for reducing eye-strain. Even turning down the brightness on your monitor or creating a lower brightness preset might be better.

[firey]

Reduce the brightness of the screen. Used to get headaches as well. Reduced brightness and was good to go.

[Lant]

I print things like papers, so I avoid staring at the screen.

[Sszecret Veteran]

Reducing the brightness is good, and if you work later at night, I couldn't recommend f.lux enough. It changes the colour temperature of your screen all the way to a red-ish tint. I've had headaches before using it, but at night it's a life saver. It also helps with sleep, because exposure to blue light at night is detrimental if you want to get proper sleep. 

 

http://justgetflux.com/

[Kravex]

I am a student 

 

 

Stop partying all night and go to bed earlier 

 

Seriously like others have said look into getting your eyes tested, there are plenty of people who look at screens all day without their eyes feeling like they want to pop out of their sockets by 5PM like you said.

[(Account no longer active)]

Set your display to a warmer color temperature rating (ie. 6500K or less), and brightness around 65-75%. You'll get used to it after five minutes. It should make a big difference. At night, (as already mentioned) use f.lux (I find the Halogen (color temp) to be most comfortable).

 

Also, set your monitor to a decent resolution, or scale text appropriately. (ie. on a 13" HD notebook display, set resolution to 1366x768 (HD/1920x1080 is best on a 24" display)).

 

Are you happy with the quality of the display/s your using at present (ie. how to they compare to an iMac's)?

 

Burning eyes are not a good sign; it indicates stress. If you keep on going like this you'll probably need glasses sooner or later. You should be able to look at a (modern LED) monitor all day without any signs of stress.

[Ambroos]

Many good things above indeed.

 

The most important thing is to configure your display correctly. Your whites should not have a blue tinge, it should be a comfortable white. If anything, a tiny bit towards the yellow side.

 

Secondly, don't put your brightness too high. Avoid all reflections. Don't use dynamic contrast etcetera, don't have it oversharpened.

[Anibal P]

I'm a chat support rep, I stare at two screens all day, lots of good recommendations already posted, but what works for me:

 

Got my eyes checked, got glasses, progressives to be honest, was still having issues, found out I also have dry eyes, use eye drops at every break and lunch and as needed 

I keep the brightness down on mine, can't install Flux 

If I can I'll look around and focus on things at varying distances

 

BLINK

[Intersect]

I can recommend gunner glasses if you are spending a lot of time looking at a computer screen. 

 and as others have said, you should look at getting your eyes tested and try not to "stare" at the screen for to long.

I use gunnar glasses for when i dont need my normal glasses and they do help keep headaches from eye strain at bay,

 

http://www.gunnars.com/

[TCA]

Well, I was thinking of getting an internet capable e-ink tablet.

Does anyone have experience with one and does it help with eyestrain?

I know that looking at the screen is bad for my eyes, but I don't have much of a choice.

Look at something else in the room for 5-10 mins in between.

[Nick H. Supervisor]

Take a break. Honestly, I stare at a screen for most of my day (10+ hours,) but I always take a break when my eyes start to strain.

I remember (not sure if they still do it) that games came with warnings about taking a break every hour to stop eye strain. While I go for longer than an hour at a time, I understand where the warnings came from.

A friend of mine suffered from something as part of his dyslexia where his eyes strained more when dealing with screens. He did what someone above mentioned and he bought some special glasses to knock out certain light levels. It sorted him out fine.

[TCA]

Also I find going outside and looking at things out there opposed to in the same room. At least when your at home