The 20-20-20 rule may be familiar to some. For every 20 minutes of screen time, take a 20 second break and look at something 20 feet away. You can set a timer to remind yourself and simply stretch or take a short walk to the window during your break. This break relaxes the eye muscles and gives your brain a brief timeout. You can also choose to close your eyes and listen to some calming music for a minute or so. It may be just what you need to up your productivity during those endless WFH days.

We tend to blink a lot less while looking at a device than when reading a book or talking to someone. This means dry and irritated eyes while on extended screen time. As mentioned above, take eye breaks, blink your eyes fully (and not just halfway) often to moisten them, and if need be, get some lubricating eye drops for greater eye comfort.

There shouldn’t be a whole lot of contrast between your screen and the surrounding light in the room. If your screen is much brighter in a dark room, your eyes have to work harder. Adjust the contrast on your screen or adjust the lighting in the room to make sure your eyes don’t have to pull double or triple shifts to get the work done. If you’re working directly in front of or behind a window that throws up a lot of light on your work area, consider moving to a dimmer space. The reduction in glare will help reduce the tension on your eyes. Also, desk lamps should be pointed downwards, and not towards your face. 

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Positioning your laptop or desktop monitor just below eye level means you don’t have to train your eyes upwards or open your eyes as wide. This will help reduce the surface area of your eye that’s exposed to air and aids in decreasing dryness in the eyes.

Good nutrition and sound dietary habits have an impact on eye health. Staying well-hydrated with eight glasses of water throughout the day will improve overall health and wellbeing, including alleviating dry eye symptoms. There are also supplements that are said to improve eye health and reduce eye strain, especially those containing Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin C. Foods rich in antioxidants, Omega-3 oils and leafy vegetables are also great for eye health and general health. 

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With all the screen exposure a working adult gets during a typical workday, the last thing you need is to spend more hours in front of a screen before bedtime. The blue light from your phone and other screens may overstimulate a mind that needs to rest, or mess with the body’s natural bio-rhythms and sleep cycle. Limit the Netflix-ing and social media to one or two hours before bedtime, and use warm light or night settings on your devices to minimise exposure to blue light.

With the increased screen time and eye strain, it’s best to see a doc for regular eye check-ups, especially if you feel the strain on your eyes, or experience headaches or neck pains. An eye expert can nip any problems in the bud before they get worse.