How To Prevent Eyestrain

You can’t be a touch typist without using your fingers to accurately hit the keys, but you also need your eyes to successfully complete the typing tasks in front of you. Your fingers might know exactly what keys to hit to create the words you’re writing down, but if you’re trying to transcribe a handwritten letter from your boss into an official format, or spell-check a document you’ve already typed, then you need the use of your eyes. Healthy eyes are important for many reasons, including typing, but unfortunately typing itself can be a major cause of eyestrain. Here are some tips for keeping your eyes in good shape so that you can keep typing at top speed:

Fix the lighting in your office or at home, wherever you do most of your typing work. Make sure that the light fixtures are positioned so that there is no reflected glare on the screen, but that they are still providing enough light to see both the computer screen, the keyboard, and any paper documents you’re working with. Too little light is just as bad as too much, so don’t try to work in the dark, thinking that the glow from the computer screen is enough. This rule applies to all electronic devices you use, like e-readers; don’t read in the dark on line either. The contrast between the bright screen and the dark room will cause eye problems in the long run.

Change your computer settings to get the contrast right, so that the screen is neither too bright nor too dim. You can adjust the display size to make things easier to see so that you don’t have to lean forward and squint at the text on the screen, something that’s bad for your muscles and posture and also prevents you from typing quickly. If you need to adjust the font size so that the letters on the screen are larger, that’s easy to do in most programs as well as the main display controls. You can also change background colors if you need to reduce distractions.

Reduce eye fatigue by taking breaks more often. Stop what you’re doing – yes, you, stop reading right now! – and look away from the computer for at least 15 seconds, focusing on something that is at least 15 feet away. Do this every 15 minutes. In addition, if you find that your eyes are feeling dry, it’s probably because you’re not blinking enough. It’s easy to get involved in what you’re doing and just stare at the screen in concentration, but your eyes need to stay moist in order to work well, and the natural liquid from your tear ducts is the best way to keep them that way.

Exercise your eye muscles just like you exercise the rest of the muscles in your body to keep them strong and flexible. Typing requires a lot of back-and-forth eye movement as you track words on the screen or switch between the computer text and paper documents. Check out these eye exercise suggestions and practice them regularly.