Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor!

Sun Aug 19, 2007 by Mladen Prajdić in work-conditions

And no, you shouldn't look at the back of it. :)

Whenever I talk to anyone about looking at the computer monitor for a longer period of time everyone thinks i'm nuts when i say i can look at it for 12 hours straight with no problem at all.

After that statement I get the usual dose of: "You're such a geek!", "Sure way to ruin your eyesight!" and "Don't you have a life?" replies.

Just to set things straight: "Yes I'm a geek with a touch of Nerd and proud of it!", "Not really.", "Yes I do have a life. It just gets put on hold sometimes." :)

I then ask people how exactly are they looking at their monitor?

And i get this description for a reply:

Isn't that a nice picture? Just look how that head smiles. Bet you it won't be smiling after 8 hours of that kind of looking!

Then i go on explaining how you should be looking:

See now this head will keep smiling even after 8+ hours!

The key here is that when you're looking straight you should see the top of your monitor. Then tilt it a bit upwards like shown on the picture.

This way you have to look down to the monitor.

Looking down means your eyelids can keep the top half of your eye closed, which means half of your eye muscles are relaxed,

which means only half of your eye is drying out, which means longer optimal operation at the same cost.

ROI (Return on Investment) on this is like 10.000.000.000.000.000.000 % (10 trillion). :))

If you're reading this blog then your eyes are your most precious resource.

Keep them relaxed!

Legacy Comments


Satya SKJ (MVP) 2007-08-20	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! Great findings and good insight, eyes are most precious to living being.

Mladen 2007-08-22	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! well i don't know what kind of LCD do you have but on mine a 10-15% angle has no problems with contrast. i have samsung 920T if that helps :)

Chris Pietschmann 2007-08-23	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! Thanks for the tip! I never thought about it that way; it just makes sense. Coincidentally that is actually how I sit in relation to my monitors; so I don't have to make any adjustments, I finally now understand the subconscious decision I've made.

Sherman Meeds 2007-08-30	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! The description in the article about how people view monitors is not true for everyone. In fact, the problem cannot be narrowed to just the eyes, because the angle of the neck comes into play. The reason why monitors were established with the center just below the level of the eyes was that it tends to keep most people sitting so that the neck isn't bent downwards. There have been countless people who have developed neck problems at least partly because of improperly placed monitors. Many people have an unconconscious attitude of concentration that automatically lines up the eyes with the angle of the monitor. Through the years, I've seen many people who set up their monitor as outlined in the article, then complain that their neck is always hurting or their back seems to be always sporting a pulled muscle. I dont' doubt that there are many people who will benefit from following the recommendations in the article; however, there are probably just as many who will make things worse by doing so. Personally, I find that if I look downwards towards the monitor, it makes my neck stiff and I also find that I am not as awake as I am when the monitor is at eye level. I would recommend that everyone set up their monitor in a way that works for them. If they do follow this article's recommendations, I recommend they watch to make sure their eyes are trained to look downwards and their head isn't bending forward to compensate for the lower monitor.

Mladen 2007-08-30	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! Thanx for that Sherman! however if you have to bend your neck forwards then you're either sitting to highor your monitor is too low. and of course that everyone should set it up so it suits them. this is just a general advice, and no advice applies to everyone, no? :))

Margot Hasmen 2008-02-10	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! i tried it for 1 week, so far its a bit better than before. i find the brightness makes a huge diff. Margot www.returnmoi.com

Lou 2008-02-22	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! Thanks for the tip. I am definitely going to try it.

june wilson 2008-05-30	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! Thanks this is good advice. I would add that everyone pay special attention to their posture and notice if you are sitting straight and not slumped in your chair, also notice if you are bending your neck back all day to look or down or angled to one side. this will affect the shoulder and neck muscles. I have found this true with me, as I am very short and need to sit up and my monitor is tilted at the suggested angle. It works if you position your chair at correct height. This is just as important as the height and angle of the monitor. Thanks again for posting this important information.

Susan 2008-08-21	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! This works for me...thank you. I should have done this a long time ago.

zenith 2008-11-08	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! great article thankx for sharing

adele 2009-01-12	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! i am trying it out , see what happends

Phillip 2009-02-05	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! Well Done this has worked well for me

Sam 2009-03-23	re: Tired and Strained eyes? You're looking at the wrong part of your computer monitor! Nice advice - will definately try this out as my eyes are nakerd!!