Tired eyes and headaches when working at a screen? Follow the 20-20-20 rule!
Last Updated on December 29, 2024
Dry eyes and headaches: are you familiar with these symptoms after hours of computer work? Experts call it computer vision syndrome. Many people complain about hurting their eyes after a long day at work in front of the computer. It is impossible to think about a life without the screens anymore. Regardless of using a computer screen for work or your phone screen to enjoy a sportsbook online. We do spend a lot of time in front of them.
A long working day in the office or home office is often not only stressful for the head, but also for the eyes. If they burn and your head hurts, this is a sign of computer vision syndrome. Studies indicate that one in two people who use computers and smartphones intensively experience this discomfort.
How does it come about?
One key cause is that we control our work on the computer with the cursor. So that we can coordinate our movements well, we unconsciously reduce our blinking frequency.
With consequences: If we blink less frequently, our eyes are less well supplied with the tear fluid that keeps them moisturised. The tear film gradually loses its stability, resulting in burning and itchy eyes. And that’s not all: Over time, it sometimes becomes a pain in the direction of the head. This can also be linked to an unhealthy sitting posture, which causes muscles in the neck to tense up.
This appears to be a worldwide problem. The numbers speak for themselves. As for example we can see on New Zealand:
The total number of people working from home was 898,700 in the September quarter. A quarter of those — or 240,000 — worked exclusively from home. A total of 651,800 are “hybrid” workers — at home and at another location. The top three industries with staff working from home are information and media telecommunications, financial and insurance services, and professional, scientific and technical services.
More than 40% of businesses offer a working from home option. Between 2018 and 2023, the number of people working from home increased by nearly 60%, last year’s Census showed. But the majority of employees — 1.8 million — still work away from home.
What can one do?
Tips: From blink breaks to the 20-20-20 rule
Even small habits can counteract computer vision syndrome – regularly taking short blink breaks or closing your eyes for a few seconds. This moisturises them again. The indoor climate also plays a role, as dry heating air exacerbates the problem. The ophthalmologist therefore advises regular ventilation to keep the air in the room more humid.
And then there is the so-called 20-20-20 rule, which we can use to do something good for our eyes during long periods of screen work. How it works: every 20 minutes, you turn your gaze away from the monitor and look at an object at least 20 feet (approx. 6 metres) away for 20 seconds. This allows the eye muscles, which are tensed when looking at short distances, to relax briefly. And your head may also relax when you look at the clouds in the sky or watch a bird in a tree.
Headaches can also have other causes
Always have a headache after working on the computer? There may be other reasons, such as defective vision. ‘If short-sightedness or long-sightedness is not recognised or corrected, we strain our eyes. The reaction is a headache in the evening. Glasses that are no longer the right strength can also be the cause. This can be clarified with an eye test.
Working from home is better for you
Study compares working in the office and working from home
Numerous previous studies have come to different conclusions with regard to the productivity and satisfaction of employees working from home. Stroom and colleagues used the data collected during the pandemic to identify factors that influence employees’ attitudes towards working from home. Respondents were asked to assess which aspects of their work were better at home or in the office. On the one hand, these were the indoor environmental conditions, specifically temperature, air quality, lighting and noise. Secondly, the researchers asked about the equipment, namely desk, chair, screen, computer hardware and WLAN.
Environment is better at home
While the study participants rated all environmental conditions better on average in the home office than in the office, the opposite was true for the equipment. On a seven-point scale, the temperature at home was rated at 5.13 on average, compared to 4.59 in the office. Women generally rated their productivity in the home office higher than men. And the larger the household in which someone lived, the higher they rated their own productivity in the home office on average. Overall, however, the respondents rated their productivity in the office higher (7.11 on a scale of ten) than their productivity at home (6.84).
