Avoid Eyestrain with your Laptop

Laptops allow you to use your computer anywhere, but their design does require attention to egonomics!

The risk of strain to the eyes, neck, shoulders and arms is actually higher with laptops than with desktop computers because you cannot locate the keyboard and the screen at appropriate levels.

Working at a Desk

If you are working at a desk the very best thing to do is to connect your laptop to an external monitor, and even better, add an external keyboard and mouse. This'll create less shoulder & arm tension. This is especially true if you are working for more than two hours at one sitting.

If you can't use an external monitor, try an external keyboard - which will allow you to raise your laptop screen to a level wherein your head will be slightly inclined downward. Your eyes should be approximately at the level of the top of the screen.

If you have no external monitor or keyboard?
Better to sacrifice the stronger neck muscles to the more delicate wrist muscles, so raise the laptop so that your elbows are at 90 degrees and your wrists are straight.

Working on your Lap

Set the screen at an angle that reduces need to bend your neck, and reduces reflections.

Keep the screen free of dust.

Increase font size for comfortable viewing (browsing - use "View/text size/increase") - apparently, viewing small fonts can actually cause rises in blood pressure & stress levels.

Make sure overall illumination of the room is no more than three times brighter than the screen

Adjust screen brightness and contrast properly.

Use a desk lamp if possible instead of an overhead light.

General Points

Take rest breaks at least every 20 minutes to allow eyes and muscles to recuperate. Short, frequent breaks are better than longer, less frequent breaks. Try 2-3 minutes every 15-20 minutes, 5 minutes every 30 minutes, or 10 minutes every hour.
Frequently look at something more than 20 feet away.
Blink regularly to keep your eyes moist.
Don't use for more than 2 hours in any sitting.
Stretch frequently
Change tasks to prevent muscle stiffness.
Don't work in a dark room
Humidity helps - if your home office's air is dry, get a humidifier, especially in the winter.
If you wear reading glasses when working on the computer, have your doctor test your vision at the distance of the length of your arm, rather than closer. This is the distance you want to be from the screen.


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