Eye strain is a common denominator among web workers and people who sit in front of any kind of display for long periods of time. The good news is that you can give your peepers a break by picking up a few tips on how to optimize your applications and devices as you use them. Many of these tips are also useful for optimizing the look of text and images when you’re doing presentations, or when showing somebody something on a laptop screen.

Scroll for an Easier View. You can use the scroll wheel on your mouse to increase the size of text and graphics on a web page, or in any document. To do this, go to a web page, hold the Ctrl key down and lightly move your mouse’s scroll wheel down. The information on the page will increase in size. Hold the Ctrl key down and move the scroll wheel up to return to normal size.
View Documents in Full Screen Mode. Especially if you work with big spreadsheets or write all day long, learn to view your documents in full screen mode. You can find out how to switch to Full Screen mode by clicking for Help in an application or Googling “Full Screen” and the name of your application. In Microsoft productivity applications such as Excel and Word, select Full Screen from the View menu.
Zoom Documents for Bigger Text and Images. Also in Microsoft productivity applications such as Word and Excel, you can select Zoom from the View menu, then select a size, to get bigger text and images. Full Screen and Zoom viewing are especially easy on the eyes if you spend a lot of time in front of, say, a subnotebook system.
Get Your Ratios Right. Adjust your display’s contrast and brightness so that they’re easy on your eyes, and don’t forget to adjust your room lighting. Many people cite pronounced reductions in eye strain when working next to a halogen lamp instead of fluorescent lighting. Also 10:3 is the suggested ratio for the brightness of the characters on your display versus the background, and experts also suggest room illumination three times brighter than your screen background. (Your mileage may vary.)
Take Frequent Breaks. You can actually feel the relief of eye strain when you get up and walk around for a few minutes. Eye care experts recommend taking frequent short breaks if possible, rather than just one or two extended breaks.
Do you have any good tips on relieving eye strain for web workers?
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