You may be a dedicated, diligent employee Alt - Tabing between balance sheets, client mails, and business proposals or you may be a truant boss striving to beat the machine in the online pool game - no matter what you choose. You are constantly peering at your screen and tiring your eyes for a minimum of 8 hours a day. With so many innovative ways to spend your waking hours on the web, it seems almost futile to sit outside the virtual world sipping coffee by the window or even admiring a colorful painting on your office wall.

Gags and failblog may keep you glued to your computer for hours on end, but dry and sore eyes will soon impede your work and make the comedy unintelligible. Computer vision syndrome is an office-related problem characteristic of the modernized world of online social networks and e-papers. If you wear contact lenses at work, you are at a greater risk of damaging your eyes through prolonged use of computers. Wondering how to prevent eye strain while working at your computer?

Eye strain

Blink More
Often, while trying to find out why the balance sheets don't tally or researching ways to beat your competitors, you get so absorbed that you stare at your screen without blinking. Studies suggest that you blink 5 times less than usual when in front of a computer. The natural process of blinking cleans your eyes and moisturizes it to prevent dryness and irritation.

Every twenty minutes, slowly close your eyes as if you were falling asleep. Find creative ways of reminding yourself to blink. Choose an image of your favorite movie star for your desktop screensaver, or as your browser theme; every now and then smile and bat your eyelashes at him! You can even install a blink on your computer to be reminded or just open up a video link like this Blinking Eyes (Animation test) and revisit it at intervals.

Font and brightness of your computer screen
Make sure that your computer screen is not brighter than your surrounding workstation. If the blue is as bright as your aunt's Hawaiian outfit, and the plain backgrounds as radiant as floodlights, you need to reduce the brightness of your computer screen. Don't make it too dull though, you might just end up straining your eyes to read even large fonts. If the font is too fine however, just control and scroll in with your mouse to read clearly.

Look away (fun things to do)
Once in a while, look away from your LCD monitor and stare at the opposite wall for a few moments. With your eyes "write" your name on that plain wall and keep increasing the size of the letters as you go along. Write hamburger, your office cutie's name or pancakes, bananas and waffles. Let your eyes enjoy this break! Just make sure that your colleague or boss is not standing in front of the wall you're staring at it might just be difficult for you to find a plausible justification.

Eye exercises
While you sit at your desk, practice a few eye exercises to keep refreshed and stay alert. Over your upper eyelids, place three fingers of each hand and keep it pressed for just 1-2 seconds. Do this at least five times and then get back to your work. Another way to exercise your eyes is to keep shifting focus from a distant object to something close by. From the modernist wall painting at the far end of the floor to your well manicured nails, concentrate on one for a few seconds and then move to the next. Repeat this at least 5 times as an exercise. You could even try massaging your eyes with your fingers in circular movements for about 1-2 minutes. Be careful not to press your eyes too hard.

Surrounding light
The trendy, fancy lights might give your office a stylish appearance and might even compliment the contemporary interiors, but the fluorescent tubes and bulbs can cause eye strain easily. It is better to have indirect incandescent or halogen lights instead.