Flicker-free monitors are specially designed to produce a single continuous light source. A typical monitor adjusts its brightness through flickering, introducing periods of low light between higher brightness. While a user may not be aware of the flicker, it can cause a number of issues, including eye strain. However, many monitors now use flicker-free technology to put less strain on monitor users’ eyes.
Learn more about how flicker-free monitors contribute to eye health below with sign trade show.
Why Are Computer Monitors So Dangerous for Your Eyes?
Before we talk about how the right computer monitor can protect your eyes, we need to first understand how digital displays can potentially degrade your vision over time.
The light emanating from a digital display is different from other kinds of light you’re regularly exposed to, like sunlight or incandescent lights you use when lighting your house.
Most computers on the market today are designed with LED backlighting, which enhances the computer screen’s clarity, brilliance, contrast, definition, and graphics. LED backlighting emits blue light waves that radiate at a brighter intensity than that of natural light or other light waves on the light spectrum. The light from a digital display is composed of what is known as HEV light (high-energy visible light). HEV light occurs in the violet/blue part of the visible spectrum.
Our eyes are not naturally equipped to protect against and filter out intense blue light, meaning that the higher energy of blue light waves can be particularly damaging to your lenses and retinas without taking the correct measures. (For example, switching from a screen to a projector.)
Consistent exposure to harmful blue light rays can cause eye fatigue, dryness, and irritation. It may also lead to digital eye strain or Computer Vision Syndrome, which encompasses a host of accompanying problems and issues, among them headaches, vertigo, and neck pain.
When selecting a computer monitor, you need to be aware of the potential for vision issues caused by blue light waves. Choosing a computer monitor designed to mitigate its harmful effects can be extremely beneficial in maintaining the long-term health of your eyes.
6 Easy Healthy Eye Practices to Implement Now
In addition to choosing a low blue light, flicker-free monitor, here are 6 other easy steps you can take right now to protect and maintain the health of your eyes.
1.Proper Lighting at Your Workstation
Make sure your workstation is lit properly – it shouldn’t be too dim or too bright. The goal is to reduce glare and reflection so that you don’t need to strain your eyes and can maintain a healthy viewing experience
2.Adjust Color Temperature
When your computer screen uses a cooler color profile, more harmful blue light can emanate. To protect your eyes, adjust the temperature profile to a setting that uses more warm tones and fewer blue ones.
3.Adjust Contrast
Ensure a comfortable viewing experience by adjusting the contrast to a higher setting to reduce eye strain. When possible, use the night mode to adapt your workstation appropriately to a darker viewing setting.
4.Proper Viewing Distance
Maintain a proper viewing distance at your workstation. You should not be situated too far or too close; according to the American Optometric Association, a healthy viewing distance means that your screen should be positioned 15 to 20 degrees below eye level, as well as 20 to 28 inches away from the eyes.
5.Breaks
To remedy the constant exposure you receive to digital displays in everyday life, it’s critical that you take breaks to give your eyes time to recover, reducing the effects of eye strain. Follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, you should focus your eyes on a point 20 feet away from the computer screen for a total of 20 seconds.
6. Increase Text Size
If you find yourself leaning forward to peer at your screen or squinting to make out a word, it’s time to increase the text size on your device. Your operating system will allow you to make changes to the size of the text you see across all programs, and may even allow you to choose a preferred typeface to aid you in reading.
A Brighter, Healthier Future
Screens are everywhere today. If you work in an office, you use one to edit documents and create spreadsheets; if you work in a store or a restaurant, you use a digital point-of-sale system. When you’re off the clock, you use your devices to watch movies, text friends, and shop for clothes. Even when you’re driving, you’re looking at the GPS or passing by digital billboards.
To ensure that your eyes stay healthy, you need to stay aware of the potential dangers of continued exposure to computer monitors. The key is understanding how certain computer monitors can impact the health of your eyes, either positively or negatively.
Start by taking the flicker-free monitor test to find out what level of flicker you’re exposed to on a regular basis. If your test shows that your monitor performs poorly, or if you’re experiencing eye fatigue or other issues like headaches or neck pain, it may be time to consider a new monitor.
When selecting computer monitors for business purposes, ensure that the monitors you choose are flicker-free for optimum eye health and include integrated blue light filter technology.
The next step is to configure your workstation as needed. When setting up your monitor, be sure to take into account ergonomics recommendations with regard to viewing distance and viewing angle.
Finally, when working, make small tweaks to your work habits to help your eyes feel better. Let yourself take short breaks periodically to refocus your eyes – and maybe do a few relaxing deep breaths while you’re at it.
The science behind how computer monitors affect your eye health may be complicated. But taking control of the health of your eyes doesn’t have to be.
Source: ViewSonic
