Staring at the computer monitor for long period of hours may cause serious eye injury brought by radiation. Prevent computer eye strain by observing and practicing the following tips.

Working in front of a computer for more than three hours everyday is not really healthy. It could lead to computer vision syndrome (CVS) or more popularly known as computer eye strain. Students, professionals, and even children who are fond of computers are prone to it. In fact, CVS is the leading computer-related health complaint in all age brackets.

Symptoms of computer vision syndrome or computer eye strain include blurred or double vision, burning or tired eyes, loss of focus, muscle spasms, and pain in the shoulder and neck.

And so, in order to prevent further damage to your vision due to frequent and prolonged computer use, follow these seven easy tips on how to screen your eyes from computer eye strain:

1. Take a yearly comprehensive eye exam and get a doctor who specializes in computer vision care.

2. Remember that the recommended distance between your eyes and the monitor is 18 to 28 inches. Make sure that the workstation you are working on is arranged to suit your preference.

3. Minimize interior lighting by using fewer and lower intensity light bulbs and fluorescent tubes. Too much bright light can actually cause eye strain.

4. To avoid dryness, blink as often as possible. Blinking is your eye’s natural way of re-wetting the eyes and getting rid of the dryness. You may also use artificial tears or eye drops.

5. To prevent reflections and glare, put an anti-glare screen on your monitor. If possible, replace your bright wall paint with matte finish.

6. The ideal text size should be three times the smallest text on a white background, so remember to adjust text display. Also, modify the brightness of your computer screen to match the environment. You’ll sense that your computer monitor is too bright if the white background on your computer looks like a light source.

7. After every hour of staring and working in front of the computer, take a 10-minute break and exercise, which means getting out of the workstation and doing some stretching of the back, neck, shoulders, arms, and legs.

Your eyes would need some “stretching” too, not only to prevent computer eye strain, but to stretch your focusing muscle, as well. Do this by looking away from the computer monitor and focusing on a distant object for five to ten seconds, or by rocking your eyes back and forth between a near and a far object.