Monitor arms and tablet mounts are increasing in popularity as employers realised the detrimental effect on efficiency that eyestrain can have.

Eyestrain cases are increasing as we rely more and more on screens. Screens are integral in everything these days – work, entertainment, even looking at photos and checking our bank balance. However, the lion’s share of screen time for most is clocked up whilst at work.

Constantly looking at screens and forgetting to blink means that eye strain is becoming increasingly commonplace. Eye strain at the office isn’t just uncomfortable, it can also reduce an employee’s productivity and happiness while at work. Eye discomfort, Headaches, Sore, tired, burning or itchy eyes and difficulty focusing are all symptoms that your employees could be suffering from eye strain. More extreme symptoms include watery eyes, dry eyes, blurred or double vision and even increased sensitivity to light. Not much fun.

What causes eye strain

Eye strain is typically caused by incorrect lighting, reflection and too much glare. It can occur when spending too much time in front of a screen when the muscle responsible for focusing the eye becomes fatigued.

However there are things you can do to reduce eye strain.

• Get the screen position right.

Position your computer screen 20- 24 inches from your eyes with the centre of the screen 10-15 degrees below your eye line.

Getting your monitor to the right position can be difficult. You can use boxes to elevate screens, however these can steal away too much desk space to be practical. A much more efficient solution is the use of monitor arms.

Monitor arms can be useful to achieve the right height, without robbing the user of desk space. Some arms, like our G70-series monitor arm, offer complete versatility of screen positioning so a screen can easily be positioned and repositioned for whoever is using the desk. For users who prefer two screens or those that need to reference additional information, a dual monitor mount is available that clamps to the table, or if you prefer, there are some dual monitor mounts which use an existing 10mm grommet hole in a desk.

• Get a blind or curtain to reduce the light coming in through the window.

Anti-glare blinds control the amount of light that comes in through a window. Different types of fabric will allow different light levels through and into the room.

• Adjust the settings on your screen to reduce the glare from your screen.

By reducing the light levels of the screen you should be able to control the amount of glare it gives off. However, if reducing the light levels on your screen doesn’t give you sufficient control, use an anti-glare screen or a coloured screen overlay to reduce the glare you’re your screen.

• Encourage your employees to give their eyes a break.

Opticians recommend computer users take a break every 20 minutes to focus on a distant object on the other side of the room for at least 20 seconds. This relaxes the muscle responsible for focusing the eye. Making this a regular habit should help to reduce eye fatigue and irritation.

If you have any questions about how we can help you keep your workforce happy and healthy and reduce eyestrain, our friendly advisors will be able to help you. You can chat with a BPF Online product advisor through our website.