Eye breaks for screen days
Five small habits you can do at your desk. Neha suggests them as comfort habits for long days at a screen. They are not a treatment. They do not replace a vision check. Try one for a week before you add the next.
The 20-20-20 pause
The one most people have heard of.
- Set a repeating timer for 20 minutes.
- When it sounds, look at something about 20 feet (6 metres) away. A window or the far end of the room will do.
- Hold your gaze there for 20 seconds, then carry on.
Blink fully
Blinks get fewer and shorter when we concentrate.
- Close your eyelids slowly and fully, then open them.
- Repeat a few times whenever you notice you have been staring.
Shift your focus
A near and far exercise for people who would rather not leave the chair.
- Hold your thumb at arm's length and look at it for a few seconds.
- Look at something far away, a building outside, say, for a few seconds.
- Look back at the thumb. Repeat a few times.
Palms over closed eyes
Half a minute in the dark, with nothing to read or answer.
- Rub your palms together until they are warm.
- Close your eyes and cup your palms over them. The weight rests on your cheekbones and brow, never on the eyes.
- Stay for about half a minute and breathe.
Screen at arm's length
Do it once and the habit looks after itself.
- Put the screen about an arm's length from you.
- Keep its top edge at or just below eye level.
- Move lamps and windows so they do not shine into your eyes or onto the glass.
A day at the screen, in order
Where each habit sits in a working day.
| When you sit down | Check the screen distance, its height and the light on the glass. |
|---|---|
| Every 20 minutes | The 20-20-20 pause. |
| When a task ends | A few full blinks. |
| A few times a day | Shift your focus between thumb and distance. |
| After a long block | Palms over closed eyes for about half a minute. |
If you want your sight checked, book a vision check, ₹650 for 35 minutes. If you would rather go through your own desk with Neha, the screen-day consultation is ₹900 for 45 minutes.
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