Ensuring Proper Ergonomics in a Hybrid Work Environment

Given that most of us are working either at home or a hybrid work environment, it may be a good idea to drill down on the basics of ensuring good ergonomics while working; wherever that may be. Do you feel eyestrain and headaches after hours of slogging away in front of a computer screen? If you look it up on the Internet, you will come across doomsday articles saying that prolonged computer use can lead to blindness. Of course, this is not true at all, but you can experience some minor annoying problems such as headaches, fatigue, red eyes, dry eyes, neck and back aches, eyelid twitching, eye pain and dizziness. Luckily, however, there are simple and easy-to-follow tips to help prevent these ailments:

1.      Use the 20/20/20 rule: You may have heard of this one before, but it is still definitely a good one to follow. It is really simple yet effective; give your eyes a break every 20 minutes, and look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.

2.      Monitor level: This one is absolutely crucial as most of us do not really check whether we are actually following this rule diligently and just assume that if it is comfortable, it is fine. The idea here is to position your monitor between 10 – 15 degrees below eye level and keep a good 20-28 inches in between.

3.      Ceiling lights: Our eyes are all about light source, so do ensure that ceiling lights in your working space are about half as bright. Alternatively, you could also use a floor or desk lamp (for an indirect light source) while working.

4.      Exercise: No, this does not mean hitting the gym during lunch break, although that may be pretty useful too. In this case, it is referring to exercising your eyes. A simple routine you could do is to look up and down, then side to side for a total of 10 second, every half an hour. Just making the conscious effort to blink more can also help greatly, as studies show that we blink five times less while using a computer. Coming back to physical exercise, you can use apps such as Randomly RemindMe and Stretching and Eye Exercises to help with your physical exercise.

5.      An apple a day, keeps the doctor away: Well, no actually, this has nothing to do with apples per se, but just thought that it was a cute tagline. This tip suggests visiting the eye doctor at least once a year. This is an especially useful one, as the doctors can also do a general health screening to detect any other illnesses too.

And that’s a wrap folks; do practice these tips to ensure that you are staying healthy while working from home, office, or both in these challenging times. Best to avoid those symptoms mentioned, as to remain productive and safe during these times. Lastly, there is no shame in taking these short breaks to exercise your eyes, especially, as it is good for your productivity and health. Take care and stay safe!