Reducing eye strain from computer use

[legokill101]

I Use my laptop a lot at school and for homework and as a result often find my eyes quite tired, i was hoping to get some advice on some ideas i had to reduce it, one of them was to replace the current 20 inch 1600*900 monitor im using when im at home witb a 27 inch 1080p monitor and then downscale the resolution to make icons and text bigger as well as getting some bias lighting and was wondering
a) how much these things would help and
b) what other thing i could try to reduce eye strain

 

[Dweezy]

You could always buy a pair of those "special" Gunnar Glasses that claim to reduce eye strain while using the computer for extended periods of time. http://www.gunnars.com. Not sure that these work at all and they seem pretty gimmicky to me. I think there are much cheaper alternatives sold on Amazon that do the trick too. They're less than $10 I think.

You could also have your monitor adapt to the time of day, changing it's lighting using the free software Flux: http://justgetflux.com/

It's also best practice to look away from the screen every now and then so your eyes don't get so attached to staring at something that's a couple inches away from you. Try closing your eyes and rolling them around. It's good to give your eyes a bit of "exercise", otherwise the muscles will start to weaken and cause eye strain and other vision problems.

From my experience, ever since I started building my own computers about a decade ago in middle school, my eyes became more glued to monitors than ever before. I would especially stare at the monitor at night in a dark room, which I think was really bad for my eyes. My eyes aren't terrible but I do wear glasses to see faraway. My prescriptions are just -1.50. Start good habits now to save your eyes!

 

[legokill101]

only problem with glasses is i already wear prescription eyeglass but also will the already outlined steps help

 

[bystander]

The backlighting used in LCD's can cause eye strain, and CRT's flickering, especially at lower hz can cause eye strain.

BenQ has a new tech in their high end 144hz monitors which is supposed to help. It is called ZeroFlicker.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16824014350

Gaming-comfort ZeroFlicker™ Technology
Developed in collaboration with pro gamers, the XL2420TE has been upgraded to eliminate flickering at all brightness levels. This elevates gaming performance through extreme visual comfort for even the most hardcore gamers enrolling long hours in action. Armed with the Gaming-comfort ZeroFlicker™ Technology, the BenQ Gaming Monitor is an epic weapon over your ultimate rivals.

 

[legokill101]

except a) im already using a lcd and b) this is not for gaming and C) that is more expensive then i hoped

 

[bystander]

You could try:
Turning down other light sources in the room.
Lowering brightness of your monitor.
Using an anti-glare monitor (matte).
Adjusting the distance you are from your monitor.
Adjusting the size of text on the monitor.

 

[smeezekitty]

You could also have your monitor adapt to the time of day, changing it's lighting using the free software Flux: http://justgetflux.com/

Warning! If you play any games, F.lux will make them stutter like mad!