5 Useful Computer Screen Settings That Reduce Eye Strain

Whether you work in the office or just like to use your computer at home, you probably spend a statistically significant portion of your day with a brightly lit rectangle right in front of your face. It’s no secret that prolonged screen exposure isn’t good for your eyes, and while there are tricks you can use to alleviate this problem, such as proper monitor placement, the first steps you should take are adjusting your monitor’s internal settings. Reducing brightness and using warmer color temperatures can make a surprisingly big difference.

Compared to the very first computer monitors, which perhaps had a few contrast buttons at the bottom, modern monitors are highly customizable, both with settings accessible via physical switches and a variety of adjustments and customizations you can make in your PC’s settings. While there’s no way to completely eliminate the threat of eye strain unless you don’t use your PC at all, the right settings can make a big difference in the amount of beating your eyes experience during a workday, with a few healthy habits like the 20-20-20 rule getting you along the way.

When it comes to finding eye-healthy settings on your computer screen, the first thing to consider is brightness. The slightly annoying thing about most monitors is that they tend to come with high brightness settings, because a brighter monitor looks better when displayed in a store. If there’s a visible halo of ambient glow emanating from your screen at all times of the day, and especially when it’s darker, it’s probably too bright. Using your monitor’s physical controls or computer settings, lower the brightness so that it is approximately the same brightness level as the room around you.

Dark mode is a great tool to help you in this endeavor. Many websites and apps have a dark mode that swaps most of the bright, white colors for much softer blacks and grays. If something you use has a built-in dark mode, enable it to reduce eye strain associated with brightness. Even if you’re using something that doesn’t have a dark mode, like Google Docs, there may be homebrew solutions like add-ons or extensions. In the specific case of Google Docs, there is a browser extension called DocsAfterDark that automatically flips the background and text from white and black to black and white.

In addition to adjusting the flat brightness of your monitor, you should also take the time to tweak your contrast settings. All monitors express light and dark in a different contrast ratio, with a higher ratio meaning your monitor is able to express brighter whites and deeper darks. If your contrast is too low, text and images can appear fuzzy and fuzzy, forcing you to squint harder at your monitor for longer periods of time to actually see anything.

If you have higher contrast settings on your monitor than the default, consider using them. Higher contrast sharpens text and images, making them easier to see without having to focus too hard, which should generally be less hard on your eyes. Of course, your monitor’s contrast adjustment can only go so far, so if you’re having trouble seeing what’s on your screen even at maximum contrast, try adjusting your PC’s environment in the same way, such as dimming the dominant ambient lighting or placing your monitor in an optimal position.

A color monitor can display text and images in all sorts of colors and shades, but much of that color will naturally be blue light. Constant exposure to blue light, while helpful in keeping you awake and engaged during the day, can feel harsh, and some studies suggest it may interfere with your brain’s ability to produce sleep-promoting melatonin. Ergo, one of the best things you can do for your comfort is to reduce blue light as much as possible.

Using your monitor settings, try adjusting the color profile or enabling a blue light filter. Using warmer colors, especially later in the day when it is already dark, can reduce exposure to blue light and prevent it from harming your sleep. Unfortunately, color temperatures can be a little difficult to observe, and there is no universally best setting for all hours of the day. If you’re having trouble getting your monitor’s colors to a comfortable setting, homebrew solutions can help you again. There is an app called f.lux, which automatically adjusts the colors on your monitor based on the current time of day, with cooler, sun-like colors in the morning and warmer, softer shades at night.

As we mentioned about contrast, having to squint and bend over to focus really hard to read something on your screen means getting an even bigger face full of harsh light than you normally would. Not only can low contrast be the cause, but it could also be due to small or unusual text fonts. As impressive as it is for a monitor to display large amounts of text, if that text is too small to read comfortably, it’s not doing anyone any favors.

If you’re working on a document or using any type of application that allows you to customize fonts, try using a larger font size that you can see clearly without having to squint or actively concentrate. You should also use a simple, straightforward font like Arial or Calibri, as opposed to any elaborate or fancy font. If you’re just browsing articles online and can’t change the font size yourself, you can also zoom in on the window a little until you can see it clearly. All web browsers allow you to do this; simply hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard and scroll the mouse wheel up and down to achieve your ideal zoom.

Better monitors mean better colors and contrast, not to mention a wider range of visual customization settings. However, you may not realize that your monitor may not be displaying the best quality possible. If it appears that your monitor is rendering lower quality visuals than it should be, your display settings can be configured to display content at a lower resolution than the monitor supports.

The resolution of your monitor determines the size of the pixels that make up its image. Lower resolutions mean your screen becomes more pixelated and indistinct, again leaving you squinting to try to figure things out. Most modern monitors always run at their highest setting, but certain types of apps and games can force the resolution lower, and it may not always return afterward. Check your display settings to make sure the resolution is at maximum and you’re getting the best possible image quality.