Why are you tired from looking at the computer screen?

Answer 1

Answer 1

It depends. If you stare at flashing lights in a dark room, that could be it.

_______________________

Answer 2

Eye strain is a very common issue that affects people who work or sit with computers most of the day. The eye strain causes a headache since the human eyes are wired directly to the brain, where headaches occur.

When looking at a computer screen for long times, the brain has to constantly tell the eyes to re-adjust to the different lighting levels and colours that you are dealing with on the screen. The amount of times that the brain needs to tell the eyes to re-adjust to a screen is unnatural, hence causes headaches as the brain is over-working to protect your eyesight.

You should take regular breaks from the computer screen to relax your eyes (and therefore your brain). Looking out a window for a few minutes or closing your eyes for a few minutes will help.

Headaches can also be caused by poor quality computer screens flickering. Particularly those that were produced in the 90's or early 2000's. But newer ones can cause flickering too. Sometimes the flickers are too fast to be noticed, but they are still registered by your eyes and brain, which chooses to ignore them. If you take a video recording of an old computer monitor, you can actually capture (and see) the flickering on the recording. This flickering can cause eye strain and hence headaches.

In fact, by law in most countries, corporations are required to provide employees with either anti-flicker screens or protectors (thin sheets of special transparent plastic) that stick to the screen to protect the eyes from the flickers.

Glare is another thing that can cause headaches while looking at the computer screen. You should avoid having your computer screen opposite a window where the light can shine onto it, unless your window is tinted to block most sunlight.

The height of the monitor is also a factor. The monitor, by regulation standards, should be five to nine inches below your horizontal line of sight. You should be looking just over the top of the monitor when looking at it straight ahead. If the monitor is not at the correct height, it can cause discomfort on the eyes, again leading to headaches.

It could be possible that your screen is too bright or too dark. Play around with the screen settings until you find a brightness level that suits you and causes less discomfort.

The distance of the monitor from your face is also a factor too. If you are sitting too close to the monitor, obviously it will cause strain, just like sitting too close to the TV.

Open a word document and slowly move backwards from the screen until the words on the document become blurred or unreadable. Measure this distance and divide by three, your monitor should be placed at that distance from your face.

The lighting of the room can also contribute to computer screen headaches. Offices use overhead florescent lighting because they do not glare nor are too bright, but still provide the right amount of lighting to be able to work. A desk lamp or other lighting in the room such as spotlights will cause glare, even if you don't notice it. Make sure that no light is shining directly at the screen or at your eyes.

If you are suffering regular headaches but you believe that none of the issues above are the cause, then you should see an optician. It's possible you may need glasses (or contacts) or that you need to upgrade your current glasses/contacts.

Answer 2

I think that you simply need to step away from your computer, and take a break for a while. Your eyes probably are trying to tell you to stop.