[olug] eye strain

[Dave Burchell]

Eric Pierce says:
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> I wanted to know how everyone deals (or doesn't deal) with eye strain.
> 
> I took my first full time computer job in January this year, and the long hours
> spent in front of the computer has been taking its toll on my eys for some
> time.

I don't know what your work environment is like, but IMHO most offices
are over illuminated.  (Or perhaps they are illuminated to a
decades-old standard from when office workers processed papers and
typed on typewriters.)  If you visit a control room (such as at DTN or
IP Revolution) or a serious coders' shop (such as MicroImages or the
graduate student computer lab in the basement of Ferguson Hall at UNL
years ago) you will find low levels of light, and only indirect light.

First, try making sure no light falls directly on your screen.  You
might be able to simply rearrange your desk so there is no light
fixture directly above, but in most offices the light fixtures are too
closely spaced for that to work.

My eye strain fell drastically when I turned out the fluorescent lights
above my desk.  At my next job there was no switch for just my office,
so I actually removed all of the tubes from the light fixture.  In
those cases and my most recent job my office had windows, so I had
plenty of light complements the flaming orb 93 million miles away.
Most recently, I bought an ugly table lamp and put it on my desk for
cloudy days.

Be warned, you may catch some flak from your boss if he/she is a
non-technical person.  Anyone who spends most of their time reading the
paper, talking on the phone, or holding meetings will find no eye
strain problems with the typical office's level of light, and could
label you a freak for your preference.  (In my experience, they will
also take exception if you wear Birkenstocks with socks, but as long as
Linus does it I don't give a damn what the marketing department might
say.)

BTW, I'm not sure why, but eye strain did not seem to be a problem for
me before about age 27.

-- 
Dave Burchell                                          40.49'N, 96.41'W
Free your mind and your software will follow.              402-467-1619
http://incolor.inetnebr.com/burchell/                  burchell at acm.org