"How do you handle sitting in front of the computer for long periods of time without hurting your health?"
hipstergrandpa, score: 310, date: 5/08/2015 12:16:29 AM <edit> Thanks for the advice! Top options I see are: get f.lux, better chair, exercise of some sort, healthy diet, and proper eye gear. I will show her this thread and thank her for the delicious karma it has brought me. </edit> My SO is working on being a developer, but one of the biggest obstacles is the time commitment to working long hours in front of a screen. Since she started, she feels that her eyes and her health have deteriorated. The pain on her eyes from doing more work in front of a screen are really hindering her learning progress. So devs, how do you handle your jobs, or learning?
nutrecht, score: 13, date: 5/08/2015 12:23:03 AM Just how you handle any desk job: a good seating position, frequent breaks and sports. Development isn't any different really; if anything it's less 'unhealthy' than data entry.
Crunkmagnet, score: 62, date: 5/08/2015 12:25:34 AM As far as her eyes go I would look into a pair of glasses from [Gunnar](http://www.gunnars.com/) they help me tremendously. As far as her health I would strongly recommend a morning workout routine to help maintain good health and posture by maintaining her muscles. A good ergonomic setup, such as a chair from Hermann Miller or a similar reputable company can also go a long way.
ShitPosts, score: 17, date: 5/08/2015 2:09:51 AM If she gets some prescription reading glasses or something, make sure they are either designed for computer screens and/or polarized. I had to take mine back because I could see a glare/reflection of the monitor in them.
Crunkmagnet, score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 2:56:49 AM That is exactly why I recommended Gunnar. =)
alphazero924, score: 7, date: 5/08/2015 4:06:44 AM Also to avoid the ludicrous prices in-store, take your prescription to an online store. It's like 45-70 bucks for a pair of glasses with the works whereas, at least where I went, it was like 125 bucks for the coating on top of the prices of the frames.
Dr_Silk, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 7:41:29 AM Agreed with the morning workout routine. I suffered from lethargy, constant leg cramps, and inability to focus for more than a couple hours, until I started doing some light exercise in the morning (stretching and light aerobics for 10 mins followed by running or bike riding for another 10-15 mins)
[deleted], score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 7:48:36 AM [deleted]
RP_Feyniac, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 8:39:33 AM I have a pair and I'd definitely recommend them. They filter out blue light which is said to be a major contributor to eye strain. http://www.gunnars.com/how-they-work/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-energy_visible_light
Lewis2100, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 10:30:30 AM I have a pair and can't work all day without them. Well I could but if I do the eye strain takes a toll it feels like I can't see right for a little while after work. I wear contacts so I just got the standard no prescription pair. They block some blue light and have a slight magnification which helps see things on the screen.
EquipLordBritish, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 8:27:02 AM Yeah, so anything with a yellow lens will help, as will [f.lux](https://justgetflux.com/), since the primary issues is the excess of blue light that can strain your eyes. I don't know of anything that gunnar optics do that a half decent pair off $10-$20 yellow tinted shooting glasses won't do.
nalandial, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 9:56:16 AM > A good ergonomic setup, such as a chair from Hermann Miller or a similar reputable company can also go a long way. I work from home every day so I am basically sitting in front of a computer minimum 8 hours a day. I splurged on my Hermann Miller mesh fabric office chair 6 years ago for $750 and I can honestly say it is one of the best investments I have ever made. Whatever chair you get make sure to get mesh and not leather otherwise when you aren't wearing pants you sweat and it gets gross, whereas mesh allows your skin to breathe.
Unomagan, score: 18, date: 5/08/2015 12:37:10 AM Walk and regular stretching and walking (ha-ha) a new study suggest that even 30 minute of daily sport does not help. And that we will see terrible results in the next 20-30 years. Edit: before down voting a bit google foo could help. For example: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/heres-just-how-bad-sitting-around-you-n132471 And a lot more if you search. Or maybe the down votes, because we don't like to hear that?
snailking1, score: 10, date: 5/08/2015 2:15:07 AM I also wonder why the downvoting. I've been hearing about this and looking for solutions for a couple of years now, and it looks like for the vast majority of us there is just nothing to do. People who work on their own or have a say at their workplace policy may use standing desks, however it is not clear whether standing up still in front of a monitor all day is much better than sitting all day.
robi2106, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 2:55:26 AM that is probably why a lot of those giant balance balls are being used. you are constantly adjusting your balance to stay seated on the ball.
natedcorn, score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 7:06:03 AM I use an adjustable desk. There are also plenty of studies saying that standing is bad too - cashiers and waitresses can elaborate on that for you. I like to mix it up; sit for a while, then change the desk position and stand for a while (I listen to music while coding, so this sometimes turns into light dancing), then back to sitting for another couple hours and repeat. Before getting this desk and some tall monitor stands I was starting to get some gnarly back issues. This setup works for me, though. Too much of any position is probably the real problem.
rheajr86, score: 7, date: 5/08/2015 3:55:47 AM Not saying that this study is bad or anything, but do you know how easy it is to skew a study to say whatever you want. The problem is that when people run the statistics and find what they don't want to find, all they have to do is remove the data that is causing the undesired result, or add new data, then bam all of a sudden peeing on your foot in the shower causes your next door neighbor's cat to die of malaria.
Unomagan, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 4:01:48 AM I know it is "easy" but there also several German studies from german health care institutes making the same point. Not same conclusion for sure, some say it is worse, some say it is not that bad if you do sport. But the general idea stays: We are fucked :)
rheajr86, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:20:43 AM Lol. Agreed. I upvoted you btw i was just making a point about "studies".
ex_nihilo, score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 4:11:24 AM I use a treadmill desk I built (work from home) and I have 40 lb dumbells behind me that I use frequently for free weight exercises. Basically any time I am in a meeting or waiting for something to finish building/migrating/executing, I am working out. I am in a lot of meetings because I am a lead dev, I do very little actual development work any more. In the evenings when I am gaming or working on personal projects, I develop some kind of game to make myself work out. I will do 20 pushups if I lose a match of League of Legends, and only 10 if I win. That kind of thing.
Unomagan, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 4:29:37 AM This might work, but the general "problem" of sitting far worse than expected because of the blood flow in your legs while you sit. Your legs need to move to push blood through your body and legs. Which you usually don´t do while you sit. The bad effect on the bad of "not moving" your legs is far worse than we expected. And might want to admit (as seen on my down votes at beginning ) Our body is not made to sit still. It just isn´t...
ex_nihilo, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 4:39:47 AM Well when I do sit at my desk, I have an ottoman underneath and I keep my legs above the level of my waist.
camdemonium, score: 12, date: 5/08/2015 8:05:17 AM You're getting downvoted because your comment makes no sense. First you say: >Walk and regular stretching and walking I'm assuming you're implying that walking and regular stretching will help balance the damage of sitting down for most of the day. But then you say: >a new study suggest that even 30 minute of daily sport does not help So now you are saying that 30 minutes of a sport (i.e. walking and stretching) in fact does NOT help. And then you make an edit and pull a source out of your ass, even though the concluding sentence of your source completely refutes your point: >Either way, health experts agree there’s no downside to sitting less and exercising more. And for some reason this is the second highest voted comment.
elperroborrachotoo, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:55:33 PM **tl;dr:** light exercise does not offset the increased risk of colon and endometrial cancer due to "sedentary pursuits". That's way more specific than you generic "doesn't help".
Molehole, score: 117, date: 5/08/2015 12:44:31 AM I use [F.lux](https://justgetflux.com/). I'd buy Gunnars but I use glasses so they aren't an option. F.lux is also free. Also setting your constrast to low and putting up proper lighting helps. Also making sure all your IDEs have dark themes. There are add ons for browswers that turn background colors to dark etc.
brukemammo, score: 14, date: 5/08/2015 2:28:13 AM You can get prescription lenses with Gunnars, that's what I did.
Molehole, score: 14, date: 5/08/2015 3:13:13 AM Very expensive and I have trouble switching between glasses. Everything looks further or closer than they really are for hours and it causes me headaches and nausea. Would have to wear them constantly.
brukemammo, score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 8:34:41 AM Fair enough, but if you're worried about how you would look while wearing them you could try the crystalline series. It's helped me out a lot and I wear them daily.
brukemammo, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 12:24:14 AM They're geared towards designers and people who need to see true color (hence the no yellow) but I like them just as well. I still use f.lux on my computers too.
Molehole, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 12:30:27 AM So what do they do then if not make everything warmer?
brukemammo, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 12:34:46 AM I don't remember exactly, but they do help. I know it sounds weird, but my eyes don't hurt anymore.
TheLastSock, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 6:59:48 AM I remember reading a fairly comprehensive argument against this type of thing. Is there any evidence that it helps vs dimming your screen?
Molehole, score: 9, date: 5/08/2015 7:13:08 AM Well I haven't read any comprehensive arguments one way or another. I use it because it doesn't strain my eyes. Do you really need evidence? Try it out yourself. I feel like Flux screen is easier to read than a dimmed screen while also being easy to eyes.
SKR47CH, score: 7, date: 5/08/2015 7:28:15 AM The lowest dim setting is still too bright at night in my laptop. And flux not only just dims, it adjusts the color to make to easy on the eye.
_M1nistry, score: 10, date: 5/08/2015 11:08:14 AM Turn Flux on for a week at about 3/4 at night on the bar, then at 1 am one night, turn Flux off and you'll notice the eye strain.
atsu333, score: 19, date: 5/08/2015 7:00:50 AM Don't go Gunnar, they're meh. If you wear glasses, get blue blocker coating on them. It costs extra, but I started wearing glasses before I needed to because it makes such a huge difference. I work IT then come home and sit on my computer and it's just... Amazing. No more eye strain.
Sander00, score: 6, date: 5/08/2015 8:17:44 AM I have a blue light filter in my glasses since I got them a few months ago. I used to have a headache almost every day and now I barely have headaches. If you have problems with your eyes I definitely recommend them.
AndruRC, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 9:57:44 AM I can't do dark themes unless I'm in a mildly lit room. Glare and reflections are so much more noticeable.
BostonTentacleParty, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 12:15:55 PM You should invest in a monitor that isn't glossy.
sharpest-tool, score: 5, date: 5/08/2015 12:18:31 PM I usually work on a MacBook but before starting a major project I did the following: I bought a nice big monitor that has a blue ray filter setting. ViewSonic VA2855SMH 28-Inch SuperClear Full HD LED Monitor (1920x1080, HDMI). Hooked to Mac mini. Then I bought a nice positioning arm to be able to control the height, angle, etc for the monitor. FLEXIMOUNTS M3H Heavy duty LCD Stand Full Motion Desk Mount. I find that I can work longer without eye or neck strain. It made a big difference for me. I love my new setup.
_skywalker, score: 4, date: 5/08/2015 1:20:25 PM Can you take a picture of your set up? I'm thinking of doing something similar where I hook up my laptop to an external monitor.
FloatableCat, score: 11, date: 5/08/2015 1:30:21 AM If she feels her eyes and health have deteriorated she should get her eyes tested and start working out. Get the eye tests regularly too to make sure there's no rapid deterioration. I use dark themes on all my IDEs which does help, also being able to look out of a window and focus on a far away object helps your eyes relax and stay healthy (or so i'm told!). When possible I walk at lunch for a couple of miles, that nicely breaks up the day, and I try avoid eating junk at the office though I'm not always successful.
ex_nihilo, score: 5, date: 5/08/2015 4:04:45 AM The dark background thing is a really good suggestion. I use dark backgrounds for my IDEs, my IRC client, basically any piece of software that lets me do it somehow. I use the Reddit Enhancement Suite and always leave night mode enabled so that Reddit shows up as shades of dark grey.
Vandechoz, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:57:14 AM Ditto. It amazes me how bright the defaults are on so many, many things.
zargamus, score: 6, date: 5/08/2015 4:51:37 AM Even with daily exercise, sitting down for long periods can be bad for your health; she should also consider a standing desk or walking away from the computer at regular intervals.
Capn_Barboza, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:49:58 AM What is considered a long interval?
hyperforce, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 7:16:44 AM The Apple Watch seems to suggest that an hour of uninterrupted sitting is already too much.
Capn_Barboza, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 7:22:29 AM That is quite a short period of time... But I'm sure if you're smart you can get away with a trip away from your desk every hour without reprimand
jbw976, score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 12:43:53 PM you all are seriously not allowed to leave your desk whenever you want? I don't ever want to work for a place like that
Maethor_derien, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 1:11:41 PM Actually that is what is generally considered health to prevent things like blood clots in the legs and other issues from sitting to long. You actually don't really have to do much, a minute or two is all you need. You could actually just stand up and do a few squats or stretches. That is actually what I do when I am in the zone and do not want to leave the desk, I stand up do a few squats and stretch a bit.
zargamus, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 7:36:12 AM There's no exact cut-off that I'm aware of. It's just that research shows that people sitting for longer periods at a time, or more hours per day, have an increased risk of a variety of ailments.
FloatableCat, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:44:47 PM The standing desk is a good idea however I'll say after having used one a bit and knowing people with them they do take some getting used to. The motorised ones are the best so you don't have to stand 100% of the time and get the best of both worlds.
printf_hello_world, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 2:03:42 AM Many people at the software company I work at do some combination of: - Work out before or after the workday - Play soccer/hockey at lunch - Have a standing desk I find that it certainly makes a big difference for *my* health edit: a word
sungazer69, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 2:23:13 AM Hmm, where do I start... This is a very important topic I think, for us engineers. Alright, well I've been into exercise for quite a few years now. But only over the past 3 months have I taken it to some seriously new levels in regard to diet and exercise. First: Diet. I snack a lot throughout the day. On healthy stuff like yogurt, fruit, carrots, etc. And I drink a lot of water. This helps me get a lot of nutritious food throughout the day and makes me get out of my office chair quite a bit as well. Second: Exercise: I exercise 4 or 5 times a week. Usually it's 2 days on, one day off. If it's a weekday, I go at lunch. I bring a gym back with me that has everything I need; clothes, towel, etc. Third: Sleep. Though this kind of goes hand in hand with exercise (if you exercise, you feel more tired at the end of the day and will eventually sleep better). It's very important. 7-8 hours is usually what I get every night. Helps with energy levels, alertness, and so much more. All of this put together ensures that I don't just sit down all day every day from 9 to 5 all white eating/feeling like shit. Happy to report I'm in the best shape I've ever been and I've never felt more sharp in mind and focus.
chronolockster, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 2:27:31 AM You should do "eye exercises" when working at close range for so long. They're supposed to minimize or stop/improve from nearsightedness. Anyways, focus on your finger, and draw circles near the edge of your vision and follow it without moving your head. Then find something far away and focus if you can without straining your eyes, then look at the edges of your vision and back at it, back and forth, a few times. They also say gently massage the edges of your eyes/eye sockets.
exvertus, score: 8, date: 5/08/2015 2:43:23 AM Make sure she is practicing the [20-20-20 rule](http://visianinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/The-20-20-20-Rule.png) Writing some kind of script to pop up a reminder every 20 minutes might be a good programming project for her too.
didacticus, score: 22, date: 5/08/2015 3:18:10 AM If I had to break concentration away from the computer every 20 mins I'd never get any work done.
zymergi, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 3:20:05 AM Yeah... that didn't work for me either. I had it installed and said that I'm in front of a computer most of the time for 10 to 14 hours a day, and it had me break every 5 minutes for 5 minutes effectively locking my computer.
ex_nihilo, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 4:07:49 AM You can still think about the problem you are solving without looking at the code. 90% of the work I do on a programming problem has always been mental. The last 10% is actually writing and debugging the code. Then again, I have always favored languages and technology stacks that enable me to do this.
didacticus, score: 4, date: 5/08/2015 5:44:04 AM Of course it's a mental exercise, but I look at the code, play with it, read references, and go over my notes while I'm thinking. I find looking out the window doesn't help me.
Coldblackice, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:26:47 PM > I find looking out the window doesn't help me. How come? An issue of not being able to force yourself to do it (and/or long enough)? Or because there just doesn't seem to be anything positive coming from it?
didacticus, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 2:27:36 AM Looking out the window, or anywhere else, distracts me and I lose focus.
lobocode, score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 2:46:46 AM Here where I live, has a lot of slope, cliff to climb. I take a walk and do.
Not2original, score: 19, date: 5/08/2015 2:49:12 AM I've made mandatory excersize part of my daily routine. * Bike to work (if feasible) * get away from the desk every 2 hours * Don't eat lunch at the desk, go to the break room or out with co-workers * Eat healthy * Walk a few miles at night Been doing good for me so far been at it for several months.
2to30, score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 4:35:09 AM You seem to be living a pretty stress-free life!
m0havvk, score: 11, date: 5/08/2015 6:50:00 AM Doing things like that for your health is what makes your life stress free.
robi2106, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 2:54:16 AM I don't wear glass in front of the computer if I can at all avoid it. This has helped my eyes focus out to the monitor and has delayed the onset of increased nearsightedness. My dad did this too and virtually stopped his eyes from getting worse for 20 years. I also wear a VivoActive that beeps at me to get up and move every hour. that can kill productivity, but as long as you keep your head on what you were doing, it is a little easier to jump back into things. I usually ignore the get up and move alarm until it hits the 2hrs overdue, then I'll get up and walk around the building for 5 minutes.
atsu333, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 7:03:30 AM Maybe get a different pair of glasses without a prescription, just blue blockers. Makes a world of difference in your long term eye health. Though I haven't heard anything about not wearing glasses when on a computer being a good thing in any way.
robi2106, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 8:41:04 AM how does blue blockers help eye strain in an office with LCDs? I haven't heard of this before.
atsu333, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 9:10:28 AM I wasn't able to find any studies quickly because most that show up are regarding sleep, but that was the biggest talking point at an optometrist convention my mom attended, apparently they're seeing rising levels of glaucoma and other eye injuries that seem to be caused by the strain of being so attached to screens with blue light. LCD screens are worse than CRT ever were so it's really starting to show up now with kids being given smartphones and such as a modern day pacifier. I'll see if I can find some better info later but I'm on mobile with low battery.
MaxCrack, score: 4, date: 5/08/2015 2:54:24 AM I think about getting up and doing something every hour.
MightyBulger, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 3:20:11 AM I have two stations. One that I sit in and one that I stand at. I tend to use the standing one more these days and my health has improved greatly.
bitcasual, score: 17, date: 5/08/2015 3:20:24 AM I exercise 1,5 hours each day at a gym. I take a break and a short walk every 120 min, usually to get coffee or tea. I got a standing desk so I try to alternate between standing and sitting. And I try to look out the window every now and then, focusing on something distant. I helps a bit with the eye fatigue, but I've noticed that my vision is not as good as it was before, so it could also do nothing.
Lumpyguy, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:45:10 AM I work from home so I sadly do not have access to a gym, but I take my dog for 1-2 hour walks during the middle of the day - sometimes with wrist weights. I also have a set of dumbells that I use whenever I get stuck on something. 5 minute break working out my arms usually help me get back to concentrating on the issue. Also, I can't agree more about the looking at something distant. It's hard to describe, but looking only at stuff right in front of you feels.. off. I'm lucky enough to have my desk by my window overlooking a pretty well trafficed walkway, so there's always something to look at.
rjcarr, score: 79, date: 5/08/2015 3:23:32 AM I've been sitting in front a computer daily for almost 20 years and I don't have any eye issues. Back in the CRT days there would be some dryness but I haven't used a CRT monitor in more than 10 years. Maybe she should get her eyes checked as she might need glasses? The other health concerns are relevant for me, though. My hands are always pretty sore from repetitive stress. Not bad enough to really affect my life but enough that there is pain. I've tried different keyboards and mice and trackpads and seating positions and nothing really helps. I wish I had an answer for this one. But everyone does need to stand up regularly, take a walk, do some stretches, etc. There is a lot of talk about working while standing up, or some even go to the extreme of having little treadmills to walk on while working. But you really just have to incorporate exercise into your life. You should try to walk (say, to work) as much as possible. Take the stairs every time there's a chance. Do some cardio that you enjoy like jogging, or biking, or rowing. Maybe pick up an athletic hobby you enjoy and can play once a week (tennis, racquetball, basketball, ultimate, etc). And learn portion control. Even with added exercise you're still going to be sedentary most of the day. Learn to eat as much as you need to not be hungry and not need to feel full after every meal. Drink lots of water (and very little of anything else) and eat lots of fresh fruits and nuts and vegetables. Hope this helps!
thinkforaminute, score: 13, date: 5/08/2015 5:20:01 AM > I've tried different keyboards and mice and trackpads and seating positions and nothing really helps. I wish I had an answer for this one. You ever try vertical mice like Evoluent? I was suffering symptoms related in my right hand so much that I (halfway) learned to use my left for mouse. Eventually, I spent money on an Evoluent and the pain went away. You lose a small amount of precision in exchange for not having to get surgery.
rjcarr, score: 4, date: 5/08/2015 5:32:28 AM Haven't heard of it, I'll check it out. Thing is, I regularly use both mice and trackpads and still have issues and haven't even isolated the problem. Seems keyboards are related two, but I use several different types there as well. It's really frustrating.
Seus2k11, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 4:34:53 AM I would assume you've tried the various trackballs on the market? With those, my wrist at least never moves.
rjcarr, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 4:38:19 AM I have tried trackballs but they are so imprecise for me that I never gave them much time. It's almost to the point where I'm willing to try again, though, so thanks for the advice.
theKaufMan, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 6:34:29 AM I love my evoluent mouse. It's helped so much!
sloth_jones, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:33:51 PM That's a good last name.
theKaufMan, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 2:51:12 AM Thanks =)
sloth_jones, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 3:25:45 AM Fasho, all the best people have it.
koruptpaintbaler, score: 4, date: 5/08/2015 1:31:52 PM Huh...TIL there is a vertical mouse...
thinkforaminute, score: 9, date: 5/08/2015 1:50:41 PM Yeah. The general idea is your hand is designed to be in a handshake formation as opposed to palm down like mice require. Repetitive use of palm down action on things like your mouse and keyboard can stress your muscles and cause carpal tunnel. The first vertical mouse to gain popularity was the [Evoluent](http://www.amazon.com/Evoluent-VerticalMouse-Right-Wireless-VM4RW/dp/B006P2594Y/) but cheap knockoffs have started to appear like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Vertical-Ergonomic-Optical-1600DPI/dp/B00BIFNTMC/) and [this](http://www.amazon.com/SHARKK%C2%AE-5-Button-Wireless-Vertical-Ergonomic/dp/B00HEX9JSK/).
threshaxe, score: 1, date: 8/08/2015 4:09:01 AM I have the evoluent and it has helped immeasurably. This mouse, paired with a wrist supporting mouse pad is a must for me at any new job.
PM_FOR_SOMETHING, score: 5, date: 5/08/2015 7:32:31 AM What keyboard layout do you use? Might be worth looking into Dvorak (and Programmer Dvorak) or Colemak. Less distanced travelled with your fingers = less strain.
rjcarr, score: 4, date: 5/08/2015 7:47:49 AM I use qwerty and way too lazy to try anything else even though it could help. I don't notice much pain while typing except when reaching for backspace. I have a strange issue I need to try and fix because it is definitely getting worse. Thanks for the help!
setsar, score: 8, date: 5/08/2015 8:27:51 AM I've remapped backspace to caps lock. Give that a shot. You will get completely used to it in a week or 2.
PM_FOR_SOMETHING, score: 6, date: 5/08/2015 8:50:24 AM Just did this myself, swapped caps lock and backspace. This is _so_ much better. Thanks for the tip!
DoobieDoctor5000, score: 7, date: 5/08/2015 1:42:08 PM Holy crap I didn't even know this was possible. * I NEVER purposely use Caps Lock. I ALWAYS use backspace. * I ALWAYS accidentally hit Caps Lock and it pisses me off. I NEVER accidentally hit backspace, and if I did, it would probably be immediately noticeable. I think you just changed my life.
setsar, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 1:46:17 AM haha thanks! It's a simple tip. Backspace is an often used key but so far from your fingers. Capslock, on the other hand, is useless in comparison but right on the home rows! Switching it up and keeping it permanent as a backspace is a logical choice.
DoobieDoctor5000, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 1:57:22 AM Made the switch last night. So far no regrets.
WASDMagician, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 8:24:38 AM The most success I have had in improving my general usage is Dvorak and a trackball.
Jonno_FTW, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 9:58:11 AM Exercise after work does not really undo the damage of sitting all day, it's like saying jogging after smoking will fix you up. You should be standing at your desk.
FaceThief, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 12:21:09 PM This is great. One thing that can really help with eyes is for every hour you spend on the computer just get up and stare a distance across the office or outside a window. Lean back at your desk. One of the problems with chairs is they're often too high and force us to lean over a desk putting pressure on our organs, and thus all the hype about sitting being the, "new smoking".
xBrodysseus, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 3:02:18 PM >My hands are always pretty sore from repetitive stress. [...] I wish I had an answer for this one. Physical therapy.
sk07ch, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:03:49 PM Muscles can only pull not stretch by themselves therefor stretching is very important even the fingers! One more thing is to strengthen antrogonists. Since tiping means closing your hands/fingers you need to open them againgst some hindrance like tera-band or in a rice bucket. That will improve your problems. Cheers
fresh_prince_, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:33:38 PM What keyboard do you use? I had problems with sore wrists on my old rubber-dome, until I got a mechanical keyboard (Corsair K70 w/ Cherry MX Browns) for my birthday. It comes with a really nice attachable wrist rest and is very comfortable to use. Can definitely recommend, the build quality is amazing too and it is great for both gaming and typing.
wgoshenu, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 3:27:28 AM Use an IDE or editor with a dark theme. It may sound crazy, but it can Help with eye strain.
nomadProgrammer, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 4:30:20 AM me too I use everything dark theme, reddit RES night mode, everything even pdfs reader that turn pages to black and letters to white.
[deleted], score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 3:27:55 AM [deleted]
Capn_Barboza, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:52:31 AM Your gonna live to be over 100 at this rate
Sybertron, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 3:28:39 AM F.lux must be installed on any computer I'm gonna work on for long periods as I get migranes after a few hours. As other's have mentioned Gunnar glasses help too but have a certain dorky factor that cannot be ignored if you're in an office setting.
Coldblackice, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:30:56 PM > As other's have mentioned Gunnar glasses help too but have a certain dorky factor that cannot be ignored if you're in an office setting. Would installing Gunnar's in a Darth Vader helmet help or hinder the dork-factor, I wonder?
Sybertron, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 11:23:29 PM Yes, of course, who asks such a question?
Frolossus, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 3:37:04 AM get up walk around and stretch to keep the blood flowing and stuff every hour
Patricker, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 3:39:59 AM I ride my bike to work. Yoga for longevity.
TehMoonRulz, score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 3:55:59 AM I use the 20 minute rule to keep my eye health up. Every 20 minutes, stare at something 20 ft away for 20 seconds. You can even set up an alert (easy to do in OSX) to remind you. Additionally try to keep your wrists and fingers limber by [doing some basic movements](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiRC80FJbHU) for a minute or so every hour. Also drink a lot of water. It's super good for you and will make you need to pee a lot which will get you out of your chair every 90-120 minutes.
sneezeallday, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 4:02:33 AM going to try this... i've noticed my eyesight deteriorating
TehMoonRulz, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 4:05:59 AM For OSX I use: */20 * * * * osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\" to display alert \"Rest Eyeballs!!!\"" > /dev/null 2>&1
ex_nihilo, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 4:03:25 AM I spend anywhere from 16-20 hours per day in front of some kind of screen. I'm a lead software engineer and I work from home. One thing that has helped me is I built a desk on a treadmill. I do meetings and such from there fairly often. Another thing I do that my optometrist told me to try is consciously refocusing on a different focal length every so often. Set a timer if you have to, just remember to look away from your screen every once in a while. Better yet, set a 45 minute timer and when it goes off, get up and walk around. Grab some water, pace in circles while you think about the problem you're working on, whatever. Pacing often helps me to figure things out.
nightwood, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 4:05:53 AM Here's what i have been doing: For eyes: have the window from the side and make sure the room is lit. Just how lit is up to you. Make sure you don't have cheap flickery TL lamps. For your back: proper chair. Desk height matters. Change positions. Wiggle. Active position, keep moving, when typing and mousing, also use your elbows and shoulders. Stand up and walk around regularly. Even just for 5 second. Just to keep the blood flowing. For your neck: I always have my monitor high up, straight ahead of my face. When you're stressing over a deadline or something, actively keep checking that your posture is relaxed. Don't ignore any signals from your body. Eat, drink, stretch, piss, whatever.
2Punx2Furious, score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 4:08:04 AM I'm only 24 but I've been doing this since at least 10 years, and I have a reasonably healthy body. I just eat only when I'm hungry, not when "I'm supposed to". For example, I don't usually do breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I usually just eat lunch or dinner and then a quick snack if I feel like it, and I'm set for the whole day. Also I put a scheduled reminder to stand up for 5 minutes every hour (read that in an article) but I often ignore it, even if I know I shouldn't. I do 20 pushups every morning (not really morning, but every time I wake up), and exercise for about 30 mins before taking a shower.
SKR47CH, score: 4, date: 5/08/2015 7:36:20 AM Although a lot of people surely see this as a bad habit, I too have been on this - eat when hungry, sleep when sleepy, routine since a few years.. and it's perfectly okay.
2Punx2Furious, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 12:30:38 PM Indeed. For me it's great because for now I have no job and I don't really go out much, but of course when I do find a job I would probably need a more consistent schedule.
JTorrent, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 4:11:29 AM I feel like eyes have been covered. Elsewhere, make sure to get a good chair with lumbar support and sit upright as much as possible. Appropriate desk height is also important, and switching to a standing desk every once in a while is a good practice if availible. Make sure to take breaks and walk around. Last, ergonomic peripherals like mice and keyboards never hurt.
silents429, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 4:11:33 AM Hey if you want to help out her eyes, Get a program called Flux Assuming she does any late night programming for example, it helps the eye strain a lot. A morning and before bed exercise will help her to as well as taking a break in the middle of the day to walk around a bit.
shwiteguy, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 4:26:46 AM I don't - standing desk! I also exercise daily, and use dark color themes
[deleted], score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 4:28:37 AM I get pretty bad neck ache from sitting at a desk and I've only been doing it for about a year. I have a stand for my work MacBook but it doesn't seem to make much difference. Any advice would be appreciated.
goodnewsjimdotcom, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:04:50 AM Is your monitor at head level where you're not looking up or down? Sometimes neck aches can last 6 months or more. I once slept with one extra pillow under my neck and woke up with a neck ache that lasted 6 months.
[deleted], score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 5:18:47 AM Yes but I've only recently got the stand. That sounds pretty similar to how I felt after doubling up on my pillows, that's when it started too! I think I'll go to my doctor if it doesn't go away soon.
goodnewsjimdotcom, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:37:36 AM If you only got the stand, it isn't like the stand is going to cure you, your neck still needs to go through the time of recovery. Going to a doctor or chiropractor isn't a bad idea. Sometimes getting the vertebrae popped in right helps it recover quicker. But if you have a non-professional do it, you always run the risk of it getting worse.
Anon_badong, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 7:47:03 AM This may sound lame, but I found a lot of relief going to a qualified chiropractor. There is a lot of variation in theory and practice, so you really need to shop around a bit, but once you find a good one, it will change your life if you're willing to do the work. My chiro is all about nerve and skeletal structure, and has helped me tremendously with posture and back problems. I've also read that strengthening the back muscles is the way to relieve back pain, although I know you said your problem is with your neck. If you've ever been in a car accident and not treated it, your neck may be misaligned.
[deleted], score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:07:07 PM Thanks for your advice! I've had a lot of problems with my back and believe it may be a factor, I have to click it every morning which isn't great! Will definitely look into it. Thanks again.
Anon_badong, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 12:48:00 AM No problem. Happy to help.
tomkatt, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 4:40:26 AM Does your SO workout and eat a healthy diet? Lifting weights three times a week has done tremendous good for my health and posture. I still suffer the same old APT and computer guy posture at times, but now I'm aware of it, and fixing it is as simple as focusing on proper posture and rolling out my hanstrings and glutes every now and again between workouts.
Rhomboid, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 4:43:55 AM The default factory settings of monitors are insanely bright. They're trying to look good in the store display. You are not meant to actually use it at that brightness. If staring at a white screen gives you eyestrain, your monitor is probably not adjusted properly. I suggest investing in a monitor calibration system, but if that's too expensive, then try setting the brightness at around 50 to 75 out of 100. I never use dark mode and have no eyestrain whatsoever from staring at a white screen for long hours.
chickenmeister, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 7:07:59 AM I was going to mention this. The default brightness/contrast settings are way too high for normal use. Unless you're working in an extremely bright environment, the brightness and contrast should be turned way down. It is also important to make sure that you're not sitting too near or too far away from the screen. Try adjusting the screen's position on your desk if you can, or try adjusting the font size.
[deleted], score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 4:44:33 AM Yoga everyday, working out on your off time helps so much. Also get a yoga ball and sit on that for a good 3 hours a day when at the office instead of the regular chair.
flaccidicus, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 4:45:18 AM For the eyes she should always sit in a well lit room without direct light to the monitor. The text should be large enough for her not to squint. If she has glasses, have her check out terminal glasses (not sure if this is the right term). Have her try a dark themed editor/desktop environment. Posture is very important as is screen, keyboard and mouse position. These thinks are well explained of the Internet. She should strive for standing up every thirty minutes, a couple of minutes is enough, the idea is to break the monotony. I do neck, shoulder and lower arm mobility stretches every 40 minutes, I have problems with tension in those areas. 30 minute walks every day really help a lot, preferably outdoors. If she can find the time hitting the gym two maybe three times a week is very good. Focus should be on core strength if she doesn't follow a program. If she can afford it, massage therapy is awesome for relieving stiff muscles.
99AFCC, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 4:45:31 AM I use F.lux and don't have any eye fatigue. But I have developed some health issues from sitting at a computer for long periods. It's not just the sitting, it's the diet too. I find I often will either miss a meal, or grab some kind of unhealthy "to go" food, or a bag of snacks to eat while I'm working. My legs were real bad at one point, it was hard to walk. So every afternoon, I get up and walk around the block twice. It's been a tremendous improvement but I really should come up with a better diet. Looking forward to seeing what others have done.
cosmo_polite, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 4:54:14 AM I reduced the brightness on my monitors to the lowest setting which is still comfortable. Also, turning off the blinding fluorescent overhead light helps, or shading the eyes. The idea is to reduce amount of light entering the eyes as much as possible.
Jamjijangjong, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:00:38 AM To make the screen easier on your eyes install f.lux on the computer you are using it will make it easier on them at night
goodnewsjimdotcom, score: 0, date: 5/08/2015 5:02:03 AM Some people have no problem looking at computer screens, but sitting down and more importantly stress will impact your health. As a computer programmer, you absolutely must exercise 1-2 hours a day, or you're done.
d____, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:03:50 AM For the eyes, justgetflux.com. It's an app that will essentially white balance the screen for indoor light. I've been using it for about 5 years now. It'll take her 5 min to get used to it, but after that she won't want to use a computer without it. For the body, I find it ideal to do a mix of things: use a standing desk that's ergonomically set up for you, take occasional breaks sitting down, go on walking breaks...
uhhrace, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:04:45 AM Since I started studying as a student, I've noticed that my eyes will have trouble focusing on the screen after a while. Does anyone else have this problem and know what I could do about it?
bigboijoey, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:05:12 AM Consider getting her a PWM dimming free monitor.
AStrangeStranger, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 5:05:25 AM As others said - get eyes tested as screen use can really causes issues with some small vision imperfections, in my case it was slight astigmatism and I'd leave work with very tired eyes. I needed glasses for using computers a good 15 years before I needed them for anything else. The other issue is not blinking enough - sitting in front of a screen slows your blinking down a lot, so make effort to blink if you are feeling issues with eyes and leave the screen for 10 mins (follow standard advise and take breaks every so often anyway). Also makes sure you have things set-up to be comfortable – no reflections of lights/windows in the screen, seating and desk correctly positioned – worth googling for workplace advice on using computers,
cjrun, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 1:07:07 PM The blinking issue also affects playing smartphone and tablet games.
[deleted], score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:09:23 AM I used to have issues with mouse elbow and they been significantly reduced after engaging in a proper upper body exercise regime, taking time away from the computer (and phone and tablet), and getting a proper ergonomic setup.
DreamHouseJohn, score: 6, date: 5/08/2015 5:13:16 AM My system is working pretty well for me. I workout everyday (am a powerlifter) but from what I've read and what I've experienced, you still feel like crap if you're on the computer half the day anyway. So I have a simple alarm clock program which sounds every hour and I get up, do 15ish slow bodyweight squats, and then I stretch, walk around, and loosen up. Doesn't take more than 5-10 minutes and has made a huge impact on how I feel.
MajorRisk, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 9:41:05 PM What's the program you use called?
DreamHouseJohn, score: 2, date: 6/08/2015 12:14:23 AM [Here you go](http://download.cnet.com/Free-Alarm-Clock/3000-2350_4-75328290.html)
[deleted], score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:34:02 AM Keep screen contrast and brightness to a minimum. Configure color themes to use light text on dark backgrounds.
ttonk, score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 5:44:09 AM I go to the gym every morning before work, and then I usually do some type of active activity after work when its nice out; Basketball, Tennis, Rock Climbing, Hiking. Its fun to get away from the computers for a little bit when you have been on them all day.
OceanOfSpiceAndSmoke, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:00:00 AM In collage I had a tendency to rest my head on my arm/hand, and slept on my stomach. My neck has never fully recovered, but what really helped was getting the monitor up high. I'm not one for any specific posture, however, keeping my head up and not hunched over a laptop is important. If you have to work on a laptop monitor I'd suggest getting a stand: http://i.imgur.com/o7ECdxt.jpg If you work at a company you can request equipment like that. Just make sure to use the word ergonomic, working condition and health, and you're sure to get the equipment you need. Usually its just a couple of hours of work in expenses. Regularly do stretches also helps. I continuously do extreme movements. Not in the fast sense, but turning my head as far as it can, move arms around as far as they go etc. Probably looks wierd, but better than ruining my neck/shoulders more. Finally ctrl-scroll is awesome. Any browser should support zooming in and out. Most IDEs or text editors supports it or can be configured to support it. This means you don't have to have your monitor up in your face all the time. Just avoid hunching over your computer.
TheAdventMaster, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:09:45 AM > The pain on her eyes from doing more work in front of a screen are really hindering her learning progress. Does she eat enough throughout the day? She needs to eat regularly. Focusing on a computer screen and code is a very mentally intensive process. My eyes hurt like crazy if I skip a meal.
AlphaMikeZulu, score: 3, date: 5/08/2015 6:23:47 AM You said developer, so this probably doesnt apply, but: Although I dont have this problem, I find it useful, especially when working on algorithms to print out whatever piece of code im staring at, stick it to a whiteboard and do my calculations and psuedo on the whiteboard. Basically put that printer and easel to a good use. Easy to edit, easy to draw stuff, less staring at a screen.
Midnightpyl, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:24:43 AM You have to work out to stay healthy. Astronauts on the Space Station have to work out 2 and a 1/2 hours on the space station DAILY, or very bad bone decalcification happens due to micro gravity.
ExtraMediumSize, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:47:34 AM *decalcification? (Or does information about their bones become open to the public?)
Midnightpyl, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:57:31 AM You're right, sorry about that. My phone didn't know the word and changed it without me noticing.
wolf762, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:43:08 AM Invest in a good quality monitor. I use one benq low blue light monitors and have noticed my eyes bother me less after long gaming sessions. I'm a heavy gamer and easily pull 12 hour sessions in front of my system. I would pass on the gunnars frankly. Have seen them at various LAN parties over the years and any of the cheap blue blocker sun glasses do the same thing. I will add that if have any of the Oakley interchangable lens glasses check out the tint called Persimmon, it's great at cutting glare in almost all lighting conditions.
holygonad, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:45:39 AM What I do is set a timer on my watch that varies from 45-90 minutes and when it goes off I get up and do a work out routine, push-ups, sit-ups wall sits and the like it helps me stay focused and the blood running.
Capn_Barboza, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:48:49 AM Also the proper posture when strong at your desk is not straight up but rather leaning back 15 degrees. This helps with stress on your eyes and back... It may make you appear lazy but that should be quelled by the work she does.
ACircledSquare, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 6:57:43 AM I do power lifting / body building and High Intensity Training. The weights keep my legs and my back strong and pain free and the HIT keeps my flexibility and burns fat.
sexbucket, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 7:08:33 AM Is there a particular problem with working from a recliner? (that isn't logistical)
1s44c, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 7:37:16 AM Walk before work. Walk at lunchtime. Walk after work. Get up for a short walk at least every hour. Take the stairs every time you get the chance. Don't eat too much junk food. People say don't use a monitor in a dark room but as far as I can tell there is no truth in that. Make sure you have the right glasses if you need them and don't use any monitor that isn't sharply focused. Modern monitors are great as long as they are at their native resolution. And get a good chair. I've never tried a standing desk so I can't tell you if they are worth it.
cmgg, score: 0, date: 5/08/2015 7:42:41 AM I lift, lift if healthy, healthy compensates not healthy, mind is peace
Anon_badong, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 7:42:55 AM I used to get headaches and a lot of face muscle tightness after looking at a screen for several hours. I went to an eye doctor and found out I have a slight astigmatism, which was causing eye strain. It was a complete surprise to me because I had always had 20/20 vision or better. I got a prescription set of glasses and the headaches went away. I'll echo what other people have said here. I try to stand and work when I can. I also try to exercise at some point during the day. My eye doctor recommended staring off into the far distance for a minute once an hour to rest my eyes. It's really difficult to keep the weight off, but keeping healthy is the same at a desk job as with any other job. Calories in VS calories out is the key. Exercise will keep you feeling good despite the long hours, and proper ergonomic furniture is a must.
johannesg, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 7:55:08 AM Here are some of the things I often do to keep myself in check. - Remember to take frequent breaks from the computer, go outside and sit there for 5-10 minutes. Have a countdown timer on the computer to remind you of this. - Always have a glass of water nearby. - Eat healthy and always at the same times. Don't eat in front of the computer. - Use software that adjusts the color hue of the screen relative to sunlight. I use the app Redshift, but F.lux is a common alternative. - Use a standing desk, but at the same time alternate a lot. I have a laptop and often sit in the kitchen. - Good posture! - Trackball mice, they are a godsend - A good keyboard
SUP_CHUMP, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 8:06:45 AM I'd say the only real concern is blood pooling in your legs. Get up every once and a while should keep that from happening.
yuga_d, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 8:11:54 AM Try using flux to dim the monitor brightness. Worked wonders for me and I almost never get headaches from that anymore
maxhatcher, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 8:16:38 AM Don't sit. [Stand](http://iamnotaprogrammer.com/Ikea-Standing-desk-for-22-dollars.html). The reason I say this is I find I am farther away from the monitors standing up vs. sitting down. I have a bigger field of view so I'm not just looking at the screen. This has helped my eye fatigue, but I mainly did this because I was getting such bad back pain.
comqter, score: 2, date: 5/08/2015 8:24:56 AM At work I have a strict no food at the desk rule, it's too easy to snack... Also no sugary beverages, coffee works just fine thanks. I don't have eye strain issues, but I do use some amber goggles at night when I want to use the computer before bed, or if I wake up in the middle of the night I'll put 'em on before turning on a light. My biggest issue has been back pain from bad chairs/poor posture/general sitting around all the time. I just need to exercise my back, at least twice a week, and I'm good. I do squats and back extension exercises amongst my other exercise routines and they definitely nip any back pain in the bud. Edit to add: [doing back exercises is like this gif](http://i.imgur.com/f1LTzBZ.gifv). Highly reccommended.
pharpend, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 8:48:27 AM There are a number of subtle things that you can do to really improve this. 1. First of all, for eye strain, [Redshift](http://jonls.dk/redshift/) (Linux/BSD) or [f.lux](https://justgetflux.com/) (portable, but proprietary) are absolute musts. They will pretty much eliminate eye strain. 2. For overall health, a good diet and exercise are needed. A standing desk or a high-quality chair will help quite a bit. I have a standing desk, and I really like it. 3. Most programmers (including myself) consume a constant supply of caffeine, which feels nice, but probably isn't great for one's health. I have chronic insomnia, and my caffeine consumption makes it worse. Make sure she gets plenty of sleep. **tl;dr**: The usual things for any job: sleep, diet, exercise, and a standing desk/nice chair.
YouFeedTheFish, score: 0, date: 5/08/2015 9:07:45 AM Work out 3 days a week. Probably not enough to compensate sitting in a chair for 12 hours though.. I think there was a study that showed that there is no compensating for sitting too long. [Ah, here it is.](http://time.com/3672428/exercise-sitting/)
aevista, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 9:24:12 AM I would get headaches all the time. Switching from my old hammy down lcd monitor to a new monitor has helped out profoundly. I'm currently using BenQ, which has a line of products aimed for eyecare which consists of flicker free and low blue lighting settings. Not sure how gimmicky their "eyecare" technology is, but it works for me.
OldWolf2, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 10:29:26 AM 1. Expensive chair. Worth the investment 2. Correct posture, especially correct eye level. I actually have my wrists too low, but with a normal desk it's nearly impossible to get this right. 3. Walk around for a few minutes at least once an hour. 4. Go outside occasionally
cloudev, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 10:42:34 AM Florescent lighting can be a killer in an office space. This gets compounded when the light reflects off of your monitor into your eyes. I always make sure to have some sort of anti reflective glass near by, if I don't have it I end up with a major head ache. Typically the kind that borders migrane status if I don't catch it in time. TL:DR If the office has Florescent lighting, make sure to get anti reflective lenses of some sort.
mc8675309, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 11:37:20 AM 1) Got top end monitors with high resolution. Turns out it's worth it if you spend 8 hours or more a day just staring at it. The strain on my eyes using a retina display laptop is less than using a larger poorer quality screen on a monitor. 2) Make sure to get the right prescription for glasses or contacts. If it's glasses get the coating and quality lenses. I like Oakley digital glass. It's much better than the standard PC lenses. 3) Stand up and walk around every hour to two. I refill my water every hour or so whether I need it or not. 4) Exercise away from the computer. I like to cycle and grapple (jiu jitsu). This will keep the rest of your body healthy and strong to support you. 5) Get a great chair. A high quality chair with the right back support can save a back. Alternatively a standing desk. 6) Make sure the monitor and keyboard are in good positions. Getting your wrists and neck all cricked up will be painful. That's how I do it at least. YMMV, IANAL and IANAD.
dust4ngel, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 11:44:26 AM standing desks. proper ergonomics (chair and monitor height). good, clear monitors. regular breaks to walk and stretch. think more/type less. generally take care of yourself :)
davidpcdr, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 11:47:25 AM I do exercises. For every compile error I do 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups. I mean, well, when I'm not coding at a coffee shop or whatever--I'm in the comfort of my own abode, I don't give a fuck. And when I DON'T get any errors, and everything runs perfectly fine, I get excited and go out for a sprint or a 4 mile jog. Make programming YOUR life, not the other way around.
ConvertsToMetric, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 11:47:51 AM [^(**Mouseover** to view the metric conversion for this comment)](#4 miles = 6.4 km "4 miles = 6.4 km Post feedback in /r/ToMetric")
shoretel230, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 12:26:58 PM Tell her to either request a standing desk or just buy something on amazon that makes your desk a standing desk. My office recently converted all our desks to this way, and I seriously feel better this way than any other way. Also to echo others itt, f.lux is a great free program. Working out is also a good way too feel better. We also have these drills at our office where 5 of us do push ups until we can't do anymore. Helps the blood flow and creative programming process
Alithinos, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 12:55:53 PM Regarding the eyes, one thing is to calibrate the monitor. Use the Windows built in tool for that. Most monitors are uncalibrated, and not only they don't show colors as they are supposed to be, but usually, they are also more bright and emmit more light. More light that gets in the eyes and fatigues them. Second, there are special protective glasses for computer monitor radiation. These are not glasses that make people see if they can't see, but glasses that filter an amount of the radiation emmited from monitors, so a less amount reaches the eyes. If someone already wears glasses for myopia or something, he or she can ask the shop who made them to add the computer screen protection layer on them, so the person doesn't have to wear two sets of glasses one over the other. Now an idea is to take breaks. Since working on the computer have you sitting a lot of hours in front of it, it would be a good idea to go outside for a walk everyday, for about an hour or maybe 2 hours. Tell her to add a daily walk in her daily schedule. I personally walk 3-4 kilometers every day.
BuzzyBeetle, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 1:04:57 PM I drink a lot of water. A lot a lot. I take a [big 'ol bottle of water](http://store.nalgene.com/32-Ounce-Wide-Mouth-Water-Bottle-s/3.htm) with me to work and carry it around with me at home. Aside from my morning coffee (and maybe a beer after work) it's all I drink from. Hungry and it's not mealtime? Drink. Thirsty? Drink. Thoughtful? Drink. This have a few benefits: * I'm well hydrated * I'm forced to take a break, get up, walk around... to the washroom, but still * I don't have too much coffee / sugary drinks / other unhealthy drinks.
Maethor_derien, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 1:07:57 PM First, the eye pain is likely another issue and she should really go see a doctor about this. Likely she is having to get too close to the screen or turn up the brightness/contrast too much because she needs glasses. Make sure the screen is also properly adjusted as well, she could also try a program called flux, if that helps you might be able to get away with just some gunnar's or other blue light filter glasses. As far as the other aspects go there are some really good things you can do from a comfort perspective. First while a mechanical keyboard will improve it a lot the best thing you could get is actually a really good wrist rest. If you have problems with the mouse hand some people have had great success with a trackball or a vertical mouse. The other is as a general rule I tend to stand up about once an hour and walk around a bit, get a coffee or something. I find just a little timer works well for this. If I am in the zone rather than get up and walk I will get up do a few squats/mini exercises. I actually find that it gets the blood flowing well and actually helps when walking away might break my flow.
CodeShaman, score: 0, date: 5/08/2015 1:59:51 PM Gym membership. Low fat, low carb, low sodium, high protein, high fiber foods. Plenty of vitamins and supplements. Hardest part is occasional back pain (use a TENS machine, avoid OTC medications.) Keep monitors at-or-above eye level. Stand up and stretch often. Drink a lot of water, both because it's good for you and because it promotes bathroom trips. As for the eyes, I've been staring at cathode tubes and LED matrices for 25 years. The consensus is 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes spend 20 seconds looking at something at least 20 feet away.) I know the migraines suck from periods of my life where I didn't express contact with technology but you'll get used to it. Chances are that if she's getting headaches it's **more from the angle of her neck and her posture** than it is from eye strain. Posture is huge. I work 2 feet away from 4x 29 inch monitors for ~40 hours a week. I'll probably be blind in 20 years. Best not to take my advice.
dragonjujo, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 2:02:09 PM One more thing that gets overlooked by f.lux, you should turn the brightness setting on the monitor way down. For a decent quality monitor, you should have it set under 25%. The only reason to have it higher than that is if it's under direct sunlight. Something in the 15-20 range would be best. It might take some adjustment time, but I find it far less distracting than the red tones from f.lux.
flop_plop, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 2:24:16 PM I don't have one, but I hear great things about a geekdesk (http://www.geekdesk.com/mobile-home). I do a lot of video editing, and a lot of editors swear by these things. It's motorized and can go from sitting to standing by flipping a switch. Apparently, it's smooth enough to not knock over any drinks you have on the desk or anything. (Again, I don't have one, but this is what I've heard ). I also hear that getting a mat for comfort and support when standing is helpful as well. EDIT: Typos and hyperlink
paperskulk, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 3:33:10 PM I don't have eye issues but I have REALLY BAD neck and back issues. Your spine and your back muscles are important for so much more than you'd expect - I got a toothache because of knots and tension in my coat-hanger muscles (changes the way you move and rest, which starts causing jaw issues such as feeling toothache-like pain when you open and close your mouth). I also have no feeling to the right of my spine, over the skin of my trapezius. I'm 21 and exercise every day... Get a chair with armrests and lumbar support, make sure good posture is comfy so you stay in it (might take some getting used to but still), adjustable height to keep your forearms parallel, raise your computer monitor to discourage looking down and forward head posture, get a separate keyboard and mouse to use at home if you have a laptop, get up and stretch every 30-60 min (or at least go pee or something that changes bloodflow), etc. This is overkill for a lot of people but they're all things I need for any length of time now or I'm in a lot of pain. I think what did it was using my laptop in my lap, curled up on the couch so much - very severe downward-looking posture. This stuff is really important if you're doing computer work, since most us spend leisure time on the computer too... It was a big negative for me when I transitioned from painting and ink illustration to digital stuff. If her eyes are the worst part, make sure she has a bigger monitor and isn't reading itty bitty text if it's sized for laptop-distance but pushed back to monitor distance on a stand etc. There are also glasses with coatings that reduce eyestrain (gunnars? I think? is one brand) that work really well for my boyfriend, but I don't get eyes train so idk what brings me the most relief is taking breaks and moving often, and focusing my eyes on something far away and something close for some time. also, if your gf doesn't wear glasses, now is the time to get her eyes checked again - eyesight changes throughout your life and many people with mild myopia can ignore it or focus over it until they start doing intensive things like reading music or code all day.
jackassinjapan, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 4:57:40 PM Exercise is what you should be doing even if you weren't in front of a computer. The benefits of exercise will permeate into all areas of your physical and mental well-being. Find something you enjoy and do it. Like lifting weights? Do that. Like sports? Do that. Don't have access to a gym? Body weight exercise and sprints. No excuses. Everyone should be taking take of themselves. You'll be more focused, productive, and happy.
philhudson91, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:05:05 PM Get a standing desk
richardthecomputer, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 5:24:43 PM My parents are ophthalmologists (eye doctors) and there can be problems if you don't blink often enough. Dryness being the least of your worries. Pterygiums can develop, (I'm not entirely sure what they are), but not being on it for 10 hours everyday would help. :)
derpderp3200, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 8:11:34 PM I can't claim to know if this is a catch-all solution, but I've never experienced eye pain with a good, properly configured monitor.
pppjurac, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 9:25:23 PM - if you have prescription, get the best glasses / contact lens you can afford - also get good quality (ergonomic, sturdy and quality built) chair - best monitor you can afford (or company can provide you with, and if they do not want to give you good one, bite the sour apple and buy better one) - good keyboard, mouse - check how you sit behind desk, knee postion, arm & hands postion, height of chair - regulary exercise and choose a sport or hobby that requires physical action and work: 30minutes a day can make a difference - eat and drink healthy: coca cola is good substitution for herbicide not for drink... - do regular checks at your choosen doctor: blood pressure, sugar, proteins and fats in blood, holesterol and diet accordingly - take a break for few minutes every few hours
abram730, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 9:38:39 PM Take short 30 second breaks and look at things at different distances. Issues can come from focusing at the same distance for too long.
SupaSaiyan9000, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 10:28:59 PM Drink Water :) it helps to reduce the strain on the eyes :)
mtnchkn, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 10:53:30 PM Things like [Workrave](http://www.workrave.org/) help me out a ton.
iAscian, score: 1, date: 5/08/2015 11:57:52 PM Keep your back straight; either lean(slope) back or vertical, no slouching.
Exodus111, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 12:19:47 AM /r/bodyweightfitness Exercise is important, specially when sitting a lot as it promotes weak muscles and bad form. APT is something most people I know is suffering from today.
JohnyTex, score: 1, date: 6/08/2015 12:25:29 AM One weird trick to avoiding RSI - sit on an inflatable exercise / Pilates ball while working. I've had all kinds of RSI injuries in my days - wrist pain, back pain, elbow pain, you name it. I just thought this was a fact of life and tried to counteract it with exercise, ergonomic equipment, taking frequent breaks and so on. This helped, but it felt like I was just constantly fighting off symptoms instead of solving the problem. One day I heard that Google employees could choose to get an exercise ball instead of a regular office chair. Thinking this was just crazy enough to work I got one and - just like that - all my RSI problems went away. I can now sit in front of the computer for a seemingly unlimited amount of time without any pain whatsoever. (I guess it's still debatable if sitting for unlimited time in front of a computer is a good thing) I don't know if this will work for everyone, but for me it was a life-saver. Anyhow, exercise balls are like a tenth of the price of an ergonomic chair, so it won't hurt to try. The one caveat is that you need an adjustable desk as well, but that's true no matter how you sit.
<edit> Thanks for the advice! Top options I see are: get f.lux, better chair, exercise of some sort, healthy diet, and proper eye gear. I will show her this thread and thank her for the delicious karma it has brought me. </edit> My SO is working on being a developer, but one of the biggest obstacles is the time commitment to working long hours in front of a screen. Since she started, she feels that her eyes and her health have deteriorated. The pain on her eyes from doing more work in front of a screen are really hindering her learning progress. So devs, how do you handle your jobs, or learning?
Just how you handle any desk job: a good seating position, frequent breaks and sports. Development isn't any different really; if anything it's less 'unhealthy' than data entry.
As far as her eyes go I would look into a pair of glasses from [Gunnar](http://www.gunnars.com/) they help me tremendously. As far as her health I would strongly recommend a morning workout routine to help maintain good health and posture by maintaining her muscles. A good ergonomic setup, such as a chair from Hermann Miller or a similar reputable company can also go a long way.
If she gets some prescription reading glasses or something, make sure they are either designed for computer screens and/or polarized. I had to take mine back because I could see a glare/reflection of the monitor in them.
That is exactly why I recommended Gunnar. =)
Also to avoid the ludicrous prices in-store, take your prescription to an online store. It's like 45-70 bucks for a pair of glasses with the works whereas, at least where I went, it was like 125 bucks for the coating on top of the prices of the frames.
Agreed with the morning workout routine. I suffered from lethargy, constant leg cramps, and inability to focus for more than a couple hours, until I started doing some light exercise in the morning (stretching and light aerobics for 10 mins followed by running or bike riding for another 10-15 mins)
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I have a pair and I'd definitely recommend them. They filter out blue light which is said to be a major contributor to eye strain. http://www.gunnars.com/how-they-work/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-energy_visible_light
I have a pair and can't work all day without them. Well I could but if I do the eye strain takes a toll it feels like I can't see right for a little while after work. I wear contacts so I just got the standard no prescription pair. They block some blue light and have a slight magnification which helps see things on the screen.
Yeah, so anything with a yellow lens will help, as will [f.lux](https://justgetflux.com/), since the primary issues is the excess of blue light that can strain your eyes. I don't know of anything that gunnar optics do that a half decent pair off $10-$20 yellow tinted shooting glasses won't do.
> A good ergonomic setup, such as a chair from Hermann Miller or a similar reputable company can also go a long way. I work from home every day so I am basically sitting in front of a computer minimum 8 hours a day. I splurged on my Hermann Miller mesh fabric office chair 6 years ago for $750 and I can honestly say it is one of the best investments I have ever made. Whatever chair you get make sure to get mesh and not leather otherwise when you aren't wearing pants you sweat and it gets gross, whereas mesh allows your skin to breathe.
Walk and regular stretching and walking (ha-ha) a new study suggest that even 30 minute of daily sport does not help. And that we will see terrible results in the next 20-30 years. Edit: before down voting a bit google foo could help. For example: http://www.nbcnews.com/health/cancer/heres-just-how-bad-sitting-around-you-n132471 And a lot more if you search. Or maybe the down votes, because we don't like to hear that?
I also wonder why the downvoting. I've been hearing about this and looking for solutions for a couple of years now, and it looks like for the vast majority of us there is just nothing to do. People who work on their own or have a say at their workplace policy may use standing desks, however it is not clear whether standing up still in front of a monitor all day is much better than sitting all day.
that is probably why a lot of those giant balance balls are being used. you are constantly adjusting your balance to stay seated on the ball.
I use an adjustable desk. There are also plenty of studies saying that standing is bad too - cashiers and waitresses can elaborate on that for you. I like to mix it up; sit for a while, then change the desk position and stand for a while (I listen to music while coding, so this sometimes turns into light dancing), then back to sitting for another couple hours and repeat. Before getting this desk and some tall monitor stands I was starting to get some gnarly back issues. This setup works for me, though. Too much of any position is probably the real problem.
Not saying that this study is bad or anything, but do you know how easy it is to skew a study to say whatever you want. The problem is that when people run the statistics and find what they don't want to find, all they have to do is remove the data that is causing the undesired result, or add new data, then bam all of a sudden peeing on your foot in the shower causes your next door neighbor's cat to die of malaria.
I know it is "easy" but there also several German studies from german health care institutes making the same point. Not same conclusion for sure, some say it is worse, some say it is not that bad if you do sport. But the general idea stays: We are fucked :)
Lol. Agreed. I upvoted you btw i was just making a point about "studies".
I use a treadmill desk I built (work from home) and I have 40 lb dumbells behind me that I use frequently for free weight exercises. Basically any time I am in a meeting or waiting for something to finish building/migrating/executing, I am working out. I am in a lot of meetings because I am a lead dev, I do very little actual development work any more. In the evenings when I am gaming or working on personal projects, I develop some kind of game to make myself work out. I will do 20 pushups if I lose a match of League of Legends, and only 10 if I win. That kind of thing.
This might work, but the general "problem" of sitting far worse than expected because of the blood flow in your legs while you sit. Your legs need to move to push blood through your body and legs. Which you usually don´t do while you sit. The bad effect on the bad of "not moving" your legs is far worse than we expected. And might want to admit (as seen on my down votes at beginning ) Our body is not made to sit still. It just isn´t...
Well when I do sit at my desk, I have an ottoman underneath and I keep my legs above the level of my waist.
You're getting downvoted because your comment makes no sense. First you say: >Walk and regular stretching and walking I'm assuming you're implying that walking and regular stretching will help balance the damage of sitting down for most of the day. But then you say: >a new study suggest that even 30 minute of daily sport does not help So now you are saying that 30 minutes of a sport (i.e. walking and stretching) in fact does NOT help. And then you make an edit and pull a source out of your ass, even though the concluding sentence of your source completely refutes your point: >Either way, health experts agree there’s no downside to sitting less and exercising more. And for some reason this is the second highest voted comment.
**tl;dr:** light exercise does not offset the increased risk of colon and endometrial cancer due to "sedentary pursuits". That's way more specific than you generic "doesn't help".
I use [F.lux](https://justgetflux.com/). I'd buy Gunnars but I use glasses so they aren't an option. F.lux is also free. Also setting your constrast to low and putting up proper lighting helps. Also making sure all your IDEs have dark themes. There are add ons for browswers that turn background colors to dark etc.
You can get prescription lenses with Gunnars, that's what I did.
Very expensive and I have trouble switching between glasses. Everything looks further or closer than they really are for hours and it causes me headaches and nausea. Would have to wear them constantly.
Fair enough, but if you're worried about how you would look while wearing them you could try the crystalline series. It's helped me out a lot and I wear them daily.
Oh there's clear ones. That's interesting.
They're geared towards designers and people who need to see true color (hence the no yellow) but I like them just as well. I still use f.lux on my computers too.
So what do they do then if not make everything warmer?
I don't remember exactly, but they do help. I know it sounds weird, but my eyes don't hurt anymore.
I remember reading a fairly comprehensive argument against this type of thing. Is there any evidence that it helps vs dimming your screen?
Well I haven't read any comprehensive arguments one way or another. I use it because it doesn't strain my eyes. Do you really need evidence? Try it out yourself. I feel like Flux screen is easier to read than a dimmed screen while also being easy to eyes.
The lowest dim setting is still too bright at night in my laptop. And flux not only just dims, it adjusts the color to make to easy on the eye.
Turn Flux on for a week at about 3/4 at night on the bar, then at 1 am one night, turn Flux off and you'll notice the eye strain.
Don't go Gunnar, they're meh. If you wear glasses, get blue blocker coating on them. It costs extra, but I started wearing glasses before I needed to because it makes such a huge difference. I work IT then come home and sit on my computer and it's just... Amazing. No more eye strain.
I have a blue light filter in my glasses since I got them a few months ago. I used to have a headache almost every day and now I barely have headaches. If you have problems with your eyes I definitely recommend them.
I can't do dark themes unless I'm in a mildly lit room. Glare and reflections are so much more noticeable.
You should invest in a monitor that isn't glossy.
Mild lighting helps with eyestrain anyways :)
I usually work on a MacBook but before starting a major project I did the following: I bought a nice big monitor that has a blue ray filter setting. ViewSonic VA2855SMH 28-Inch SuperClear Full HD LED Monitor (1920x1080, HDMI). Hooked to Mac mini. Then I bought a nice positioning arm to be able to control the height, angle, etc for the monitor. FLEXIMOUNTS M3H Heavy duty LCD Stand Full Motion Desk Mount. I find that I can work longer without eye or neck strain. It made a big difference for me. I love my new setup.
Can you take a picture of your set up? I'm thinking of doing something similar where I hook up my laptop to an external monitor.
If she feels her eyes and health have deteriorated she should get her eyes tested and start working out. Get the eye tests regularly too to make sure there's no rapid deterioration. I use dark themes on all my IDEs which does help, also being able to look out of a window and focus on a far away object helps your eyes relax and stay healthy (or so i'm told!). When possible I walk at lunch for a couple of miles, that nicely breaks up the day, and I try avoid eating junk at the office though I'm not always successful.
The dark background thing is a really good suggestion. I use dark backgrounds for my IDEs, my IRC client, basically any piece of software that lets me do it somehow. I use the Reddit Enhancement Suite and always leave night mode enabled so that Reddit shows up as shades of dark grey.
Ditto. It amazes me how bright the defaults are on so many, many things.
Even with daily exercise, sitting down for long periods can be bad for your health; she should also consider a standing desk or walking away from the computer at regular intervals.
What is considered a long interval?
The Apple Watch seems to suggest that an hour of uninterrupted sitting is already too much.
That is quite a short period of time... But I'm sure if you're smart you can get away with a trip away from your desk every hour without reprimand
you all are seriously not allowed to leave your desk whenever you want? I don't ever want to work for a place like that
Actually that is what is generally considered health to prevent things like blood clots in the legs and other issues from sitting to long. You actually don't really have to do much, a minute or two is all you need. You could actually just stand up and do a few squats or stretches. That is actually what I do when I am in the zone and do not want to leave the desk, I stand up do a few squats and stretch a bit.
There's no exact cut-off that I'm aware of. It's just that research shows that people sitting for longer periods at a time, or more hours per day, have an increased risk of a variety of ailments.
The standing desk is a good idea however I'll say after having used one a bit and knowing people with them they do take some getting used to. The motorised ones are the best so you don't have to stand 100% of the time and get the best of both worlds.
Many people at the software company I work at do some combination of: - Work out before or after the workday - Play soccer/hockey at lunch - Have a standing desk I find that it certainly makes a big difference for *my* health edit: a word
Hmm, where do I start... This is a very important topic I think, for us engineers. Alright, well I've been into exercise for quite a few years now. But only over the past 3 months have I taken it to some seriously new levels in regard to diet and exercise. First: Diet. I snack a lot throughout the day. On healthy stuff like yogurt, fruit, carrots, etc. And I drink a lot of water. This helps me get a lot of nutritious food throughout the day and makes me get out of my office chair quite a bit as well. Second: Exercise: I exercise 4 or 5 times a week. Usually it's 2 days on, one day off. If it's a weekday, I go at lunch. I bring a gym back with me that has everything I need; clothes, towel, etc. Third: Sleep. Though this kind of goes hand in hand with exercise (if you exercise, you feel more tired at the end of the day and will eventually sleep better). It's very important. 7-8 hours is usually what I get every night. Helps with energy levels, alertness, and so much more. All of this put together ensures that I don't just sit down all day every day from 9 to 5 all white eating/feeling like shit. Happy to report I'm in the best shape I've ever been and I've never felt more sharp in mind and focus.
You should do "eye exercises" when working at close range for so long. They're supposed to minimize or stop/improve from nearsightedness. Anyways, focus on your finger, and draw circles near the edge of your vision and follow it without moving your head. Then find something far away and focus if you can without straining your eyes, then look at the edges of your vision and back at it, back and forth, a few times. They also say gently massage the edges of your eyes/eye sockets.
Make sure she is practicing the [20-20-20 rule](http://visianinfo.com/wp-content/uploads/The-20-20-20-Rule.png) Writing some kind of script to pop up a reminder every 20 minutes might be a good programming project for her too.
If I had to break concentration away from the computer every 20 mins I'd never get any work done.
Yeah... that didn't work for me either. I had it installed and said that I'm in front of a computer most of the time for 10 to 14 hours a day, and it had me break every 5 minutes for 5 minutes effectively locking my computer.
You can still think about the problem you are solving without looking at the code. 90% of the work I do on a programming problem has always been mental. The last 10% is actually writing and debugging the code. Then again, I have always favored languages and technology stacks that enable me to do this.
Of course it's a mental exercise, but I look at the code, play with it, read references, and go over my notes while I'm thinking. I find looking out the window doesn't help me.
> I find looking out the window doesn't help me. How come? An issue of not being able to force yourself to do it (and/or long enough)? Or because there just doesn't seem to be anything positive coming from it?
Looking out the window, or anywhere else, distracts me and I lose focus.
Here where I live, has a lot of slope, cliff to climb. I take a walk and do.
I've made mandatory excersize part of my daily routine. * Bike to work (if feasible) * get away from the desk every 2 hours * Don't eat lunch at the desk, go to the break room or out with co-workers * Eat healthy * Walk a few miles at night Been doing good for me so far been at it for several months.
You seem to be living a pretty stress-free life!
Doing things like that for your health is what makes your life stress free.
I don't wear glass in front of the computer if I can at all avoid it. This has helped my eyes focus out to the monitor and has delayed the onset of increased nearsightedness. My dad did this too and virtually stopped his eyes from getting worse for 20 years. I also wear a VivoActive that beeps at me to get up and move every hour. that can kill productivity, but as long as you keep your head on what you were doing, it is a little easier to jump back into things. I usually ignore the get up and move alarm until it hits the 2hrs overdue, then I'll get up and walk around the building for 5 minutes.
Maybe get a different pair of glasses without a prescription, just blue blockers. Makes a world of difference in your long term eye health. Though I haven't heard anything about not wearing glasses when on a computer being a good thing in any way.
how does blue blockers help eye strain in an office with LCDs? I haven't heard of this before.
I wasn't able to find any studies quickly because most that show up are regarding sleep, but that was the biggest talking point at an optometrist convention my mom attended, apparently they're seeing rising levels of glaucoma and other eye injuries that seem to be caused by the strain of being so attached to screens with blue light. LCD screens are worse than CRT ever were so it's really starting to show up now with kids being given smartphones and such as a modern day pacifier. I'll see if I can find some better info later but I'm on mobile with low battery.
I think about getting up and doing something every hour.
I have two stations. One that I sit in and one that I stand at. I tend to use the standing one more these days and my health has improved greatly.
I exercise 1,5 hours each day at a gym. I take a break and a short walk every 120 min, usually to get coffee or tea. I got a standing desk so I try to alternate between standing and sitting. And I try to look out the window every now and then, focusing on something distant. I helps a bit with the eye fatigue, but I've noticed that my vision is not as good as it was before, so it could also do nothing.
I work from home so I sadly do not have access to a gym, but I take my dog for 1-2 hour walks during the middle of the day - sometimes with wrist weights. I also have a set of dumbells that I use whenever I get stuck on something. 5 minute break working out my arms usually help me get back to concentrating on the issue. Also, I can't agree more about the looking at something distant. It's hard to describe, but looking only at stuff right in front of you feels.. off. I'm lucky enough to have my desk by my window overlooking a pretty well trafficed walkway, so there's always something to look at.
I've been sitting in front a computer daily for almost 20 years and I don't have any eye issues. Back in the CRT days there would be some dryness but I haven't used a CRT monitor in more than 10 years. Maybe she should get her eyes checked as she might need glasses? The other health concerns are relevant for me, though. My hands are always pretty sore from repetitive stress. Not bad enough to really affect my life but enough that there is pain. I've tried different keyboards and mice and trackpads and seating positions and nothing really helps. I wish I had an answer for this one. But everyone does need to stand up regularly, take a walk, do some stretches, etc. There is a lot of talk about working while standing up, or some even go to the extreme of having little treadmills to walk on while working. But you really just have to incorporate exercise into your life. You should try to walk (say, to work) as much as possible. Take the stairs every time there's a chance. Do some cardio that you enjoy like jogging, or biking, or rowing. Maybe pick up an athletic hobby you enjoy and can play once a week (tennis, racquetball, basketball, ultimate, etc). And learn portion control. Even with added exercise you're still going to be sedentary most of the day. Learn to eat as much as you need to not be hungry and not need to feel full after every meal. Drink lots of water (and very little of anything else) and eat lots of fresh fruits and nuts and vegetables. Hope this helps!
> I've tried different keyboards and mice and trackpads and seating positions and nothing really helps. I wish I had an answer for this one. You ever try vertical mice like Evoluent? I was suffering symptoms related in my right hand so much that I (halfway) learned to use my left for mouse. Eventually, I spent money on an Evoluent and the pain went away. You lose a small amount of precision in exchange for not having to get surgery.
Haven't heard of it, I'll check it out. Thing is, I regularly use both mice and trackpads and still have issues and haven't even isolated the problem. Seems keyboards are related two, but I use several different types there as well. It's really frustrating.
I would assume you've tried the various trackballs on the market? With those, my wrist at least never moves.
I have tried trackballs but they are so imprecise for me that I never gave them much time. It's almost to the point where I'm willing to try again, though, so thanks for the advice.
I love my evoluent mouse. It's helped so much!
That's a good last name.
Thanks =)
Fasho, all the best people have it.
Huh...TIL there is a vertical mouse...
Yeah. The general idea is your hand is designed to be in a handshake formation as opposed to palm down like mice require. Repetitive use of palm down action on things like your mouse and keyboard can stress your muscles and cause carpal tunnel. The first vertical mouse to gain popularity was the [Evoluent](http://www.amazon.com/Evoluent-VerticalMouse-Right-Wireless-VM4RW/dp/B006P2594Y/) but cheap knockoffs have started to appear like [this](http://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Vertical-Ergonomic-Optical-1600DPI/dp/B00BIFNTMC/) and [this](http://www.amazon.com/SHARKK%C2%AE-5-Button-Wireless-Vertical-Ergonomic/dp/B00HEX9JSK/).
I have the evoluent and it has helped immeasurably. This mouse, paired with a wrist supporting mouse pad is a must for me at any new job.
What keyboard layout do you use? Might be worth looking into Dvorak (and Programmer Dvorak) or Colemak. Less distanced travelled with your fingers = less strain.
I use qwerty and way too lazy to try anything else even though it could help. I don't notice much pain while typing except when reaching for backspace. I have a strange issue I need to try and fix because it is definitely getting worse. Thanks for the help!
I've remapped backspace to caps lock. Give that a shot. You will get completely used to it in a week or 2.
Just did this myself, swapped caps lock and backspace. This is _so_ much better. Thanks for the tip!
Holy crap I didn't even know this was possible. * I NEVER purposely use Caps Lock. I ALWAYS use backspace. * I ALWAYS accidentally hit Caps Lock and it pisses me off. I NEVER accidentally hit backspace, and if I did, it would probably be immediately noticeable. I think you just changed my life.
haha thanks! It's a simple tip. Backspace is an often used key but so far from your fingers. Capslock, on the other hand, is useless in comparison but right on the home rows! Switching it up and keeping it permanent as a backspace is a logical choice.
Made the switch last night. So far no regrets.
The most success I have had in improving my general usage is Dvorak and a trackball.
Exercise after work does not really undo the damage of sitting all day, it's like saying jogging after smoking will fix you up. You should be standing at your desk.
This is great. One thing that can really help with eyes is for every hour you spend on the computer just get up and stare a distance across the office or outside a window. Lean back at your desk. One of the problems with chairs is they're often too high and force us to lean over a desk putting pressure on our organs, and thus all the hype about sitting being the, "new smoking".
>My hands are always pretty sore from repetitive stress. [...] I wish I had an answer for this one. Physical therapy.
Muscles can only pull not stretch by themselves therefor stretching is very important even the fingers! One more thing is to strengthen antrogonists. Since tiping means closing your hands/fingers you need to open them againgst some hindrance like tera-band or in a rice bucket. That will improve your problems. Cheers
What keyboard do you use? I had problems with sore wrists on my old rubber-dome, until I got a mechanical keyboard (Corsair K70 w/ Cherry MX Browns) for my birthday. It comes with a really nice attachable wrist rest and is very comfortable to use. Can definitely recommend, the build quality is amazing too and it is great for both gaming and typing.
Use an IDE or editor with a dark theme. It may sound crazy, but it can Help with eye strain.
me too I use everything dark theme, reddit RES night mode, everything even pdfs reader that turn pages to black and letters to white.
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Your gonna live to be over 100 at this rate
F.lux must be installed on any computer I'm gonna work on for long periods as I get migranes after a few hours. As other's have mentioned Gunnar glasses help too but have a certain dorky factor that cannot be ignored if you're in an office setting.
> As other's have mentioned Gunnar glasses help too but have a certain dorky factor that cannot be ignored if you're in an office setting. Would installing Gunnar's in a Darth Vader helmet help or hinder the dork-factor, I wonder?
Yes, of course, who asks such a question?
\**Vader inhale*\* \**Vader exhale*\*
get up walk around and stretch to keep the blood flowing and stuff every hour
I ride my bike to work. Yoga for longevity.
I use the 20 minute rule to keep my eye health up. Every 20 minutes, stare at something 20 ft away for 20 seconds. You can even set up an alert (easy to do in OSX) to remind you. Additionally try to keep your wrists and fingers limber by [doing some basic movements](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiRC80FJbHU) for a minute or so every hour. Also drink a lot of water. It's super good for you and will make you need to pee a lot which will get you out of your chair every 90-120 minutes.
going to try this... i've noticed my eyesight deteriorating
For OSX I use: */20 * * * * osascript -e "tell application \"System Events\" to display alert \"Rest Eyeballs!!!\"" > /dev/null 2>&1
I spend anywhere from 16-20 hours per day in front of some kind of screen. I'm a lead software engineer and I work from home. One thing that has helped me is I built a desk on a treadmill. I do meetings and such from there fairly often. Another thing I do that my optometrist told me to try is consciously refocusing on a different focal length every so often. Set a timer if you have to, just remember to look away from your screen every once in a while. Better yet, set a 45 minute timer and when it goes off, get up and walk around. Grab some water, pace in circles while you think about the problem you're working on, whatever. Pacing often helps me to figure things out.
Here's what i have been doing: For eyes: have the window from the side and make sure the room is lit. Just how lit is up to you. Make sure you don't have cheap flickery TL lamps. For your back: proper chair. Desk height matters. Change positions. Wiggle. Active position, keep moving, when typing and mousing, also use your elbows and shoulders. Stand up and walk around regularly. Even just for 5 second. Just to keep the blood flowing. For your neck: I always have my monitor high up, straight ahead of my face. When you're stressing over a deadline or something, actively keep checking that your posture is relaxed. Don't ignore any signals from your body. Eat, drink, stretch, piss, whatever.
I'm only 24 but I've been doing this since at least 10 years, and I have a reasonably healthy body. I just eat only when I'm hungry, not when "I'm supposed to". For example, I don't usually do breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I usually just eat lunch or dinner and then a quick snack if I feel like it, and I'm set for the whole day. Also I put a scheduled reminder to stand up for 5 minutes every hour (read that in an article) but I often ignore it, even if I know I shouldn't. I do 20 pushups every morning (not really morning, but every time I wake up), and exercise for about 30 mins before taking a shower.
Although a lot of people surely see this as a bad habit, I too have been on this - eat when hungry, sleep when sleepy, routine since a few years.. and it's perfectly okay.
Indeed. For me it's great because for now I have no job and I don't really go out much, but of course when I do find a job I would probably need a more consistent schedule.
I feel like eyes have been covered. Elsewhere, make sure to get a good chair with lumbar support and sit upright as much as possible. Appropriate desk height is also important, and switching to a standing desk every once in a while is a good practice if availible. Make sure to take breaks and walk around. Last, ergonomic peripherals like mice and keyboards never hurt.
Hey if you want to help out her eyes, Get a program called Flux Assuming she does any late night programming for example, it helps the eye strain a lot. A morning and before bed exercise will help her to as well as taking a break in the middle of the day to walk around a bit.
I don't - standing desk! I also exercise daily, and use dark color themes
I get pretty bad neck ache from sitting at a desk and I've only been doing it for about a year. I have a stand for my work MacBook but it doesn't seem to make much difference. Any advice would be appreciated.
Is your monitor at head level where you're not looking up or down? Sometimes neck aches can last 6 months or more. I once slept with one extra pillow under my neck and woke up with a neck ache that lasted 6 months.
Yes but I've only recently got the stand. That sounds pretty similar to how I felt after doubling up on my pillows, that's when it started too! I think I'll go to my doctor if it doesn't go away soon.
If you only got the stand, it isn't like the stand is going to cure you, your neck still needs to go through the time of recovery. Going to a doctor or chiropractor isn't a bad idea. Sometimes getting the vertebrae popped in right helps it recover quicker. But if you have a non-professional do it, you always run the risk of it getting worse.
This may sound lame, but I found a lot of relief going to a qualified chiropractor. There is a lot of variation in theory and practice, so you really need to shop around a bit, but once you find a good one, it will change your life if you're willing to do the work. My chiro is all about nerve and skeletal structure, and has helped me tremendously with posture and back problems. I've also read that strengthening the back muscles is the way to relieve back pain, although I know you said your problem is with your neck. If you've ever been in a car accident and not treated it, your neck may be misaligned.
Thanks for your advice! I've had a lot of problems with my back and believe it may be a factor, I have to click it every morning which isn't great! Will definitely look into it. Thanks again.
No problem. Happy to help.
Does your SO workout and eat a healthy diet? Lifting weights three times a week has done tremendous good for my health and posture. I still suffer the same old APT and computer guy posture at times, but now I'm aware of it, and fixing it is as simple as focusing on proper posture and rolling out my hanstrings and glutes every now and again between workouts.
The default factory settings of monitors are insanely bright. They're trying to look good in the store display. You are not meant to actually use it at that brightness. If staring at a white screen gives you eyestrain, your monitor is probably not adjusted properly. I suggest investing in a monitor calibration system, but if that's too expensive, then try setting the brightness at around 50 to 75 out of 100. I never use dark mode and have no eyestrain whatsoever from staring at a white screen for long hours.
I was going to mention this. The default brightness/contrast settings are way too high for normal use. Unless you're working in an extremely bright environment, the brightness and contrast should be turned way down. It is also important to make sure that you're not sitting too near or too far away from the screen. Try adjusting the screen's position on your desk if you can, or try adjusting the font size.
Yoga everyday, working out on your off time helps so much. Also get a yoga ball and sit on that for a good 3 hours a day when at the office instead of the regular chair.
For the eyes she should always sit in a well lit room without direct light to the monitor. The text should be large enough for her not to squint. If she has glasses, have her check out terminal glasses (not sure if this is the right term). Have her try a dark themed editor/desktop environment. Posture is very important as is screen, keyboard and mouse position. These thinks are well explained of the Internet. She should strive for standing up every thirty minutes, a couple of minutes is enough, the idea is to break the monotony. I do neck, shoulder and lower arm mobility stretches every 40 minutes, I have problems with tension in those areas. 30 minute walks every day really help a lot, preferably outdoors. If she can find the time hitting the gym two maybe three times a week is very good. Focus should be on core strength if she doesn't follow a program. If she can afford it, massage therapy is awesome for relieving stiff muscles.
I use F.lux and don't have any eye fatigue. But I have developed some health issues from sitting at a computer for long periods. It's not just the sitting, it's the diet too. I find I often will either miss a meal, or grab some kind of unhealthy "to go" food, or a bag of snacks to eat while I'm working. My legs were real bad at one point, it was hard to walk. So every afternoon, I get up and walk around the block twice. It's been a tremendous improvement but I really should come up with a better diet. Looking forward to seeing what others have done.
I reduced the brightness on my monitors to the lowest setting which is still comfortable. Also, turning off the blinding fluorescent overhead light helps, or shading the eyes. The idea is to reduce amount of light entering the eyes as much as possible.
To make the screen easier on your eyes install f.lux on the computer you are using it will make it easier on them at night
Some people have no problem looking at computer screens, but sitting down and more importantly stress will impact your health. As a computer programmer, you absolutely must exercise 1-2 hours a day, or you're done.
For the eyes, justgetflux.com. It's an app that will essentially white balance the screen for indoor light. I've been using it for about 5 years now. It'll take her 5 min to get used to it, but after that she won't want to use a computer without it. For the body, I find it ideal to do a mix of things: use a standing desk that's ergonomically set up for you, take occasional breaks sitting down, go on walking breaks...
Since I started studying as a student, I've noticed that my eyes will have trouble focusing on the screen after a while. Does anyone else have this problem and know what I could do about it?
Consider getting her a PWM dimming free monitor.
As others said - get eyes tested as screen use can really causes issues with some small vision imperfections, in my case it was slight astigmatism and I'd leave work with very tired eyes. I needed glasses for using computers a good 15 years before I needed them for anything else. The other issue is not blinking enough - sitting in front of a screen slows your blinking down a lot, so make effort to blink if you are feeling issues with eyes and leave the screen for 10 mins (follow standard advise and take breaks every so often anyway). Also makes sure you have things set-up to be comfortable – no reflections of lights/windows in the screen, seating and desk correctly positioned – worth googling for workplace advice on using computers,
The blinking issue also affects playing smartphone and tablet games.
I used to have issues with mouse elbow and they been significantly reduced after engaging in a proper upper body exercise regime, taking time away from the computer (and phone and tablet), and getting a proper ergonomic setup.
My system is working pretty well for me. I workout everyday (am a powerlifter) but from what I've read and what I've experienced, you still feel like crap if you're on the computer half the day anyway. So I have a simple alarm clock program which sounds every hour and I get up, do 15ish slow bodyweight squats, and then I stretch, walk around, and loosen up. Doesn't take more than 5-10 minutes and has made a huge impact on how I feel.
What's the program you use called?
[Here you go](http://download.cnet.com/Free-Alarm-Clock/3000-2350_4-75328290.html)
Keep screen contrast and brightness to a minimum. Configure color themes to use light text on dark backgrounds.
I go to the gym every morning before work, and then I usually do some type of active activity after work when its nice out; Basketball, Tennis, Rock Climbing, Hiking. Its fun to get away from the computers for a little bit when you have been on them all day.
In collage I had a tendency to rest my head on my arm/hand, and slept on my stomach. My neck has never fully recovered, but what really helped was getting the monitor up high. I'm not one for any specific posture, however, keeping my head up and not hunched over a laptop is important. If you have to work on a laptop monitor I'd suggest getting a stand: http://i.imgur.com/o7ECdxt.jpg If you work at a company you can request equipment like that. Just make sure to use the word ergonomic, working condition and health, and you're sure to get the equipment you need. Usually its just a couple of hours of work in expenses. Regularly do stretches also helps. I continuously do extreme movements. Not in the fast sense, but turning my head as far as it can, move arms around as far as they go etc. Probably looks wierd, but better than ruining my neck/shoulders more. Finally ctrl-scroll is awesome. Any browser should support zooming in and out. Most IDEs or text editors supports it or can be configured to support it. This means you don't have to have your monitor up in your face all the time. Just avoid hunching over your computer.
> The pain on her eyes from doing more work in front of a screen are really hindering her learning progress. Does she eat enough throughout the day? She needs to eat regularly. Focusing on a computer screen and code is a very mentally intensive process. My eyes hurt like crazy if I skip a meal.
You said developer, so this probably doesnt apply, but: Although I dont have this problem, I find it useful, especially when working on algorithms to print out whatever piece of code im staring at, stick it to a whiteboard and do my calculations and psuedo on the whiteboard. Basically put that printer and easel to a good use. Easy to edit, easy to draw stuff, less staring at a screen.
You have to work out to stay healthy. Astronauts on the Space Station have to work out 2 and a 1/2 hours on the space station DAILY, or very bad bone decalcification happens due to micro gravity.
*decalcification? (Or does information about their bones become open to the public?)
You're right, sorry about that. My phone didn't know the word and changed it without me noticing.
Invest in a good quality monitor. I use one benq low blue light monitors and have noticed my eyes bother me less after long gaming sessions. I'm a heavy gamer and easily pull 12 hour sessions in front of my system. I would pass on the gunnars frankly. Have seen them at various LAN parties over the years and any of the cheap blue blocker sun glasses do the same thing. I will add that if have any of the Oakley interchangable lens glasses check out the tint called Persimmon, it's great at cutting glare in almost all lighting conditions.
What I do is set a timer on my watch that varies from 45-90 minutes and when it goes off I get up and do a work out routine, push-ups, sit-ups wall sits and the like it helps me stay focused and the blood running.
Also the proper posture when strong at your desk is not straight up but rather leaning back 15 degrees. This helps with stress on your eyes and back... It may make you appear lazy but that should be quelled by the work she does.
I do power lifting / body building and High Intensity Training. The weights keep my legs and my back strong and pain free and the HIT keeps my flexibility and burns fat.
Is there a particular problem with working from a recliner? (that isn't logistical)
Walk before work. Walk at lunchtime. Walk after work. Get up for a short walk at least every hour. Take the stairs every time you get the chance. Don't eat too much junk food. People say don't use a monitor in a dark room but as far as I can tell there is no truth in that. Make sure you have the right glasses if you need them and don't use any monitor that isn't sharply focused. Modern monitors are great as long as they are at their native resolution. And get a good chair. I've never tried a standing desk so I can't tell you if they are worth it.
I lift, lift if healthy, healthy compensates not healthy, mind is peace
I used to get headaches and a lot of face muscle tightness after looking at a screen for several hours. I went to an eye doctor and found out I have a slight astigmatism, which was causing eye strain. It was a complete surprise to me because I had always had 20/20 vision or better. I got a prescription set of glasses and the headaches went away. I'll echo what other people have said here. I try to stand and work when I can. I also try to exercise at some point during the day. My eye doctor recommended staring off into the far distance for a minute once an hour to rest my eyes. It's really difficult to keep the weight off, but keeping healthy is the same at a desk job as with any other job. Calories in VS calories out is the key. Exercise will keep you feeling good despite the long hours, and proper ergonomic furniture is a must.
Here are some of the things I often do to keep myself in check. - Remember to take frequent breaks from the computer, go outside and sit there for 5-10 minutes. Have a countdown timer on the computer to remind you of this. - Always have a glass of water nearby. - Eat healthy and always at the same times. Don't eat in front of the computer. - Use software that adjusts the color hue of the screen relative to sunlight. I use the app Redshift, but F.lux is a common alternative. - Use a standing desk, but at the same time alternate a lot. I have a laptop and often sit in the kitchen. - Good posture! - Trackball mice, they are a godsend - A good keyboard
I'd say the only real concern is blood pooling in your legs. Get up every once and a while should keep that from happening.
Try using flux to dim the monitor brightness. Worked wonders for me and I almost never get headaches from that anymore
Don't sit. [Stand](http://iamnotaprogrammer.com/Ikea-Standing-desk-for-22-dollars.html). The reason I say this is I find I am farther away from the monitors standing up vs. sitting down. I have a bigger field of view so I'm not just looking at the screen. This has helped my eye fatigue, but I mainly did this because I was getting such bad back pain.
At work I have a strict no food at the desk rule, it's too easy to snack... Also no sugary beverages, coffee works just fine thanks. I don't have eye strain issues, but I do use some amber goggles at night when I want to use the computer before bed, or if I wake up in the middle of the night I'll put 'em on before turning on a light. My biggest issue has been back pain from bad chairs/poor posture/general sitting around all the time. I just need to exercise my back, at least twice a week, and I'm good. I do squats and back extension exercises amongst my other exercise routines and they definitely nip any back pain in the bud. Edit to add: [doing back exercises is like this gif](http://i.imgur.com/f1LTzBZ.gifv). Highly reccommended.
There are a number of subtle things that you can do to really improve this. 1. First of all, for eye strain, [Redshift](http://jonls.dk/redshift/) (Linux/BSD) or [f.lux](https://justgetflux.com/) (portable, but proprietary) are absolute musts. They will pretty much eliminate eye strain. 2. For overall health, a good diet and exercise are needed. A standing desk or a high-quality chair will help quite a bit. I have a standing desk, and I really like it. 3. Most programmers (including myself) consume a constant supply of caffeine, which feels nice, but probably isn't great for one's health. I have chronic insomnia, and my caffeine consumption makes it worse. Make sure she gets plenty of sleep. **tl;dr**: The usual things for any job: sleep, diet, exercise, and a standing desk/nice chair.
Work out 3 days a week. Probably not enough to compensate sitting in a chair for 12 hours though.. I think there was a study that showed that there is no compensating for sitting too long. [Ah, here it is.](http://time.com/3672428/exercise-sitting/)
I would get headaches all the time. Switching from my old hammy down lcd monitor to a new monitor has helped out profoundly. I'm currently using BenQ, which has a line of products aimed for eyecare which consists of flicker free and low blue lighting settings. Not sure how gimmicky their "eyecare" technology is, but it works for me.
1. Expensive chair. Worth the investment 2. Correct posture, especially correct eye level. I actually have my wrists too low, but with a normal desk it's nearly impossible to get this right. 3. Walk around for a few minutes at least once an hour. 4. Go outside occasionally
Florescent lighting can be a killer in an office space. This gets compounded when the light reflects off of your monitor into your eyes. I always make sure to have some sort of anti reflective glass near by, if I don't have it I end up with a major head ache. Typically the kind that borders migrane status if I don't catch it in time. TL:DR If the office has Florescent lighting, make sure to get anti reflective lenses of some sort.
1) Got top end monitors with high resolution. Turns out it's worth it if you spend 8 hours or more a day just staring at it. The strain on my eyes using a retina display laptop is less than using a larger poorer quality screen on a monitor. 2) Make sure to get the right prescription for glasses or contacts. If it's glasses get the coating and quality lenses. I like Oakley digital glass. It's much better than the standard PC lenses. 3) Stand up and walk around every hour to two. I refill my water every hour or so whether I need it or not. 4) Exercise away from the computer. I like to cycle and grapple (jiu jitsu). This will keep the rest of your body healthy and strong to support you. 5) Get a great chair. A high quality chair with the right back support can save a back. Alternatively a standing desk. 6) Make sure the monitor and keyboard are in good positions. Getting your wrists and neck all cricked up will be painful. That's how I do it at least. YMMV, IANAL and IANAD.
standing desks. proper ergonomics (chair and monitor height). good, clear monitors. regular breaks to walk and stretch. think more/type less. generally take care of yourself :)
I do exercises. For every compile error I do 20 push-ups and 20 sit-ups. I mean, well, when I'm not coding at a coffee shop or whatever--I'm in the comfort of my own abode, I don't give a fuck. And when I DON'T get any errors, and everything runs perfectly fine, I get excited and go out for a sprint or a 4 mile jog. Make programming YOUR life, not the other way around.
[^(**Mouseover** to view the metric conversion for this comment)](#4 miles = 6.4 km "4 miles = 6.4 km Post feedback in /r/ToMetric")
Tell her to either request a standing desk or just buy something on amazon that makes your desk a standing desk. My office recently converted all our desks to this way, and I seriously feel better this way than any other way. Also to echo others itt, f.lux is a great free program. Working out is also a good way too feel better. We also have these drills at our office where 5 of us do push ups until we can't do anymore. Helps the blood flow and creative programming process
Regarding the eyes, one thing is to calibrate the monitor. Use the Windows built in tool for that. Most monitors are uncalibrated, and not only they don't show colors as they are supposed to be, but usually, they are also more bright and emmit more light. More light that gets in the eyes and fatigues them. Second, there are special protective glasses for computer monitor radiation. These are not glasses that make people see if they can't see, but glasses that filter an amount of the radiation emmited from monitors, so a less amount reaches the eyes. If someone already wears glasses for myopia or something, he or she can ask the shop who made them to add the computer screen protection layer on them, so the person doesn't have to wear two sets of glasses one over the other. Now an idea is to take breaks. Since working on the computer have you sitting a lot of hours in front of it, it would be a good idea to go outside for a walk everyday, for about an hour or maybe 2 hours. Tell her to add a daily walk in her daily schedule. I personally walk 3-4 kilometers every day.
I drink a lot of water. A lot a lot. I take a [big 'ol bottle of water](http://store.nalgene.com/32-Ounce-Wide-Mouth-Water-Bottle-s/3.htm) with me to work and carry it around with me at home. Aside from my morning coffee (and maybe a beer after work) it's all I drink from. Hungry and it's not mealtime? Drink. Thirsty? Drink. Thoughtful? Drink. This have a few benefits: * I'm well hydrated * I'm forced to take a break, get up, walk around... to the washroom, but still * I don't have too much coffee / sugary drinks / other unhealthy drinks.
First, the eye pain is likely another issue and she should really go see a doctor about this. Likely she is having to get too close to the screen or turn up the brightness/contrast too much because she needs glasses. Make sure the screen is also properly adjusted as well, she could also try a program called flux, if that helps you might be able to get away with just some gunnar's or other blue light filter glasses. As far as the other aspects go there are some really good things you can do from a comfort perspective. First while a mechanical keyboard will improve it a lot the best thing you could get is actually a really good wrist rest. If you have problems with the mouse hand some people have had great success with a trackball or a vertical mouse. The other is as a general rule I tend to stand up about once an hour and walk around a bit, get a coffee or something. I find just a little timer works well for this. If I am in the zone rather than get up and walk I will get up do a few squats/mini exercises. I actually find that it gets the blood flowing well and actually helps when walking away might break my flow.
Gym membership. Low fat, low carb, low sodium, high protein, high fiber foods. Plenty of vitamins and supplements. Hardest part is occasional back pain (use a TENS machine, avoid OTC medications.) Keep monitors at-or-above eye level. Stand up and stretch often. Drink a lot of water, both because it's good for you and because it promotes bathroom trips. As for the eyes, I've been staring at cathode tubes and LED matrices for 25 years. The consensus is 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes spend 20 seconds looking at something at least 20 feet away.) I know the migraines suck from periods of my life where I didn't express contact with technology but you'll get used to it. Chances are that if she's getting headaches it's **more from the angle of her neck and her posture** than it is from eye strain. Posture is huge. I work 2 feet away from 4x 29 inch monitors for ~40 hours a week. I'll probably be blind in 20 years. Best not to take my advice.
One more thing that gets overlooked by f.lux, you should turn the brightness setting on the monitor way down. For a decent quality monitor, you should have it set under 25%. The only reason to have it higher than that is if it's under direct sunlight. Something in the 15-20 range would be best. It might take some adjustment time, but I find it far less distracting than the red tones from f.lux.
I don't have one, but I hear great things about a geekdesk (http://www.geekdesk.com/mobile-home). I do a lot of video editing, and a lot of editors swear by these things. It's motorized and can go from sitting to standing by flipping a switch. Apparently, it's smooth enough to not knock over any drinks you have on the desk or anything. (Again, I don't have one, but this is what I've heard ). I also hear that getting a mat for comfort and support when standing is helpful as well. EDIT: Typos and hyperlink
I don't have eye issues but I have REALLY BAD neck and back issues. Your spine and your back muscles are important for so much more than you'd expect - I got a toothache because of knots and tension in my coat-hanger muscles (changes the way you move and rest, which starts causing jaw issues such as feeling toothache-like pain when you open and close your mouth). I also have no feeling to the right of my spine, over the skin of my trapezius. I'm 21 and exercise every day... Get a chair with armrests and lumbar support, make sure good posture is comfy so you stay in it (might take some getting used to but still), adjustable height to keep your forearms parallel, raise your computer monitor to discourage looking down and forward head posture, get a separate keyboard and mouse to use at home if you have a laptop, get up and stretch every 30-60 min (or at least go pee or something that changes bloodflow), etc. This is overkill for a lot of people but they're all things I need for any length of time now or I'm in a lot of pain. I think what did it was using my laptop in my lap, curled up on the couch so much - very severe downward-looking posture. This stuff is really important if you're doing computer work, since most us spend leisure time on the computer too... It was a big negative for me when I transitioned from painting and ink illustration to digital stuff. If her eyes are the worst part, make sure she has a bigger monitor and isn't reading itty bitty text if it's sized for laptop-distance but pushed back to monitor distance on a stand etc. There are also glasses with coatings that reduce eyestrain (gunnars? I think? is one brand) that work really well for my boyfriend, but I don't get eyes train so idk what brings me the most relief is taking breaks and moving often, and focusing my eyes on something far away and something close for some time. also, if your gf doesn't wear glasses, now is the time to get her eyes checked again - eyesight changes throughout your life and many people with mild myopia can ignore it or focus over it until they start doing intensive things like reading music or code all day.
Exercise is what you should be doing even if you weren't in front of a computer. The benefits of exercise will permeate into all areas of your physical and mental well-being. Find something you enjoy and do it. Like lifting weights? Do that. Like sports? Do that. Don't have access to a gym? Body weight exercise and sprints. No excuses. Everyone should be taking take of themselves. You'll be more focused, productive, and happy.
Get a standing desk
My parents are ophthalmologists (eye doctors) and there can be problems if you don't blink often enough. Dryness being the least of your worries. Pterygiums can develop, (I'm not entirely sure what they are), but not being on it for 10 hours everyday would help. :)
I can't claim to know if this is a catch-all solution, but I've never experienced eye pain with a good, properly configured monitor.
- if you have prescription, get the best glasses / contact lens you can afford - also get good quality (ergonomic, sturdy and quality built) chair - best monitor you can afford (or company can provide you with, and if they do not want to give you good one, bite the sour apple and buy better one) - good keyboard, mouse - check how you sit behind desk, knee postion, arm & hands postion, height of chair - regulary exercise and choose a sport or hobby that requires physical action and work: 30minutes a day can make a difference - eat and drink healthy: coca cola is good substitution for herbicide not for drink... - do regular checks at your choosen doctor: blood pressure, sugar, proteins and fats in blood, holesterol and diet accordingly - take a break for few minutes every few hours
Take short 30 second breaks and look at things at different distances. Issues can come from focusing at the same distance for too long.
Two words: [Dark Reader](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/dark-reader/eimadpbcbfnmbkopoojfekhnkhdbieeh?hl=en)
Drink Water :) it helps to reduce the strain on the eyes :)
Things like [Workrave](http://www.workrave.org/) help me out a ton.
Keep your back straight; either lean(slope) back or vertical, no slouching.
/r/bodyweightfitness Exercise is important, specially when sitting a lot as it promotes weak muscles and bad form. APT is something most people I know is suffering from today.
One weird trick to avoiding RSI - sit on an inflatable exercise / Pilates ball while working. I've had all kinds of RSI injuries in my days - wrist pain, back pain, elbow pain, you name it. I just thought this was a fact of life and tried to counteract it with exercise, ergonomic equipment, taking frequent breaks and so on. This helped, but it felt like I was just constantly fighting off symptoms instead of solving the problem. One day I heard that Google employees could choose to get an exercise ball instead of a regular office chair. Thinking this was just crazy enough to work I got one and - just like that - all my RSI problems went away. I can now sit in front of the computer for a seemingly unlimited amount of time without any pain whatsoever. (I guess it's still debatable if sitting for unlimited time in front of a computer is a good thing) I don't know if this will work for everyone, but for me it was a life-saver. Anyhow, exercise balls are like a tenth of the price of an ergonomic chair, so it won't hurt to try. The one caveat is that you need an adjustable desk as well, but that's true no matter how you sit.